Canadian Tourism Commission's tourism trading floor to WOW international travel buyers from over 20 countries in Edmonton, Canada's Festival City
| Tweet: | @ctccct Rendez-vous Canada 2012 ready to rev up big business for #Canada #tourism http://ht.ly/aDApR #rvc2012 |
VANCOUVER, May 8, 2012 /CNW/ - International tourism already contributes over $15.1 billion in revenue every year to Canada's economy, and will soon be even bigger as the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) gears up to kick-off Rendez-vous Canada 2012 (RVC), the country's largest annual international marketplace for the tourism industry.
Led by the CTC, RVC 2012 will take place May 13-16 at the Edmonton EXPO Centre in Edmonton, connecting some of the world's most influential travel buyers from over 20 countries with Canadian sellers of tourism products and services. During 23,000 face-to-face business appointments over four days, buyers and sellers hold meetings that would otherwise only be possible through a number of around-the-world trips. RVC enables tourism professionals to broker deals and close sales, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for Canadian businesses.
"RVC provides a great opportunity to showcase authentic and engaging Canadian tourism products for high-end buyers who sell packages to international travellers," says Michele McKenzie, CTC President & CEO. "For many sellers, RVC is the single most important sales and marketing event they attend. It's an extremely valuable way to generate international demand for Canada's tourism industry."
The CTC's Signature Experiences Collection® (SEC)—a collection of 163 outstanding experiences from every region of the country, and a key feature of Canada's Federal Tourism Strategy—will be highlighted at RVC 2012 after first being announced last year in Québec City. Members of the SEC become the priority pool of high-quality tourism experiences from which the CTC chooses content for its marketing campaigns in the 11 countries where it invests.
The CTC will also showcase its new Global Marketing Platform and Explore Canada Like a Local website and mobile application, cutting-edge approaches that highlight authentic traveller-to-traveller experiences. By facilitating traveller stories, they encourage advocacy—a powerful tool in convincing future consumers to visit this country. It's the next stage in developing Canada's tourism brand.
"Sellers find no better place than RVC to display the strength and depth of Canadian travel experiences that allow modern, discerning international visitors to connect with Canada's people, geography and culture," says Charles McKee, CTC Vice-President, International, and the CTC lead for RVC.
International buyers include foreign tour operators, wholesalers and packagers from the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, Latin America and North America, all eager to find new products, services and packages. Canadian sellers consist of a wide range of small to large businesses putting their best tourism products and experiences forward for sale to travellers.
RVC 2013 will take place May 12-15 at the Ottawa Convention Centre in Ottawa.
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About the Canadian Tourism Commission:
The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) is Canada's national tourism marketing organization. A federal Crown corporation wholly owned by the Government of Canada, we lead the Canadian tourism industry in marketing Canada as a premier four-season tourism destination. Our vision is to inspire the world to explore Canada. With our partners in the tourism industry and the governments of Canada, the provinces and the territories, we promote Canada's extraordinary experiences in 11 countries around the world, conduct original market research, offer stunning visuals through the Brand Canada Library and provide resources and toolkits to help industry leverage Canada's successful tourism brand—"Canada. Keep Exploring." For regular updates on CTC initiatives, subscribe to CTC News, search our corporate website, become a fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Image with caption: "CTC's booth at ITB Berlin 2012-one of the world's biggest travel-trade shows-showcased CTC's new global marketing platform and hosted 47 Canadian exhibitors. (CNW Group/Canadian Tourism Commission)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120508_C4645_PHOTO_EN_13166.jpg
Image with caption: "CTC's Signature Experiences Collection®-a collection of 163 outstanding experiences from every region of the country-will be showcased at RVC 2012, one year after the program was first announced. (CNW Group/Canadian Tourism Commission)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120508_C4645_PHOTO_EN_13168.jpg
Image with caption: "'These guys put the wild in wild, wild west.' Set to mark its 100th anniversary this year, the Calgary Stampede is one of the members of the Signature Experiences Collection® featured in the CTC's latest international marketing campaign, such as in this ad from Germany. (CNW Group/Canadian Tourism Commission)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120508_C4645_PHOTO_EN_13170.jpg
Image with caption: "'This place is so vast, my echo has an echo.' Exploring the Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories is featured in the CTC's latest international marketing campaign, such as in this ad from the U.K. (CNW Group/Canadian Tourism Commission)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120508_C4645_PHOTO_EN_13172.jpg
Image with caption: "CN Tower's EdgeWalk-a unique sky-high adrenaline rush-is one of the members of the Signature Experiences Collection® featured in the CTC's latest international marketing campaign, such as in this ad from China. (CNW Group/Canadian Tourism Commission)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120508_C4645_PHOTO_EN_13174.jpg
Image with caption: "'I love strolling in the woods, or in this case, above the woods.' Capilano Suspension Bridge Park's CliffWalk is one of the members of the Signature Experiences Collection® featured in the CTC's latest international marketing campaign, such as in this ad from Australia. (CNW Group/Canadian Tourism Commission)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120508_C4645_PHOTO_EN_13176.jpg
Quinn Newcomb
Senior Communications Advisor
Canadian Tourism Commission
Tel: 604.638.8406
Email: [email protected]
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