Tourism goes guerilla for Marketing Campaign
REGINA, Leader Post — Finally, the story can be told — appropriately enough, during Tourism Awareness Week.
It's the story of how Tourism Saskatchewan — with a little help from its friends — put together a carefully planned "spontaneous" march through downtown Calgary that was filmed and has shown up on YouTube and other forums.
Perhaps you've seen it: this enthusiastic young guy in downtown Calgary recites Saskatchewan's tourism charms, then starts collecting people, Piped Piper-like, for a parade — with everybody shouting "We're going to Saskatchewan!"
The crowd members were actually Calgarians, assembled by the Pacekids Programs for Children with Motor Disabilities Society in return for a donation from Tourism Saskatchewan.
The ringleader was Regina's Jeff Maystruck, who admits with a grin that his loud voice has been noted since his days at Regina's Winston Knoll Collegiate — and was only too happy to go to Calgary and talk about the virtues of "the province I love".
All was in place one Friday in early May: the rain stopped falling long enough for Maystruck to lead his flock down Calgary's Stephen Avenue.
As the video shows, he was joined not only by what he calls "strategically placed" PACE volunteers (some with props like fishing gear and golf clubs), but even a few Calgarians. One of them was overheard saying, "It's Saskatchewan; I hear it's the place to be," said Candace Phelps, Tourism Saskatchewan vice-president of marketing at a news conference on Monday kicking off Tourism Awareness Week.
How many people have seen it on YouTube is hard to say as it's been uploaded under different titles, but the important point is that this little bit of "guerilla marketing" is helping to get Saskatchewan's tourism message out there, said Lynda Haverstock, CEO of Tourism Saskatchewan.
Haverstock said Tourism Awareness Week is intended to salute the contribution of the tourism industry and its workers — in everything from hotels to restaurants to attractions — to the province's image, economy and general quality of life.
In Saskatchewan, tourism and travel supported 55,000 jobs and generated $1.5 billion of economic activity.
Looking ahead, a forecast prepared by the Conference Board in Canada predicts that, of all provinces, Saskatchewan will experience the largest growth in travel volumes and expenditures this year, Haverstock added.
Saskatchewan's new tourism minister, Dustin Duncan, told the news conference said his ministry has doubled overall tourism funding, providing a 50-per-cent increase to Tourism Saskatchewan and help for entities like Evraz Place and the Wanuskewin aboriginal heritage site.
In this fiscal year, capital spending in provincial parks will rise to about $11 million, adding campsites and electrifying those that already exit.
And looking ahead to next winter's Olympics in Vancouver, he said Saskatchewan will have "a pavilion that will showcase our beautiful province and our enviable quality of life."
