Tourism Richmond’s innovative food blog, 365 Days of Dining, has taken home yet another award, this one from the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.
The blog won in the Social Media Initiative of the Year category December 5 against some stiff competition, including Tourism Whistler’s integrative social media marketing campaign.
“It was no small feat for our marketing and communications team to keep a year-long campaign relevant, fresh and interesting but they did and now Richmond has secured its position on the map as a West Coast foodie destination,” said Tourism Richmond CEO Tracy Lakeman.
“Even six months after the campaign has ended, the 365 Days of Dining blog remains a key resource garnering strong monthly visitations.”
This was not the first recognition the blog has received. Earlier this year, the campaign won the Best Social Media Campaign (Public) award at the Vancouver Social Media Awards and Innovation of the Year from the Richmond Chamber of Commerce.
The 365 Days of Dining blog ran from June 2012 until June 2013. During this time, blogger Lindsay Anderson ate, slept and breathed food from 365 establishments around Richmond. The blog was heavily focused on the city’s Asian food scene.
Anderson was selected after the organization conducted a global search for a blogger. She has a master’s degree in food culture and communications from the University of Gastronomic Sciences, located in Pollenzo, Italy.
She was not required to report from the perspective of a food critic. She was transported to and from Vancouver every day and had access to 27 hotels around Richmond so she could experience the city from a tourist’s perspective.
Anderson was also provided with a gym membership to work off the extra calories she gained as a result of her job sampling food from around the city.
Other 2013 Canadian Tourism Award winners from British Columbia were:
- Kingisher Oceanside Resort & Spa, located in Courteney – Business of the Year (tied with Calgary’s Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts);
- Vancouver’s Rocky Mountaineer – Employer of the Year; and
- Bluewater Adventures of North Vancouver – Sustainable Tourism.
@EmmaCrawfordBIV
