Favourable coverage from an influential Chinese media organization touts Vancouver’s desirability as a travel destination to more than 200 million Chinese and is expected to boost tourism to the city.
Vancouver is the first Canadian city that World Traveller Media has singled out for extensive editorial coverage.
Its March issue of World Traveller Magazine features a 100-page article on Vancouver’s attractions and activities. The city also has exposure on World Traveller’s website.
The travel media producer’s content is also disseminated through media outlets that it does not own, such as Shanghai Media Group’s Documentary Channel, 30 TV stations across China and in subway stations and airports, according to staff at B.C.’s Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Investment.
They estimate the value of the editorial coverage to be the equivalent of $17 million in advertising.
World Traveller is launching a Vancouver iPhone app that provides easy access to the content in the magazine and on the website, according to staff at B.C.’s tourism ministry.
China is one of the fastest growing sources of tourism for B.C., according to Stephen Pearce, who is vice-president of leisure travel at Tourism Vancouver.
“Optimistically, we’re expecting to see about a 170,000 Chinese visitors from mainland China staying overnight in Vancouver in 2011,” Pearce told Business in Vancouver March 10. “We’re expecting to see about a 22% increase in volume but the numbers are still very small compared with the U.S. market, which is still our No. 1 market.”
About 19% more Chinese visited Vancouver in 2010 than in 2009, but that growth would have been stronger had Canada been listed by China as having Approved Destination Status (ADS) for the entire year.
China granted Canada ADS in June 2010 and the first Chinese tourists to travel under that program arrived in August.