Some of North America's most influential travel bloggers converge on Vancouver this week and the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation is plugging into the social media network to market B.C. as a world class destination.

The forward-thinking marketing approach is the result of a partnership between Tourism BC, a division in the ministry, Tourism Vancouver and the Canadian Tourism Commission, which persuaded the organizers of the Travel Blogger Exchange International Conference to stage the third annual conference at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

TBEX brings together more than 500 delegates which include travel bloggers, writers and new media creators from across Canada and the U.S. to share travel blogs, pictures, ideas and unique experiences. The conference will begin Friday with tours and activities around Vancouver to give delegates a feel for the city and encourage them to blog about their experiences. The weekend sessions will include instructional workshops, seminars and presentations by well-known and influential travel media specialists and bloggers.

Why It Matters:

More than ever travellers are using social media to plan their travel. According to the 2011 Canadian Travel Intentions Survey conducted by the Hotel Association of Canada, 73 per cent of leisure travellers and 86 per cent of business travellers use the Internet to gather information before they book.

Tourism BC is committed to using the most effective platforms to connect consumers around the world with B.C.'s tourism products.

Quick Facts:

• Social media tools are already well used by Tourism BC and all six of B.C.'s regional Tourism Destination Marketing Organizations and many communities and tourism businesses. For example, HelloBC.com blog allows the public to contribute words, photos and videos about their favourite travel experiences in B.C.
• Blog content can boost a destination's or business's visibility on search engines, driving traffic to their website and social networking channels.
• Blogs are available on four of Tourism BC's international websites (North America, the U.K., Australia and Germany). Content from these blogs can also be shared with external partners and on third-party sites.
• Usability studies show that first-person accounts by travellers are highly valued by people planning their own trips. More than 2,000 blogs have been uploaded on HelloBC.com. They were viewed more than 200,000 times last year alone.
• Tourism BC has over 12,700 followers on Twitter and 2,400 fans on Facebook. A recent promotional video for the 2011 Spring/Summer Tourism Campaign entitled "Don't Miss a Moment" received over 3,500 views within three weeks of being posted on YouTube.
• Tourism is one of B.C.'s largest and most sustainable industries. The sector contributes over $12.7 billion in revenue and provides employment for nearly 129,000 British Columbians in every region of the province - roughly one out of every 14 workers.

Learn More at:

To read some of the consumer-submitted blog posts on HelloBC.com, visit: http://www.hellobc.com/en-CA/HelloBCBlogs/BritishColumbia.htm

Twitter: www.twitter.com/TourismBC

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HelloBC

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TourismBC

Media wishing to attend the conference can receive free passes for all weekend seminars and workshops by registering at: http://www.formstack.com/forms/?1082130-5I5RWvax2z

Media Contacts:

Marisa Adair
Communications Director
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation
250 920-8500