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Penticton & Wine Country Tourism Report by Jessie Campbell
With the summer season in full swing, I'm happy to report on the activities of Penticton & Wine Country Tourism. Our efforts are to ensure Penticton is on the must-visit list for travellers in 2011.
Growth in tourism is forecasted for BC this year, and our objectives are set for Penticton to experience growth as well. At the end of the month we'll wrap up an 11-week campaign targeting our key markets of the Lower Mainland, Calgary & Edmonton. This year, we had less to invest in our marketing campaign as a result of two difficult economic years, however our campaign is outperforming previous years. Stats show unique visits to www.tourismpenticton.com at over 75,000 for the year, which is indicative of trip planning to the area. Entries to our "Win Your Dream Vacation" contest are up more than 30% over a similar contest last year, and our Twitter followers and Facebook fans are growing in leaps and bounds.
Tracy Reis has recently fully taken over Penticton & Wine Country's media relations efforts. This means hosting journalists or media at little or no cost to them to then take Penticton's message to the world through TV, newsprint, magazine, radio or the web. In the first quarter of 2011, messages about travel to Penticton reached 7.6 million people, and had an advertising equivalency of $76,000. For the second quarter, messages about travel to Penticton reached 6.96 million people, and had an advertising value of $149,840. Watch for more innovative ways we're generating earned media coming later this year!
A key area for growth are the shoulder seasons - April to June and September to November. In November, we hired Jeff Plant, Sport Tourism Coordinator. Jeff's role has been to market Penticton as an ideal location for a myriad of sporting events, with a goal of driving up tourism business in the shoulder seasons. Events overall (including sport, but also meeting/convention and festivals/events) deliver an incredible opportunity to bring business to Penticton when we need it most. Building Penticton into the all-season destination it has the potential to become commands a focused effort, and we're working closely with the City of Penticton on strategies that will support bringing new events and therefore more dollars to Penticton.
COMING SOON - 2012 Penticton & Wine Country Visitors Guide Opportunity
The Official 2012 Penticton & Wine Country Visitors Guide will be coming soon to Penticton & area businesses to consider advertising in. We're completely re-vamping the guide this year, including going much more online and mobile-friendly. The goal is to add more value for advertisers, with options for online offers visitors can access from their Blackberry's or iPhone's while on the go during their visit. We will be in touch!
For me, this year is all about building an army. Taking Penticton to new heights is going to take a lot of work, but if you're up to the challenge and want to join forces, please call me. I'd love to hear from you. (250) 490-2464.
Until then, please enjoy the rest of your summer and speak to you in the fall. | 
