VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - May 12, 2015) - Destination BC is partnering with leading BC artists to explore the province's natural iconic experiences and share them with potential travellers through its spring/summer North American marketing initiatives.
Renowned spoken-word artist Shane Koyczan, who electrified audiences around the world during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony, was the first artist invited by Destination BC to venture into the wild. Shane spent time in the rainforests of Vancouver Island's west coast, which inspired him to write a moving poem that captures the rugged power of BC's spectacular natural environment. His poem, videos and photography from his trip are available on a new, interactive digital hub: wildwithin.ca.
The digital hub is an inspirational microsite that promotes BC experiences through storytelling and user-generated content from residents, travellers and social influencers. Content on the digital hub can be shared across various channels, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+, to urge people to plan their own BC adventure. The work of two more artists will be added to the site in the coming months.
Destination BC is also offering visitor centres and tourism businesses the opportunity to order free point-of-sale materials (posters, postcards and stickers) that encourage the use of the hashtag #exploreBC. By promoting the use of #exploreBC, businesses can help encourage travellers to share their BC adventures with their social networks.
Destination BC's 2015 spring/summer North American marketing initiatives will run in California, Washington, Alberta and BC. Amplifying BC's recently revitalised destination brand, the activities are designed to create an emotional connection to BC that motivates travel, raises awareness and encourages immediate visitation.
Tourism is a critical part of BC's economy. The industry is showing excellent growth and has huge opportunity ahead. BC's international overnight visitors grew by 5.3% in 2014. Tourism employed more than 132,000 people in British Columbia in 2013, generating an additional 3,800 new jobs from the previous year.
Quotes:
Marsha Walden, CEO, Destination British Columbia
"BC's powerful nature inspires us all in different ways. We could think of no better way to share that inspiration with travellers than through renowned BC artists, whose work is shaped by the environment in which we are all so fortunate to live," says Marsha Walden, CEO of Destination BC. "Through the digital hub, and with artist and user-generated content, we hope to spark conversations on social platforms as we work toward our goal of becoming the most recommended destination in North America."
About Destination BC:
Destination BC is an industry-led Crown corporation that works collaboratively with tourism stakeholders across the province to coordinate marketing at the international, provincial, regional and local levels. For more information about Destination BC's programs and services, please visit: http://www.DestinationBC.ca/.
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Contact Information:
Media Contact:
Destination British Columbia
Media Relations
Tel: 604.660.0424
