Sushihunter
Active Member
http://www.canada.com/Campbell+River+tourism+marketing+affair/2643479/story.html
Campbell River tourism marketing a sad affair
Courier-Islander March 5, 2010
Recently we read an article in the paper submitted by the resigning President of Rivercorp criticizing city hall for their economic development policies citing these policies as the reason Rivercorp has been unable to move forward.
Having personally been involved in tourism marketing in Campbell River for the better part of 25 years, including spearheading the enormously successful campaign of Swimming with the Salmon on the Campbell River, I am despondent with what has been happening with the leadership in marketing in this industry in the past 10 years. I have been hoping circumstances would change with each new administration, however today we are in worse shape than we were 10 years ago.
I picked up a copy of Rivercorp's 2010 lure piece for the Tourism industry for a project I have been working on and what I saw gravely disappointed me. Despite a few details that represent misinformation, several other blatant facts struck me; the first one is that the publication was designed and produced by a company in Nanaimo. Got that? Nanaimo. Economic development for them I am sure.
Having had experience publishing guides and magazines in the past, I noted that this piece lost money, with 40 printed pages and only 6 pages of paid-for advertising; that's 17% of the content. The break even rule for similar projects is 30% advertising. There are three other private publications in Campbell River that compare; each retains between 45% and 60%+ of advertising content consistently.
The City proper hosts over 60+ accommodation options, the magazine represents 12, our transportation services include 20+ companies, the magazine represents two, we have more than 25 fishing companies, and the magazine represents two. This lack of support for the publication from the industry at large leaves the impression that Campbell River has very little infrastructure.
I visited the call to action web site stated in the magazine; campbellriver.travel and what I found was a complete embarrassment.
This site has remained the same since at least 2004, however it is duly noted one change, the site is now hosted by a company out of Victoria. Got that? Victoria. Economic development for whom?
Sayward, Gold River, Zeballos, Tahsis, Quadra, Cortes and Strathcona Park/Oyster River are featured on the web site. According to campbellriver.travel there is one restaurant on Quadra, no dining in Gold River, no heritage in Gold River, no way to get to Cortes Island and if you can find your way there don't expect to find any heritage. In the members section (What members?) there are no heritage listings and no historical sites listed, Zeballos has no dining, and of course no heritage, Tahsis has no accommodation, only one activity and no dining or heritage.
Campbell River's heritage, arts and culture boast a total of 14 listings, there are really only four which are repeated over and over with the Museum being linked a total of seven times on the same page. The map of the region can be clicked on four times and ends up exactly where you started, no Google map link there.
I could find no reference to the weather, fishing conditions, ferry schedules or prudent information on links to the city. This is how we prepared ourselves for the Olympics? Oh, too late.
As a friend of mine just stated, "this web site is an obscene mismanagement of our tax-paying dollars." Here we are with an information superhighway at our doorstep and Campbell River is so far behind we are riding a tricycle.
I was so appalled I accessed all the above mentioned villages sites and was impressed with the quantity of up to date information being offered, each one of them is vastly superior, more complex, well supported, accurate and informative than ours. Way to go Zeballos, a village of less than 200 people.
I did find a better web site under the name of Rivercorp, obviously it is incomplete, and still does not offer a great deal of information, you really have to dig to find it and I am sure that there is no one that equates Rivercorp with Campbell River when considering a vacation here.
So far I have found our Tourism organization advertised to "Tourism North Central Island, Tourism Campbell River and Region" and of course "Rivercorp", but don't get that mixed up with the "The Tourism Promotion Society of Campbell River".
The multiple brands are even more confusing as I have found advertising paid for by RiverCorp in the past year that proclaim Campbell River as being "As Wild as you Like it", "Your True Nature", "Mother Nature Approved" and of course "Salmon Capital of the World".
At present we are in the toughest economy experienced in our generation, with no quick fix in sight, the new HST is right around the corner and heavens knows what is going to happen with our municipal taxes when the dust settles over the Catalyst issue, which you can be guaranteed will be felt doubly by the Hotel Industry as their taxes burden regularly exceeds the $25,000 to $120,000 yearly range.
