New Ads Showcase Newfoundland and Labrador as an Intriguing Travel Destination

Newfoundland and Labrador’s Find Yourself campaign continues to resonate with travellers seeking experiences that go far beyond the packaged, cookie-cutter tourism often offered elsewhere. With the launch of the 2012 national television campaign on Monday, January 16, viewers will be entertained with two new chapters featuring Iceberg Alley and Secret Place.

“These new ads carry on with the overall theme of the campaign by showcasing the unusual and unexpected differences that make Newfoundland and Labrador such a unique travel destination,” said the Honourable Derrick Dalley, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. “Our province is full of adventure in every cove, harbour, and bay. Iceberg Alley is a story about the people, the culture, and those spontaneous moments that can take us on a personal journey, leaving us inspired. Secret Place is about all the magical and mysterious places to encounter within the province, such as Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve, where we can see fossils 565 million years old, some of the earliest evidence of life on the planet.”

The ads Iceberg Alley and Secret Place will run on national television until May. Television is one element of the multimedia campaign that also includes in-flight, national, and regional newspapers, online advertising, and digital marketing.

In addition to the national advertising campaign, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is launching a winter campaign with a combination of radio, print, and online advertising.

“There are many opportunities to travel at home during the winter months in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Minister Dalley. “This campaign encourages everyone to enjoy the winter season and travel for snowmobiling, skiing, and other winter activities by taking advantage of the tourism packages available through our website.”

A series of vignettes, illustrating a variety of winter activities in Newfoundland and Labrador are available on the website at www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/vignettes and on the YouTube channel www.youtube.com/newfoundlandlabrador. 

The province welcomed an unprecedented 518,500 non-resident visitors in 2010, an increase of 7.3 per cent over the previous year (2009). This was the first time the half-million mark was reached and exceeded in Newfoundland and Labrador. Expenditures by non-resident visitors were over $410 million. Since 2003, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has more than doubled its tourism marketing budget from $6 million to $13 million.

Budget 2011 Standing Strong: For Prosperity. For Our Future. For Newfoundland and Labrador invested $1.4 million to implement new tourism initiatives.

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Media contact:
Diana Quinton
Director of Communications
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
709-729-0928, 631-8155
DianaQuinton@gov.nl.ca

2012 01 13                            3:00 p.m.