GoBC Newsletter

Newsletter June 2008

Tuesday Jun 10, 2008

Free GoBC marketing material
We've received a tremendous response from all our participants - new ideas and motives for future material.

Get ready for the season!
Our checklist for you to find out if your listing is up to date.

GoBC – all new and improved!
The new, improved GoBC – what’s new and why?

Tourism Statistics
Statistics and tourism numbers that might be interesting for your business to consider and important for new strategies.


Free GoBC marketing material

Thank you for your almost overwhelming response to our free postcards and magnets. We will have magnets again and we would love to offer you even more motives for postcards in the future.
If you want to promote your region or activities which we haven’t covered yet and you are able to offer us an exeptional image, please contact us any time. We will give you a photo credit and will consider it for our future postcards and other material.

(To customize your postcards you might want to use a stamp or sticker containing all your personal information on the back of the cards.)


Get ready for the season!

Have a look at your current listing and check if there have been changes that need to be updated for your GoBC - listing:

• Images - are your images the newest available?
• Prices - have you listed your current prices?
• Rooms - have you made changes to your rooms, interior decoration or even extensive renovations?
• Tours and Packages - do you offer different tours or new packages?
  
• Events – are there any events, such as Community Markets – Shows – Festivals –Concerts - through which you would like to draw more interest to your community and more customers to you?
• Workshops and classes, Summer Camps – anything you want to advertise on GoBC that’s not there yet?
• Studio Tours – are you participating in your local studio tour and would you like to have it listed in detail on GoBC?

If you need help or more information, just contact us, we’d be happy to help you or give advice.


GoBC – all new and improved!

Based on our constantly increasing traffic we completely upgraded our software and design. Find out what's new and if your listing is being featured in our new improved Google-Map.

One of the major improvements is our automatically changing Google-Map. No matter in which community you start, as soon as you move on the map, you will automatically find the updated content. This also allows the visitor to see and find information about communities close by, without having to start a new search.

There are different coloured markers now for accommodation and tour guides, artists and artist studios, museums and GoBC Hot Spots where you can find free internet access and in most places a loveloy cup of coffee as well. Check your GPS coordinated if they are correct and if you would like to be included in the map.

There are many other changes and we recommend you take a look for yourself. Please feel free to send us comments and suggestions for further improvement, as we always strive to provide the newest technology, great design, easy navigation and the best and most effective marketing tool for your online advertising.


Tourism Statistics

BC’s Tourism Sector in 2007

All types of establishments were busier last year.
Revenues across all accommodation types increased in 2007, with miscellaneous properties (e.g., bed and breakfasts, fishing lodges) leading the pack.

Visitor entries to Canada via BC fell 3.9% in 2007. Travel from the US slumped for the seventh straight year, as both same-day (-9.1&) and overnight (-4.1%) visitation was down. The US is still largest international travel market comprising more then three- quarters (77%) of total entries to BC in 2007.

The overseas market has been gaining momentum. In 2007, overseas entries rose (+3.3%) for the third time in four years and accounted for 23 % of total entries. More visitors from Europe (+5.3%), including the UK (+6.5%) and Germany (+2.6%), contributed to the increase. Entries from Oceania (+13.4%) surged, driven by an influx of Australians (+12.8%) visiting the province. However, the number of entries originating from Asia decreased 2.5%, as there were fewer travelers from Taiwan (-15.0%), Japan (-10.9%) and South Korea (-1.6%).

Although overseas visitors comprise a much smaller share of total entries compared to US travelers, their economic contributions to the provincial tourism sector are significant. According to data from Statistics Canada’s International Travel Survey, overseas visitors to BC spent approximately $1.7 billion in 2006, almost as much as their American counterparts (1.8 billion). This is due to the fact that overseas travelers tend to stay in the province for a longer period of time – 13.3 nights compared to 3.5 nights for overnight US visitors.

Inter- and intra-provincial travelers continued to be an important market for BC’s hotel industry in 2007. Despite the decline in overnight US entries, the average hotel occupancy rate (67.0%) reached its highest level since 1996.

The number of jobs in tourism-related industries continued to expand in 2007, led by the food & beverage services industry where total employment rose 4.5%. Arts, entertainment & recreation also posted strong growth (+3.0%), air transportation (+1.9%) and accommodation (+1.6%).

(Source BCStats – March 2008)