Canada: All About Quality And Value
Canada’s travel marketers are shunning “turn-on-a-dime” campaigns trumpeting the dollar differential bargains now available to Americans in favour of longer-term efforts highlighting the quality and value of the nation’s product offering, reports Mike Dunbar in this week’s digital edition of Canadian Travel Press.
That’s just one of the conclusions gleaned from a Conference Board of Canada trending document that looked at costs for travel in Canada and how they’ve changed from a US perspective.
While marketers are tending to stick with tried and true campaign themes rather than selling Canada as a discount destination, tourism industry operators are generally upbeat about the immediate gains to be garnered from a cut-price loonie.
The report noted, “While Canadian tourism suppliers continue to face many pressing business impediments, the value of the Canadian dollar tends to be a main reason suppliers are a bit more optimistic regarding their short-term outlook.”
“The lower dollar helps make Canadian destinations more price-competitive not only for Canadians – by making outbound travel more expensive – but also for foreign travellers, particularly American visitors,” Greg Hermus, associate director of the board’s Canadian Tourism Research Institute stated that “any business operating in Canada faces impediments.”
As far as the tourism industry is concerned, he cited rising operating costs and labour challenges; in particular an ongoing struggle finding entry-level and seasonal workers owing to government tinkering with the temporary foreign workers and international student exchange programs.
But the report – titled `Canada on Sale’ – pointed out, “Despite the fact that a weaker dollar makes Canadian destinations more price competitive, most destinations and marketing bodies are reluctant to emphasize the point in their marketing campaigns.”
For the full story, check out this week’s digital edition of Canadian Travel Press by clicking here.
