Eastern P.E.I. tourism works on captive audience
Last Updated: Monday, October 19, 2009 | 8:16 AM AT
CBC News
A tourism group in eastern Prince Edward Island is pleased with the success of a plan to target captive audiences on ferries and hopes to build on that success next year.
With a three per cent increase in room nights sold through the end of August, eastern P.E.I. is the only region of the province where tourism is growing this year, the province says. Across the Island, room nights sold are down 3.7 per cent.
Martina MacDonald, chair of the Island East Marketing Group, said grabbing a captive audience on the ferries going to the Island seems to have paid off.
"We have ambassadors this summer on the Northumberland ferry as well as an ambassador this summer at the Magdelan ferry in Souris," said MacDonald.
"As well we've taken over the Visitor Information Centre in St. Peter's and we've hired our staff there. So they are marketing our area as opposed to marketing the entire Island and it seems that that's working."
MacDonald said her group plans to continue with the ferry ambassadors next year. It also plans to heavily promote some of the restaurants and culinary experiences in the area. She notes eastern P.E.I. is home to the well-known Rossignol Winery and celebrity chef Michael Smith.
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