November 15, 2010, VANCOUVER – British Columbia’s multi-million-dollar winter tourism industry is getting a boost from this year’s marketing campaign that builds on the momentum on the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Margaret MacDiarmid, Minister of Tourism, Trade and Investment, said today.
“Building B.C.’s tourism brand and marketing the province as one of the world’s top, all-season tourist destinations continues to be a high priority for our government,” MacDiarmid said. “More than three billion people saw our province during the Winter Olympics, on television and through the web, and got a glimpse of the extraordinary skiing B.C. has to offer. We want to take this exposure one step further and invite visitors to experience skiing in British Columbia in person.”
In 2009-10, there were 5.8 million ski visits to British Columbia.
This year, Olympic Gold Medallists Ashleigh McIvor and Maëlle Ricker are spokespeople for the Tourism BC winter ski marketing campaign, which will use search engine marketing, social media, public relations and online advertising – with a focus on markets in Canada and the United States – to draw visitors to B.C.
The campaign focuses on special offers from B.C.’s 13 world-class ski resorts, which receive some of the top snowfalls and boast massive vertical runs, spectacular mountaintop vistas, and in many instances luxurious spas and après-ski amenities. Visitors to www.HelloBC.com who click on Ski BC Now can see special offers, sign up for special offer emails, order a BC Ski Guide and learn about snow conditions.
There’s also an online contest at www.BCSkiGames.com for a five-day ski vacation for one winner and seven friends to one of B.C.’s world-renowned resorts.
Anyone wishing to explore the diverse range of B.C. vacation experiences can do so through the Tourism BC one-stop website for travel planning, www.HelloBC.com. Last year over five million people used the site to learn about what B.C. has to offer, book vacations and access special deals.
BACKGROUNDER
YOU GOTTA SKI HERE THIS WINTER
With huge verticals, wildly diverse terrain and spectacular scenery, B.C. is home to 13 world-class ski resorts. Here are just some of the reasons why visitors from around the world come to this province for their winter vacations:
Whistler Blackcomb:
- Official alpine skiing venue for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
- Home to the world record-breaking PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola
- Voted Best Overall Resort in North America for 13 consecutive years by Skiing Magazine (2009)
Big White Ski Resort:
- Host to Canada’s largest totally ski-in/ski-out resort village and highest skating rink
- Voted Best Snow in North America by readers of Condé Nast Traveler (2008)
Sun Peaks Resort:
- B.C.’s second-largest ski area
- Averages 2,000 hours of annual sun
- Best Ski-in/Ski-out Village, Ski Canada Magazine (2009)
Fernie Alpine Resort:
- Features five massive alpine bowls, endless chutes, cliffs and glades
- Rolling Stone Magazine called Fernie “the coolest place in North America”
- One of North America’s Top 15 Ski Resorts, Outside (2008)
Panorama Mountain Village:
- Perfect for families – three-quarters of the terrain is ideal for beginners and intermediate skiers
- Best Air Buddy in a New World (Show Off Terrain Park), Ski Canada Magazine (2009)
Silver Star Mountain Resort:
- Home to a colourful ski-in/ski-out Victorian-style village
- Best Place to Learn from the Pros, Ski Canada Magazine (2005)
Apex Mountain Resort:
- Three terrain parks with tables, rails and sliders make it a great destination for snow-boarders
- Home to an NHL-sized hockey rink, a .1km (.6 mi) outdoor skate loop and a tube park
- Best Gem of a Resort, Ski Canada Magazine (2009)
Mount Washington Alpine Resort:
- Averages a staggering 11m (36ft) of snow per season – some of the deepest on the West Coast
- Unbelievable ski-to-surf views with the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop
- Home of Canada’s Deepest Snowpack, Ski Canada Magazine (2007)
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort:
- Massive vertical (1,260m or 4,133 ft) nestled amongst three mountain ranges and six national parks
- Home to Canada’s most elevated dining experience, the Eagle’s Eye Restaurant, with spectacular views from an eye-popping elevation of 2,350m (7,710 ft)
- One of Top 5 Biggest Vertical (West), Ski Canada Magazine (2009)
Kimberley Alpine Resort:
- Meticulously groomed powder trails alongside hundreds of acres of tree-lined skiable terrain
- Favourite Overall Resort in the Pacific Northwest, Onthesnow.com Visitors Choice Awards (2009)
Red Mountain Resort:
- Famous vertical, powder-packed bowls and groomed runs extend from 360-degree fall lines spread across two mountains
- Best Authentic and Funky Resort Experience, SBC’s 2008-2009 Ski and Snowboard Resort Guide
Whitewater Winter Resort:
- Authentic ski town experience on Nelson’s Victorian streets
- An additional 622 vertical metres (2,042 ft) and 303 hectares (749 acres) of ski terrain for the 2010-11 ski season
- Top Bets for Best Powder, Ski Canada Magazine (2009)
Revelstoke Mountain Resort:
- Highest lift-serviced vertical in North America
- Snow-cat skiing, heli-skiing and backcountry skiing all from one village base
- Best Downhill Terrain in the Pacific Northwest, Onthesnow.com Visitors Choice Awards (2009)
Contact:
Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Investment
250-356-9869
