DESTINATIONS:

Surge in travel bookings linked to Olympic tourism strategy

Nov. 20, 2010 ― Canadian Tourism Commission

Travelers are putting down their money to transform dreams into reality as they book flights to Canada in record numbers in the afterglow of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Results of an advertising tracking and conversion study conducted for the Canadian Tourism Commission link awareness of Canada as a desirable destination to real travel plans. The study tracks the impact of CTC tourism marketing campaigns in countries where CTC invests. The UK, Australia and Germany are the first to report results, with others to follow.

• 290,000 British travelers were inspired by CTC marketing campaigns to book a flight to Canada ― almost twice more than in 2009 and three times more than in 2008.
• More than 70,000 Australians moved from considering a trip to Canada to making a firm booking in 2010 ― almost twice the 2009 number.
  
• More than 128,000 German travelers were persuaded by CTC marketing campaigns to book a trip to Canada, up from about 91,000 in 2009.
  
• 2010 Tourism export revenues from these markets were also up over 2009, reflecting the additional traffic: UK from $255.7 million to $379.3 million; Australia from $62.3 million to $117.1 million; Germany from $134.7 million to $195.8 million.
  

   
Consumers were tracked along a “path to purchase” ― from their ability to recall CTC marketing campaign ads to their purchase of a ticket. It’s the big jump from daydreams to real travel bookings that provides the conversion rate and proof of a return on investment from the campaigns.

CTC’s President and CEO Michele McKenzie is intent on keeping Canada front of mind for international travelers in 2011 and beyond.

“Tourism marketing fills an important gap for travelers between a general awareness of a country and having enough information, detail and inspiration to book trips. Great marketing, great partnerships, solid strategies and a great team deliver those results.”

The positive results of the conversion study come on the heels of strong international travel numbers provided by Statistics Canada. Year-to-date increases in overnight trips registered across all CTC key markets except Mexico; travelers made 2.4 million trips to Canada in August alone, a 2 percent increase over the same month in 2009. CTC-Asia Pacific and emerging markets all posted double-digit gains in August, with the strongest growth seen in Brazil (38.7 percent ), China (38 percent) and India (35 percent). For the first time since January 2005, there was an increase in overnight air travel to Canada from all of CTC’s core markets. 

CTC received support from the federal government for the Olympic Games Strategy with special funding of $26 million.

S-Magazine