Fraser Canyon Strategy Committee has awarded travelthecanyon.com a $7,000 provincial community tourism opportunities grant to work with Vancouver Coast Mountains B.C. on a new marketing campaign.
The initiative primarily focuses on the corridor between Hope and Cache Creek, but will also incorporate some outlying areas in an effort to bring traffic into Hope and the Fraser Canyon.
“This money is going right back into the community,” said Riley Forman, who runs the local tourism website. “The ultimate goal is to build a sustainable way to market the Fraser Canyon.”
Forman hopes the new campaign will increase awareness about local tourism products, which include attractions, adventures and history. The project is expected to launch in mid-May with a redesigned travelthecanyon.com website and updated content. Forman will be working with VCMBC this year to ramp up radio, print and social media advertisements. A mail-out campaign is also in the works to encourage local residents in the region and surrounding communities to take advantage of the activities available in the Fraser Canyon. In addition, Forman said sponsorship of the popular blog 604pulse will give the region priority coverage on specific topics, events, and activities in the area.
“We want people to use the Fraser Canyon more as a destination, but we need to come together if we want to get people off the Coquihalla Highway,” he added. “We need to find ways to reach people before they get here and give them our options. We want to build stronger community partnerships throughout the region and really build a brand for our corridor.”
The community tourism opportunities grant provided by the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation will fund half of the travelthecanyon.com budget this year, with another $7,000 supplied by the Fraser Canyon Strategy Committee.