tourism operator

Leveraging Canada 150 for tourism

As most everyone knows, Canada turns 150 on July 1. Such a milestone calls for a big celebration and Canada will be hosting events across the country this summer, the two largest being in Ottawa and Charlottetown, PEI the home of Confederation.

Destination Canada predicts 2017 will be one of the most successful tourism years on record, as the New York Times, Lonely Planet, the Guardian and the Telegraph all listed Canada as the top place to visit this year. With Banff National Park and its area campgrounds already sold out for the summer, this provides opportunities for other destinations to step up and take a large part of the tourism market.

As a tourism operator, it is the perfect time to take advantage of the increased interest in tourism to your area, as well as the funds available through your DMO’s (Destination Marketing Organization) co-op marketing programs. Proper strategy and planning leading into the 2017 ski season could make for a very successful year for your operation and the industry as a whole.

In addition to paid marketing campaigns, here are just a few ways your business can connect with Canada’s 150 celebrations:

  • Use the #Canada150 hashtag on your social accounts, where relevant

  • Find Canadian-themed stories about your organization to share on your website and social platforms

  • Share Destination Canada content that is relevant to your organization on your social platforms

  • Celebrate and share your company history in alignment with key dates in Canadian history

Increased spending

The federal government has made a permanent investment of $37.5 million per year to Destination Canada, with an additional $8.6 million over four years to support the development of Canada's unique and authentic Indigenous tourism industry as well as the Aboriginal Tourism Association of Canada's five-year Indigenous Tourism Strategy.

Both the BC and Alberta governments have increased investment in tourism spending for 2017. Destination British Columbia’s $50 million annual budget will be increased by up to 2% per year with the Alberta government investing $60.8 million for tourism development and marketing, including $49.2 million to support tourism marketing through Travel Alberta and $10.8 million to Alberta Culture and Tourism in support of industry development.

With so much investment happening around the country, 2017 really is the year to visit Canada — so let’s make sure we spread the word!

-HeliCat Canada