Travel Alberta targets California and Texas in latest ad campaign
A new Travel Alberta ad campaign is focusing on two major American states in an effort to boost the province's sputtering tourism revenue.
Radio and television ads recently launched in both Texas and California tout Alberta's vibrant big cities and mountain towns.
One radio spot calls the province a great place to learn how to ski.
"Always look up, not down," it says. "That is up, to Alberta, Canada. Where your unsightly tumbles are a thousand miles out of sight, surrounded by skiers you'll never see again and the breathtaking beauty of the Canadian Rockies."
"The human species has existed on wanderlust for tens of thousands of years, so that's not going to stop," Travel Alberta CEO David Goldstein told CTV News. "When it's time to (travel again), there is going to be a huge competition with other destinations. They're all looking at this pent-up demand and they all see the same traveler base. We want to be part of the mix."
Goldstein says Californians and Texans have been known to visit in the past, and a number of direct flights to Alberta make their planning a little simpler.
"We have to start building intent for Americans in consideration of our destination versus other destinations to go to," Calgary Hotel Association executive director Sol Zia said. "(They) spend between 20 and 30 per cent more per day than domestic travellers."
But there's still the issue of a U.S. travel advisory warning of a surge in COVID-19 cases in Canada.
Goldstein says the campaign is less focused on the now -- rather, he'd like to see Americans consider Canada in the spring and summer months.
"I think that's largely a misunderstanding of the buying cycle of travel and how long it is," he said. "It's not like a Frito-Lay commercial, and you're going to go to the supermarket now and buy Cheetos. It's about that long term."
The campaign will also include billboards and social media advertisements.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.