Tourism INTERNET Marketing Blog 1.0 - Canada

New O Canada Film at Epcot Disney World

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 18:28:30 -0700

To follow-up from my recent post about the new Canada Film at Epcot at Disney World in Florida, the new version is now live at Epcot and launched on September 1. Have a look at the YouTube video below. If you are in a hurry, jump directly to Part 2.

CANADIAN e-TOURISM AWARDS DEADLINES EXTENSION

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 11:09:00 -0700

Great News!!! CANADIAN e-TOURISM AWARDS DEADLINES EXTENSION

MORE TIME TO GET YOUR ENTRIES READY BUT DON'T DELAY...

INDUSTRY CATEGORIES AWARDS - September 14, 2007 (Midnight PDT)

TRAVELLERS CATEGORIES AWARDS - October 14, 2007 (Midnight PDT)

We have decided to extend the deadline for the Canadian e-Tourism Awards due to vacation time. We received lots of requests from tourism organizations to get more time to submit their work. Please see the new deadlines. After September 14th, the finalists in the Industry Categories will be uploaded to Yahoo.ca for Consumer Voting until October 14th. This will be unique as the winners will actually be determined by a combination of industry experts as well as consumers.

Please visit the Canadien e-Tourism Awards to enter. You can also get more information about the awards on this blog, as well as the Canada-e-Connect Blog. The C$95 entry fee is waived for non-marketing agency companies, so entries are free when submitted by the travel and tourism organization, as well as the individual traveller itself.

We will have an exciting program planned with our prime partners, Yahoo! Canada and the Canadian Tourism Commission, and will also exclusively pre-screen the first-ever Canadian Destination IMAX movie during the Awards Ceremony at Telus World of Science, before heading to trendy Yaletown in Vancouver to the After-Awards Party at Coast Restaurant. You will not want to miss this "Once in a Lifetime Event". Tickets to the Canadian e-Tourism Awards are included in the Canada-e-Connect Conference Registration. Additonal tickets maybe available at limited capacity at a first come basis.

As a marketing tip for Canadian travel organizations, such as hotels, lodges, restaurants, attractions, parks, golf courses, ski resorts, trains, destination marketing organizations, tours, etc. - this is a great opportunity to encourage your current and past guests to tell and enter their travel experience in the first-ever Canadian e-Tourism Awards. If they talk about your operation or destination, and the entry wins, your product or service will get some great exposure. For the winning entries in the Traveller Category, there will exciting Canadian travel experiences as the prizes.

Canada is trying to change perceptions of Americans at the home of Mickey Mouse

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 08:51:00 -0700

Every so often, you just have to smile...according to surveys, Americans have stronger trust, and loyalty to comic characters than with business and philiosophical thought leaders. A few years ago, a survey proved that educated teens had a higher awareness of Ronald McDonald (the mascott of the fast food chain McDonald's) than with literary figures.

The Canadian Tourism Commission is looking to leverage this phenomenon in changing the way American perceive Canada. Many people south of Canada's border think the northern neighbor is cold, boring, and there is little to do when it comes to travel, except get lost in the wilderness.

Since 1982 guests from around the world have been taken on a tour of beautiful Canadian landscapes and diverse cultures as they watched the film O Canada! in the Canada pavilion at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL. The current film is outdated and actually support the notion that Canada does not have much more to offer than mountain, mountains, and lots of moose. The CTC has partnered with tourism industry partners to invest in a remake of the Canada film, produced by Disney Imagineering.

Instead of cars, clothes and cityscapes, the new film that will launch this fall takes in acrobatic Cirque du Soleil performances and rowdy rodeo action at the Calgary Stampede. Actor Martin Short, a Hamilton, ON native, confronts Canadian misconceptions head-on and demystifies them. Viewers take a journey through a country they thought they knew, but discover Canada is so much more than vast landscapes. The new

Personally, I think it is funny that Americans will go to get travel advice from Mickey Mouse, instead of just visitin the "real thing" - but on the other hand, I personally think that Epcot Center is a wonderful way to get a taste of a lot of countries in one afternoon. Not being biased since I currently work for the Canadian Tourism Commission, I think it wise for any national tourism brand to leverage all possible media channels - online and offline - when it comes to brand building.

