British Columbia Travel Guide
The unofficial BC Travel & Tourism Guide

Newsletter January 2008

Wednesday Jan 16, 2008

2008 Marketing Tips
Internet research is becoming more and more attractive to travelers. Information about destinations are always up to date and easily accessible for travelers.

Market Specials on your GoBC listing
For some of you the off season begins and for the others it just starts to get busy. We added a new feature to our web site ...

BC Videos
Videos can be an important addition for your internet exposure and they become more common allover the internet. We have added a new page to GoBC to promote the beauty of this wonderful province.

2008 Marketing Tips
Internet research is becoming more and more attractive to travelers. Information about destinations are always up to date and easily accessible for travelers. As shown in the latest report of Tourism BC 76% of all travelers did their research in the internet and only 10.9% traveled based on magazin advertisements.
Also reported by Tourism BC the number of online bookings has increased to 71.9% for accommodation bookings and 79% for packages booked over the internet to get the special deals or combined offers. Advertising is important and yes, there are many possibilities out there and everybody promises the same, but take your time and look at some options that offer reasonable rates and services. Just a link is not enough those days, instead go with web sites where you could imagine planing a trip yourself or where you are also getting information about the region and things to do.. The overall satisfaction is the second most important tool to get repeat customers. Those happy customers will also recommend your business to their family members and friends. One thing is for sure, we will see a different year in tourism in 2008 due to the significant changes in currency exchange rates and border regulations.

Market Specials on your GoBC listing
For some of you the off season begins and for the others it just starts to get busy. We added a new feature to our web site, called “Specials” to market your empty rooms for last minute travelers or early birds. Just add a discount percentage and the dates for the special offer and you're good to go. With this feature your internet visitors can find out about last minute specials and you have an additional tool to ensure your place is booked. As always we are here to assist you with the setup and please feel free to contact us anytime if you have questions.

BC Videos
Videos can be an important addition for your internet exposure and they become more common allover the internet. We have added a new page to GoBC to promote the beauty of this wonderful province. Please check our this new feature at www.gobc.ca/videos.php

So far we are offering a selection of videos, but are always looking for more. If you have seen good videos about your region on Youtube or other video portals, please contact us with the video name and if possible also with the embedded code. The more videos we can feature the better your region will be promoted, which ends up in more tourists being attracted and therefore more bookings.