News Release Archive
CONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/TOURISM--PROGRAM NETS $25 MILLION PUBLICITY
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One hundred and eight million people around the world read about
travel in Nova Scotia last year, and the message was consistent
- it's a great place to visit.
The global media blitz was much more than a happy accident.
Travel writers for influential publications were brought to the
province through Nova Scotia Economic Development and Tourism's
familiarization program for tourism media, and Nova Scotia's
tourism industry reaped the publicity as a result.
The program matches activities and venues to the specific needs
of visiting travel writers, and ensures that they experience Nova
Scotia's premier travel features first hand. That exposure
translated into more than $25 million in publicity value for the
province last year.
"Feature stories, photo essays and event coverage of Nova Scotia
as a choice travel destination provides our province with
important third party endorsement," said Economic Development and
Tourism minister, Richie Mann.
"When impartial travel writers come here, enjoy Nova Scotia for
themselves and then write about their experiences, it helps Nova
Scotia's global marketing considerably."
Mr. Mann said that seeing a destination profiled in the travel
section of a newspaper or a favourite magazine lends real
credibility in the eyes of potential visitors.
Travel and Leisure magazine ran a full colour four and a half
page article in the August 1996 issue about the Cabot Trail,
entitled "The Great Plaid North." With an estimated one million
readers monthly, that feature was worth $798,000 in publicity.
In March last year, Bridal Guide magazine highlighted the
province in a five page feature, titled "Nova Scotia Naturally".
Canadian Living covered the culinary charms of Wolfville in an
article called, "A Town with Taste," in May 1996. In addition,
The Providence Journal featured Kejimkujik National Park and
Queens County; the Calgary Herald looked at the Land of
Evangeline; a National Geographic Traveller feature called "When
Cod Was King," gave space to Lunenburg and the Fisheries Museum
of the Atlantic, and Glamour Magazine listed Nova Scotia among
six destinations in its "Great Getaways for Summer".
Michael Schuman's article, "Nova Scotia Has Black History, Too,"
ran in four American newspapers, including ones in Boston and
Fresno, California, and the Glooscap Trail was featured in the
Vancouver Sun.
The province was also featured in publications in Germany,
Iceland, the Netherlands and Scandinavia last year. The media
tally does not include publicity generated from television and
radio coverage.
Mr. Mann praised the vital role of tourism operators in making
the media familiarization program a success. "Every year, tourism
operators throughout Nova Scotia host media guests as part of the
program. Their Nova Scotia hospitality and their obvious
enthusiasm and enjoyment for their own province is a major
contribution to the program's positive results."
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Contact: Steve Fairbairn
Economic Development and Tourism
902-424-5836
Email: econ.fairbair@gov.ns.ca
trp May 15, 1997 - 8:35 a.m.
