Monday, April 27, 2009

Victoria, BC, the Best Place to Live


MoneySense has named Victoria, BC as the Best Place to Live.

MoneySense's fourth annual ranking of Canada's Best Places to Live measures every important aspect of every community in Canada. Taking into account such factors as weather, jobs, home prices, crime and access to health care. In total, MoneySense looked at 24 different indicators and rewarded points for each one, with 105 the maximum number of points a community could receive. After compiling a massive amount of data on 154 communities across Canada, Victoria came out on top with a score of 73 points. Go Victoria!

Friday, April 24, 2009

You Won't Want To… But We Will Help You Leave!

Tourism Victoria has launched a new spring travel promotion. Tourism Victoria will pick up the tab for the return travel on BC Ferries (car, driver and passenger) when visitors book a two night package in the Greater Victoria area with Tourism Victoria. The offer is valid for travel between May 1 and June 15, 2009 and must be booked no later than June 1, 2009; a limited number of packages are available.

The promotion is made possible by an innovative Cooperative Marketing Campaign consisting of 27 Tourism Victoria members and by a partnership with BC Ferries.

“This is a great example of what can be done when we all work together towards our common goal,” said Gialloreto. “We hope this promotion, in conjunction with our many other initiatives, will help add to our tourism traffic in May and June.”

“This is a wonderful way to entice visitors to come to Victoria,” said Scott Hoadley, President of the Greater Victoria Hotel Association. “The hotel community is excited to continue and strengthen our partnership with Tourism Victoria to bring visitors to this incredible destination.”

Ian MacPhee, Victoria’s Historic Inns, added: “Bed and Breakfasts have long understood the value of working together and it’s great Tourism Victoria is reaching across the business community and providing our visitors with more reasons to visit our beautiful city.”

Details about the limited time offer are available at
www.itsvictoria.com or by phone at 1-800-663-3883.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Tourism Victoria Launches Four New Videos on YouTube


Tourism Victoria is using a new medium as part of its 2009 digital strategy: YouTube.com. Tourism Victoria has launched four videos on YouTube.com, the leader in online videos. By creating unique and attention-grabbing videos, Tourism Victoria is taking advantage of YouTube.com’s world-wide audience to market our destination. The videos can be viewed by visiting www.tourismvictoria.com/videos or by searching “TourismVictoriaBC” on YouTube.com. Among the videos is “A Match That’s Nowhere To Be Found” a concept submitted by Graham Richard Parrish from the Camosun College School of Business during Tourism Victoria’s spring Student Video Contest.

“This cost-effective medium is significantly different than television, and therefore the creative had to be unique and non-traditional”, said Robert Gialloreto, President & CEO of Tourism Victoria. “With the viral nature of YouTube.com you never know what’s going to be popular and generate buzz. We are optimistic the variety of the videos we’ve produced will generate attention for our destination and additional web traffic.”

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Sunshine Guaranteed? Absolutely!

Tourism Victoria stands behind their guarantee! After raining 12.8mm on Sunday, April 12, 2009 – 0.3mm more than Tourism Victoria assured in the spring promotion Sunshine… Guaranteed, cheques for $500 have been issued to three booking parties.

Jennifer Harbin from Edmonton, AB, is one of those benefiting from the unusually heavy rainfall and she says the rain didn’t stop her family from seeing the city during their 3 night stay. “We had a nice time,” said Harbin. “We found lots of great things to do, it’s a wonderful city.” Harbin said that even though it did rain, they filled their time enjoying the scenery when the weather permitted, and enjoying the indoor attractions during showers. Harbin remarked she wasn’t sure she qualified, but is thrilled Tourism Victoria wrote her a cheque and loves the promotion.

“We are so pleased that visitors to Victoria are able to take advantage of this promotion,” said Robert Gialloreto, President & CEO of Tourism Victoria. “The short-term weather forecast calls for sunshine but it’s no secret that weather on the West Coast is unpredictable, and with the promotion running through the end of May, there’s lots of opportunity for everyone to take advantage.”

Details about the limited time offer are available by phone at 1-800-663-3883 or by visiting www.tourismvictoria.com/sunshine.



Wednesday, April 1, 2009

New Key For Victoria Hotels: Treasures


Tourism Victoria, Royal BC Museum (RBCM) and the Hotel Association of Greater Victoria are partnering to further advertise RBCM’s upcoming exhibit, Treasures: The World’s Cultures from the British Museum. Beginning April 3, 2009, 16 local hotels will provide guests with specialized key cards for their rooms. Each card displays information about the approaching exhibit and directs guest to http://www.tourismvictoria.com/ for great deals and further information.

Green-Key™ is an environmentally friendly alternative to the traditional plastic keycard used in hotel’s electronic lock systems. Rather than being manufactured from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Green-Key™ is made from paperboard, a biodegradable, recyclable and renewable resource.

“The members of the Hotel Association of Greater Victoria are excited to partner with Tourism Victoria and the RBCM to create an awareness of Treasures,” said Scott Hoadley, President, of the Hotel Association of Greater Victoria. “By having this event featured on the guest room keys, we are literally putting the message in the hands of people who are already familiar with what a wonderful destination Victoria is. It is an invitation to come back and see Victoria and the RBCM’s upcoming exhibit.”

"This creative campaign will put Treasures information directly into the hands of thousands of visitors. By working together with our local tourism industry partners we can boost important local buzz about this must-see international exhibition," said Royal BC Museum CEO Pauline Rafferty.

“I couldn't think of a better way to tell all those visiting Victoria that we have a great exhibit coming to town,” said John Clisby, General Manager of the Victoria Best Western Carlton Plaza Hotel. “The visitors that come prior to the event’s opening will see the province's museum is hosting a tremendous exhibit for all to enjoy.”

“This is another example of collaboration amongst major tourism players in the city to promote a tremendous world class exhibit,” said Robert Gialloreto, President & CEO of Tourism Victoria. “This partnership marketing will be a reoccurring theme throughout the 2009 season.”


Participating Hotels:

Accent Inns
Aerie Resort & Spa
Belleville Park Resort
Chateau Victoria Hotel and Suites
Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel & Marina
Harbour Towers Hotel & Suites
Hotel Grand Pacific
Howard Johnson Hotel & Suites
Howard Johnson Hotel Victoria
Inn at Laurel Point
Magnolia Hotel & Spa
Delta Victoria Ocean Point Resort and Spa
Queen Victoria Hotel and Suites
Royal Scot Hotel and Suites
Victoria Best Western Carlton Plaza Hotel
Victoria Regent Hotel
Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa, Victoria