I found the current Canada film at Epcot on YouTube (enjoy!), and I also found these enlightening comments on YouTube:

People are so full of it. This was probably my favorite video in Epcot's World Showcase because of its sweeping visuals and it was reliably there every time I went to Epcot. Now, due in part to complaining Canadians, it's gone. Pisses me off.

So what's the problem with this film? I love it. And if I'm ignorant & love it, does that mean once I see the "real" Canada, I'll hate it?

It may be old, but it still portrays a beautiful country. Wouldn't it be best to keep it that way rather than update and show the disaster that country has become?

They have got to update this film from the 70's. It's making Americans even more ignorant than they otherwise would be about Canada.

The new Canada film at Epcot is just one of many initiatives the CTC is taking to reach Americans. Most recently, the CTC and its Canadian tourism partners launched an aggressive print and billboard campaign in New York, Boston and Los Angeles.

The Hazelton Hotel, Toronto's first 5-Star hotel

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 21:05:00 -0700

With a projected opening in mid August of this year, Toronto will finally get its first and only 5-star boutique hotel.

Located in trendy Yorkville, I was able to get a sneak preview a few months back to get a tour through the construction site of The Hazelton Hotel by fellow German and former colleague Sebastian Moritz, who is the Director of Operations.

My other connection at this special hotel is President and COO Klaus Tenter, who comes from the same very very small town in Germany, and used to be the General Manager of the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto.

With only 77 rooms and 16 residences, the hotel is designed by world-class hotel designers Yabu-Pushelberg, and will host Mark McEwans new restaurant "One". The hotel also some some other special features, such as a Silver Screening Room, which is a state-of-the-art 25-seat movie theatre.

This will be a very special hotel, and will probably rise to become one of the best hotels in North America. Having a hotel of such caliber in Toronto, will be great addition for this bustling Canadian city...

Video Feeds to Cellphones at FIFA-U20 Soccer World Championships

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 15:49:00 -0700

This weekend Canada kicks offs its hosting duties for the FIFA-U20 World Cup with players all aged under 20 years arriving from 24 different countries around the world to compete in a series of 52 soccer games planned across six different Canadian cities (click on the map to explore the locations). Its expected there will be over 700,000 international visitors in total and when they arrive they will all find that their cellphone and wireless internet needs will be supplied by Bell Canada. For fans with Bell Mobility cellphones equipped with the ability to play video over the network, Bell is going to offer a number of video highlights and “other exclusive highlights” during the event. Also, free webcasts are available online. As a side note, it is surprising that some of the major European teams did not qualify, including Germany (!!!!), Italy, England, France, and Holland.

Canada Day Celebration in London, UK - organized by the CTC

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 18:07:47 -0700

The UK office of the Canadian Tourism Commission put on a fantastic party to celebrate Canada Day on Trafalgar Square in the heart of London. English people have a fond connection to Canada - listen to the podcast of the Independent's travel editor, Simon Calder. The CTC also build a profile event page on Facebook (you have to be logged into Facebook to see the page)

The mayor of London, Ken Livingstone commented on the Canada Day Celebration :

I am very pleased that Trafalgar Square is hosting London's official Canada Day celebrations for a second year.

This event adds to the wealth of festivals in the capital that open up the many cultures of our diverse city to the wider community.

The varied programme of entertainment and activities will be of interest to all Londoners, as well as visiting Canadians, or those living here. The line up of Canadian music, food, plus the chance to experience activities often associated with Canada, will give everyone a chance to experience just a small part of what that great country has to offer.

Have a great time and Happy Canada Day!

Canadians inspiring Canadians

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 11:07:00 -0700

The Canadian Tourism Commission takes its social media efforts yet to another level by launching an innovative contest to have Canadians inspire other Canadians. The entire contest in conjunction with Canadian Tourism on Yahoo Groups, as previously introduced. Have a look here. And of course, everything is done in both English and French. CTV (Radio Canada) is also a media partner of the initiative. Watch this morning's Canada AM (CTV) interview with Canadian slam dunk poet Shane Koyzan, and Greg Klassen, VP Marketing for the CTC.

It all started when the CTC asked slam poet, Shane Koyzan to write a poem about Canada. It’s called “We Are More” and it is quite emotional for Canadians. You can watch it or listen to the poem online. (Note: It is a faster downlaod if you go here). The poem stands for what the new Canada keep exploring brand is all about—celebrating originality, following imagination, showing the world our Canada.

