Destination Vancouver Crowned BC’s 2022 Marketer of the Year with Award-Winning #LoveVancouver Post-COVID Recovery Campaign

In 2021, ongoing COVID restrictions and border closures required Destination Vancouver to adopt phased, flexible marketing plans targeting a local audience, with readiness for future expansion. Key challenges include:

• Daily media coverage reinforcing the COVID-19 narrative.
• An empty city core and a remote workforce.
• Limited awareness of urban tourism options and ongoing safety concerns.
• Strong competition from smaller resorts as BC residents traveled within the province during lifted restrictions.

Create a creative platform for 2021 aimed to:

• Inspire local pride and reconnect Vancouverites with their city while welcoming visitors, offering locals a chance to be "tourists" at home.
• Tap into the pent-up desire to get out and explore.
• Appeal to goodwill and support for local businesses.
• Position Vancouver as a spacious, nature-immersed city with fresh air, countering concerns about crowded, unsafe urban areas.
• Promote Vancouver as a global travel experience at home, offering authentic cultural experiences in art, food, and music during a time of restricted international travel.

Create a creative platform for 2021 aimed to:

1. Creative Platform & Campaign: Develop a bold, vibrant campaign with emotive visuals and adaptable messaging across all channels. Engage locals and visitors via social media, encouraging user-generated content with the #LoveVancouver hashtag to amplify the campaign. A robust media strategy—spanning digital, broadcast, radio, and print—will boost brand awareness and demand while fostering a positive tourism narrative.
2. Conversion through Offers & Incentives: Create compelling special offers and incentives in collaboration with partners to drive bookings and engagement.
3. Inspiring Locals: Revitalize downtown with live performances and public art, while supporting neighbourhood campaigns and highlighting urban experiences through art, food, and local activities.
4. Partnerships for Reach & Efficiency: Leverage strategic partnerships to expand reach, enhance content, and improve cost-efficiency.