/R E P E A T -- Media Alert - Dallas, Texas raises the Canadian flag for first ever Canada Appreciation Month/

TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2013 /CNW/ -

Who: NorthPark Center, Dallas' premier shopping destination will kick off a city wide Canada Appreciation Month promotion. Official launch ceremony includes performances from French Canadian singer/songwriter France Joli, unveiling of the Canadian flag and singing of O Canada.

Where: SouthCourt - NorthPark Center, 8687 North Central Expressway, Dallas, Texas.

When:  Friday, February 1 - 11:00-11:30 a.m. EST/10:00 - 10:30 a.m. - CST

Welcome from Anthony Wilkinson, Director of Tourism, NorthPark Center, followed by speeches from Paula Caldwell St-Onge, Consul General Of Canada-South Central US and Dave Krupinski, Vice President, Tourism, Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau. France Joli will sing O Canada accompanied by local choir Resounding Harmony and the Canadian flag will be unveiled at SouthCourt.

Note: ***B-roll/video of the launch ceremony at NorthPark Center in Dallas will be made available on Friday, February 1 at 3:00 p.m. (EST)/2:00 p.m. (CST). Click on FTP site - http://ftp.northparkcntr.com, username: ftp-canada, password: canada

What: NorthPark Center (www.northparkcenter.com) is inviting Canadians to 'shop until they drop' during Canada Appreciation Month. For the month of February, NorthPark Center and preferred accommodation partners will raise Canadian flags in honour of their northern neighbours and offer enticing "shop and stay packages" exclusively for Canadians. Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau is also showing their appreciation with some of the top attractions in Dallas on board providing special offers and deals for Canadians.

Why: Canada is the second largest source of international visitor arrivals to Texas. According to Statistics Canada, approximately 419,000 Canadians visited Texas in 2011 spending $343 million in the state. In the first two quarters of 2012, approximately 240,000 Canadians visited Texas spending $226 million (represents an increase of 13 per cent vs spending for same time period in 2011).

With the Canadian dollar hovering around par with the U.S. dollar, increased personal exemptions on purchases outside of Canada that came into effect mid 2012, and tax-free shopping (www.taxfreetexas.com) in Texas, spending a weekend or multi-day vacation shopping in Dallas leaves Canadian visitors with more money in hand.

SOURCE: NorthPark Center

Media Contacts:

Rosalyn Hunter
VoX International Inc.
[email protected] 
416-935-1896 ext. 236

Victoria Snee
NorthPark Center
[email protected]
214-755-7161