Promoting Studio Tours in BC has just become Easier
March 21, 2011 - Victoria,
BC Studio Tour organizers who promote their tours and the participating artists at www.GoBC.ca have an additional free tool at their disposal this year. GoBC now enables tours to use a Google map as the official tour map, saving the organizers the time and money involved in designing and printing their own tour maps.
Studio tours can establish their own GoBC listing with dates, times and information. Tours can be linked to the free GoBC listings of participating artists, and can also be linked to other websites. There is room for attachments, such as programs, and now a printable tour map can be prepared right on GoBC.
Cindy Gibson, a potter and annual participant of the
Saanich Scattered Artists Studio Tour, describes the advantages of using GoBC.ca: “No one in our studio tour group wants to manage a stand-alone website for the tour. GoBC has a basic template that makes it quick and easy for us to link all our artists to one address. I manage that, and it only takes me a few hours a year.” Cindy goes on to point out that some artists do not have their own websites. “GoBC is an easy tool for them to show some of their work along with key information, at no cost and with minimal maintenance.”
GoBC Arts and Cultural Tourism owners appreciate the tremendous value that arts and culture bring to the tourism industry and have always looked for ways to support BC artists and cultural organizations. “Many visitors look for an authentic experience, a more in depth way to explore the places they visit.” explains Sibylle Zilker, co-owner of GoBC. “Studio tours provide a window into a community. They are such an incredible opportunity to enjoy art and meet artists, and moreover, to talk to locals and be part of a community for a day.”
GoBC promotes
studio tours and
events at www.GoBC.ca as well as on
facebook,
twitter and more, often in combination with nearby places to stay.
Artists and studio tour organizers are encouraged to visit
www.gobc.ca/advertise. Studio tours can be found at
www.gobc.ca/tours.
GoBC Arts and Cultural Tourism is an independent BC business that supports the growth of a sustainable tourism industry by promoting BC hospitality in the context of local art, culture and adventure.
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Contact: Sibylle Zilker, GoBC Arts and Cultural Tourism, Inc.