There is good news. We have the premium of all natural surroundings, pure water, clean air and mild weather, plenty of support services, loads of ingenuity, a superb natural heritage, and a wealth of culture from First Nations and pioneers to every conceivable art form, we have numerous man-made and natural attractions, and well established festivals, markets and events. To promote this would not require a reinvention of anything. Our infrastructure is already in place and we possess the biggest prize of all: the citizens of this vibrant city who are ready for the paradigm shift. It can be achieved with a concerted effort, a strong vision and the right people in place. The one thing we no longer have is time, the Olympics are already over and so many competing communities are now moving at a breakneck pace.
What is called for is a dramatic change in the way we do business and the drive of a creative and aggressive campaign, stressing the word creative. No building of expensive infrastructure is necessary and we do not require another study to determine the problem, what we need to do is focus our energy on the solution.
Campbell River is uniquely positioned, where powerful economic development can be achieved quite quickly within the current Tourism Infrastructure, injecting millions of dollars into the local economy, with a well thought out plan and suitable energy we can heal the industry from the inside by communication and inclusion. Yes we can begin to build a healthy foundation for our overall economy beginning with tourism; the industry itself leads to all manner of diverse forms of economic progression from retirement, to industry, to real estate development and everything in between.
Consider this; beachcombing, canoeing, caving, cross country skiing, cycling, mountain biking, disc golf, down-hill skiing, fishing, river, lakes and ocean, flight seeing, geo-caching, go-cart racing, golf, horseback riding, ice climbing, kayaking, river, lake and ocean, lacrosse, laser tag, paintball, mountaineering, river tubing, rock climbing, rock hounding, fossil hunting, tubing, sailing, scuba diving, skateboarding, skydiving, sleigh riding, snorkelling, snowmobiling, stock car racing, surfing, swimming, tennis, tubing, wakeboarding, water skiing, windsurfing, whale watching, bird watching, salmon viewing, frog watching, hiking, boating and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Wouldn't you want to locate your business here?
Catherine Temple
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
Campbell River tourism marketing a sad affair
Courier-Islander March 5, 2010
Recently we read an article in the paper submitted by the resigning President of Rivercorp criticizing city hall for their economic development policies citing these policies as the reason Rivercorp has been unable to move forward.
Having personally been involved in tourism marketing in Campbell River for the better part of 25 years, including spearheading the enormously successful campaign of Swimming with the Salmon on the Campbell River, I am despondent with what has been happening with the leadership in marketing in this industry in the past 10 years. I have been hoping circumstances would change with each new administration, however today we are in worse shape than we were 10 years ago.
I picked up a copy of Rivercorp's 2010 lure piece for the Tourism industry for a project I have been working on and what I saw gravely disappointed me. Despite a few details that represent misinformation, several other blatant facts struck me; the first one is that the publication was designed and produced by a company in Nanaimo. Got that? Nanaimo. Economic development for them I am sure.
Having had experience publishing guides and magazines in the past, I noted that this piece lost money, with 40 printed pages and only 6 pages of paid-for advertising; that's 17% of the content. The break even rule for similar projects is 30% advertising. There are three other private publications in Campbell River that compare; each retains between 45% and 60%+ of advertising content consistently.
The City proper hosts over 60+ accommodation options, the magazine represents 12, our transportation services include 20+ companies, the magazine represents two, we have more than 25 fishing companies, and the magazine represents two. This lack of support for the publication from the industry at large leaves the impression that Campbell River has very little infrastructure.
I visited the call to action web site stated in the magazine; campbellriver.travel and what I found was a complete embarrassment.
This site has remained the same since at least 2004, however it is duly noted one change, the site is now hosted by a company out of Victoria. Got that? Victoria. Economic development for whom?
