Destination BC Takes Top Honours in Germany


VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - March 05, 2015) - Destination BC took top honours at the 14th Annual International Tourism Film, Print and Multimedia competition, known as The Golden City Gate, at the ITB Travel Trade Show in Berlin.

Nominated in the International Region category, the province's new brand video The Wild Within won first prize. The Wild Within video was the result of months of research and development that lead to a refreshed tourism brand for British Columbia, injecting deeper meaning and emotional power into the Super, Natural British Columbia® tagline that has served the province well over the last 30 years.

ITB Berlin, being held March 4-8, is the world's leading travel trade show connecting tourism buyers with destinations from around the globe. This year's show expects 100,000 visitors and involves over 10,000 exhibitors from 190 countries showcasing their travel experiences, reflecting how intensively competitive the global travel industry is today.

Tourism is a critical sector within BC's economy. The industry is showing excellent growth and has huge opportunity ahead. Preliminary figures show that BC's international overnight visitors grew by 5.3% in 2014 and that our accommodations, attractions and restaurants are having a banner year. Tourism employed more than 132,000 people in British Columbia in 2013 and generated an additional 3,800 new jobs from the previous year.

Quotes:
Marsha Walden, CEO, Destination British Columbia:
"We are simply ecstatic that the Wild Within brand anthem video, the culmination of our brand revitalization efforts, was recognized with this honour at the world's largest travel trade show. The response to British Columbia's new tourism brand, and the video itself, has been overwhelmingly positive. This recognition is not just for Destination BC, but for all of our partners and industry members who contributed to the work that got us here today."

Minister Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of State for Tourism and Small Business
"I'm delighted that Destination BC's video, The Wild Within, has been recognized as an international winner. This award provides a great opportunity to showcase the diverse and spectacular landscapes that British Columbia has to offer. I hope this video puts us at the top of the 'must-see' list, and that it's seen globally as an open invitation to visit us here in beautiful BC."

Learn More:
Destination British Columbia is an industry-led Crown corporation that works collaboratively with tourism stakeholders across the province to coordinate marketing at the international, provincial, regional and local levels. For more information about Destination British Columbia's programs and services, please visit: http://www.DestinationBC.ca/

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Contact Information:

Media Contact:
Destination British Columbia, Media Relations
Tel: 250.387.6826

ITB Berlin Maya Lange, Vice President of Global Marketing for Destination BC at ITB Berlin.