The new Nova Scotia tourism plan and this marketing campaign are very much a reflection of our industry's knowledge of, and experience with, today's traveler

The 2007 tourism marketing campaign was launched at Stanfield International Airport which reflected the province's new tourism plan that includes a gateway strategy with an increased focus on markets that have direct air access to Nova Scotia.

The plan, New Realities, New Directions includes a strategy that drives customers to novascotia.com for samples of Nova Scotia experiences, as well as a strategy to continue developing those experiences to build the province's tourism brand.

"Since most of our potential visitors are shopping for Nova Scotia information online, we're putting ourselves right in front of them on popular websites and making it easier to buy Nova Scotia experiences online," said Len Goucher, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Heritage. "Nova Scotians don't get to see the entire scope of our marketing in target markets, so were proud to share this campaign and show the full extent of what we do to promote Nova Scotia as a vacation destination."

"The new Nova Scotia tourism plan and this marketing campaign are very much a reflection of our industry's knowledge of, and experience with, today's traveler," said Chris Millier, council chair. "This is the direction we need to take to ensure Nova Scotia businesses continue to grow in today's highly competitive global tourism industry."

Visitors to the website will have the opportunity to sample Nova Scotia vacation experiences and can book vacation packages online. There are video vignettes, grouped by core experience, on the website, which provide visitors with samples of Nova Scotia, from Celtic music and wine and cuisine, to motorcycling and surfing.

Potential visitors can also explore these experiences through Google Earth Nova Scotia. The province is among the first to use the technology as a tourism marketing tool. Visitors to novascotia.com can download data placing more than 100 Nova Scotia experiences, represented by tartan dots, across the province. By clicking on the dots, people can learn about cycling the Cabot Trail, touring vineyards in the Annapolis Valley, seeing Bluenose II in its home port of Lunenburg, and more.

The department has seven consumer trade shows on its schedule, including SaltScapes from April 27 to 29 in Halifax. It has also participated in a wide variety of travel trade shows selling Nova Scotia
as a destination to tour operators.

The department will monitor the season through industry partners and its comprehensive system for reporting tourism statistics. The system includes counting overnight visitors -- excluding Nova Scotia residents -- at all entry points to the province and gathering the number of room nights sold from licensed accommodation operators.

Detailed tourism statistics are posted regularly on the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage website at www.gov.ns.ca/dtc/pubs/insights