Marketing B.C. Tourism to the U.S.

Cross-Border Shopping | BCBusiness

Destination BC is still competing for those American tourist bucks, even if the Canadian Tourism Commission has waved the white flag

Of the approximately 60 million Americans who travelled outside their country in 2011, about six million went to Canada. That number dropped dramatically to about three million last year. Yet the Canadian Tourism Commission has halted media and public relations, social media and direct-to-consumer marketing and advertising in the U.S.

The plan, as per its 2012 annual report, is to relocate previously U.S.- targeted dollars to higher-yielding countries, including the burgeoning Chinese and Brazilian markets.

The U.S., however, remains B.C.’s largest overnight market, and Destination BC Corp., the province’s industry-led Crown corporation marketing B.C. tourism, is still active below the 49th. We break down where B.C.’s visitors are coming from.