Sayward, Gold River, Zeballos, Tahsis, Quadra, Cortes and Strathcona Park/Oyster River are featured on the web site. According to campbellriver.travel there is one restaurant on Quadra, no dining in Gold River, no heritage in Gold River, no way to get to Cortes Island and if you can find your way there don't expect to find any heritage. In the members section (What members?) there are no heritage listings and no historical sites listed, Zeballos has no dining, and of course no heritage, Tahsis has no accommodation, only one activity and no dining or heritage.
Campbell River's heritage, arts and culture boast a total of 14 listings, there are really only four which are repeated over and over with the Museum being linked a total of seven times on the same page. The map of the region can be clicked on four times and ends up exactly where you started, no Google map link there.
I could find no reference to the weather, fishing conditions, ferry schedules or prudent information on links to the city. This is how we prepared ourselves for the Olympics? Oh, too late.
As a friend of mine just stated, "this web site is an obscene mismanagement of our tax-paying dollars." Here we are with an information superhighway at our doorstep and Campbell River is so far behind we are riding a tricycle.
I was so appalled I accessed all the above mentioned villages sites and was impressed with the quantity of up to date information being offered, each one of them is vastly superior, more complex, well supported, accurate and informative than ours. Way to go Zeballos, a village of less than 200 people.
I did find a better web site under the name of Rivercorp, obviously it is incomplete, and still does not offer a great deal of information, you really have to dig to find it and I am sure that there is no one that equates Rivercorp with Campbell River when considering a vacation here.
So far I have found our Tourism organization advertised to "Tourism North Central Island, Tourism Campbell River and Region" and of course "Rivercorp", but don't get that mixed up with the "The Tourism Promotion Society of Campbell River".
The multiple brands are even more confusing as I have found advertising paid for by RiverCorp in the past year that proclaim Campbell River as being "As Wild as you Like it", "Your True Nature", "Mother Nature Approved" and of course "Salmon Capital of the World".
At present we are in the toughest economy experienced in our generation, with no quick fix in sight, the new HST is right around the corner and heavens knows what is going to happen with our municipal taxes when the dust settles over the Catalyst issue, which you can be guaranteed will be felt doubly by the Hotel Industry as their taxes burden regularly exceeds the $25,000 to $120,000 yearly range.
There is good news. We have the premium of all natural surroundings, pure water, clean air and mild weather, plenty of support services, loads of ingenuity, a superb natural heritage, and a wealth of culture from First Nations and pioneers to every conceivable art form, we have numerous man-made and natural attractions, and well established festivals, markets and events. To promote this would not require a reinvention of anything. Our infrastructure is already in place and we possess the biggest prize of all: the citizens of this vibrant city who are ready for the paradigm shift. It can be achieved with a concerted effort, a strong vision and the right people in place. The one thing we no longer have is time, the Olympics are already over and so many competing communities are now moving at a breakneck pace.
What is called for is a dramatic change in the way we do business and the drive of a creative and aggressive campaign, stressing the word creative. No building of expensive infrastructure is necessary and we do not require another study to determine the problem, what we need to do is focus our energy on the solution.
Campbell River is uniquely positioned, where powerful economic development can be achieved quite quickly within the current Tourism Infrastructure, injecting millions of dollars into the local economy, with a well thought out plan and suitable energy we can heal the industry from the inside by communication and inclusion. Yes we can begin to build a healthy foundation for our overall economy beginning with tourism; the industry itself leads to all manner of diverse forms of economic progression from retirement, to industry, to real estate development and everything in between.
Consider this; beachcombing, canoeing, caving, cross country skiing, cycling, mountain biking, disc golf, down-hill skiing, fishing, river, lakes and ocean, flight seeing, geo-caching, go-cart racing, golf, horseback riding, ice climbing, kayaking, river, lake and ocean, lacrosse, laser tag, paintball, mountaineering, river tubing, rock climbing, rock hounding, fossil hunting, tubing, sailing, scuba diving, skateboarding, skydiving, sleigh riding, snorkelling, snowmobiling, stock car racing, surfing, swimming, tennis, tubing, wakeboarding, water skiing, windsurfing, whale watching, bird watching, salmon viewing, frog watching, hiking, boating and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Wouldn't you want to locate your business here?
Catherine Temple
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
