Tourism Brand Launched for 2008

A refreshed tourism brand and a new marketing campaign were launched today, Nov. 26, at the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia's annual conference.

The brand positions Nova Scotia as North America's original maritime culture where visitors are captivated by a culture of old world charm with a new world pulse, shaped by the sea and the spirit of Nova Scotians. The brand includes a new logo with a stylized seabird over the province's official tourism website, novascotia.com.

"When people think of Nova Scotia as a vacation destination, we want them to see us as proud, salt-of-the-earth people with a culture and experiences that will captivate and delight them," said Bill Dooks, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Heritage. "Our renewed brand more accurately reflects this image and supports our long-term plan to draw more visitors and grow our provincial tourism industry."

The long-term plan -- New Realities, New Directions -- was launched in December 2006 to help the province's tourism industry compete in the face of changes in the global tourism market.

"We set out in a new direction last year with an increased focus on the customer and innovative tools like our award-winning Google Earth Nova Scotia," said Chris Millier, chair of the Nova Scotia Tourism Partnership Council. "In 2008, we'll build on the successes of our tourism plan and encourage the industry to work the brand principles into their own operations."

Nova Scotia welcomed more than 1.9 million visitors by the end of October, up two per cent over the same period in 2006. Room nights sold were up two per cent provincewide. The preliminary revenue estimate for the year is $1.33 billion, an increase of two per cent over 2006.

These numbers should be boosted in 2008, with the $5-million marketing campaign. It includes new television, radio, print and online advertising and editorials that drive potential visitors to novascotia.com.

Other promotional activities include major promotions with Bluenose II in Toronto in June, and with DRUM! in Ottawa and Toronto in October and November. Nova Scotia will also participate in numerous consumer and travel trade shows.

Marketing efforts will continue to focus on target gateway cities in Canada, the United States and Europe with direct air access to Nova Scotia.

An overview of New Realities, New Directions, highlights from 2007 and activities for 2008 can be found on the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage website at www.gov.ns.ca/dtc .