The French version of the poem is by Ivan Bielinski, and is called "la première fois". Listen to the poem there (ecouter), or watch the video (regarder le film).

July 1 being Canada Day, the CTC not only wants to share this poem with all Canadians, and people all over that love the Canadian ideal and Canada as an unique tourism destination - but wants to use this poem as an inspiration for everybody to get inspired and encourage to share their own story...maybe in a form of a poem... It’s all about Canadians inspiring Canadians, to get out, discover Canada, and keep exploring.

Seven Wonders of Canada

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 13:38:00 -0700

CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) announced the final seven wonders of Canada. The wonders are:

The canoe - representing aboriginal mode of transport and our waterways
Igloo - representing the north
Niagara falls - a meeting place for native peoples ans settlers, and still the biggest attraction in eastern Canada
Pier 21 - representing the promise of Canada, and immigration
Prairie skies - representing the west, and also as a great place to see the northern lights
Old Quebec city - representing French culture
Rockies - representing the splendour of the west

Take the Stress Express to the Spa at Ste. Anne's

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 10:18:00 -0700

I am back with my mission to sample amazing Canadian experiences. This weekend, my colleague Gisele Danis (Executive Director of Global Brand Integration at the Canadian Tourism Commission) and I had the opportunity to visit the famous Ste. Anne's Spa in Grafton, Ontario, about 90 minutes north of Toronto.

We took the ViaRAil train up from Toronto and were personally picked up at the train station by the Spa's limousine. The great thing about ViaRail is that all cars have high-speed Internet Access, so I could have written this posting while coming back to Toronto by train. When we arrived at Ste. Anne’s, which looks like a little castle (it is a renovated 1856 fieldstone manor) and is situated atop a natural underground spring, whose healing waters are used in the spa and even for drinking, we were immediately greeted and invited by Richard the Spa Manager to get "de-stressed" and to slip into a plush robe and remain in it throughout our stay. We could rave about the amazing treatments, the equisite culinary experience, the tranquil surounding, the royal service, the beautiful surroundings, or the Eucalyptus steam room and the Grotte spa water treatment pools - but I wouldn't do this blog justice if I didn't link it somehow back to Internet marketing. Jim Corcoran, the owner of Ste. Anne's assured me that you can be a lot more focused and get inspired about your projects while at the spa, away from the hectic office. But I am always impressed with hospiatlity operators that are looking to embrace new media opportunities. Just like Dan Craig from the Opus Hotel in Vancouver, Jim not only has a nice website, but also just recently started his own blog. Check it out - and if you ever have a chance to spend a day or weekend outside of Toronto, you owe it to yourself to take a trip up to Ste. Anne's in the Stress Express. No wonder it is voted the best Spa in Canada by the readers of Spa Finder Magazine, and here you can read the Tripadvisor reviews. Even on the way back, David the Marketing Director called to make sure that we had a wonderful experience. Should you ever feel the urge to get "de-stressed", take the "Stress Express" and mention that you read about it on the Tourism Internet Marketing Blog.

This afternoon, Gisele and I are presenting at the "Leading Spas of Canada Conference", and I will use this example to illustrate the power of travel blogging in my presentation. I have been to different spas in Canada recently, the Fairmont Banff Springs, the Fairmont Empress (where my good friend April Barcham is Spa Director), and I have to say: Canada for sure is one of the most unique spa destinations world-wide...where else can you get a "Maple Sirup Scrub", an "Aboriginal Indigenous Treatment", or even an "Authentic Thai Massage on a Cowboy Ranch"???

Eagle Watching on the way to Whistler

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 10:52:00 -0700

I had another opportunity to sample the Canadian Outdoors, and went Eagle Watching on the Squamish River - half way from Vancouver to Whistler in beatutiful British Columbia. Paul from our CTC office sold it to me as a fantastic float down the Squamish River as it has the highest concentration of eagles in the world. So here we go...it was great, and it we saw bald eagles.

When you float down the river, you feel connected to nature. In the background you see snow-capped mountains while eagles, ducks, and other birds accompany you on your journey down the river. We were lucky that it did not rain - and as a bonus, our captain served some hot chocolat which warmed us up very nicely.

Here are some pictures from our experience with Canadian Outback.

Continue reading "Eagle Watching on the way to Whistler"