Media Releases
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Whistler launches into summer with new campaign; resort buoyed by success of strongest winter on record
Tourism Whistler media release
For immediate release - June 18, 2014
Whistler launches into summer with new campaign; resort buoyed by success of strongest winter on record
Suggested tweet: Find yourself in Whistler this summer. Big savings on summer vacations booked before June 30 http://bit.ly/U3TucZ
Whistler, B.C. – Whistler, set amidst majestic mountain vistas, lush forested trails and calm waterways, is the place to find yourself this summer.
Tourism Whistler has launched its summer marketing campaign with the theme of “lost and found” encouraging guests to explore their personal connection with the resort.
“We know Whistler, with the spectacular scenery, the nonstop lineup of festivals and events, the array of summer activities and the eclectic vibe and the energy of the Village, is a perfect summer destination,” said Louise Walker, Tourism Whistler’s Vice President of Marketing. “Whistler is a fantastic place to lose oneself,” Walker said. “At the same time, it’s also a place to reconnect with nature, to slow-down and just take it all in. It’s the place where the hustle and bustle of your day-to-day life takes a backseat. It’s also where you go to find yourself.”
Tourism Whistler has executed a number of tools to help showcase Whistler as an iconic Canadian summer destination. “With all of our tools, we really wanted to use visuals to tell the story of Whistler, to capture the essence of the resort and to allow people to picture themselves here,” added Walker. “There’s so much that Whistler has to offer our guests and the images really speak for themselves.”
The inspirational summer video will be used in sales and marketing initiatives, planning itineraries allow guests to imagine themselves in Whistler with examples of the various activities that can be enjoyed here, while the new website focuses on visuals and user-friendly tools that make booking your vacation easier than ever before.
Tourism Whistler worked with their creative agency, Origin Design + Communications, on the refreshed brand look and feel, which has now been applied to summer marketing, the new website and supporting materials. VentureWeb was contracted to assist with the website architecture and wireframing, while the website design and build was performed in-house.
The whistler.com website, as the official online guide to Whistler and the central reservations for the resort, was built using responsive web design, meaning the site is adaptable to any browser size, so is easily used by all mobile devices, including smart phones and tablets. The website pages have all been optimized for mobile devices, providing the most user-friendly consumer purchasing process.
“We are seeing more and more of our guests turning to their mobile devices when it comes to researching and booking their vacations,” said Tim Bonnell, Tourism Whistler’s Senior Manager of Information and Web Technology. “Our new website, with its responsive design, provides a hassle-free, easy process for booking your Whistler vacation on your mobile device.”
Whistler is enjoying continued success, coming off of record-breaking back to back seasons, with continued growth from the regional markets as well as the longer-haul destination markets and growth in conference and group business.
Winter 2013/ 14 was up by three per cent over the previous winter, in terms of room nights booked, making it the strongest winter on record. As well, summer 2013 outperformed the previous summer, by eight per cent, in terms of room nights booked, and stands as the resort’s busiest summer on record. Summer 2013 showed increases in all performance measures, outperforming the 10-year average. Continuing economic recovery, increased travel demand, an increase in group business, successful festivals and events, strong marketing campaigns, aligned early booking offers and favourable weather conditions have all contributed to these positive results. Summer 2014 is expected to be another strong season for Whistler.
In support of the summer campaign, Tourism Whistler launched the Discover Summer in Whistler contest, offering a chance to win the ultimate summer vacation. With three custom itineraries offering seven relaxing days to unwind and unplug, seven days of must-see signature experiences or seven days of a blood-pumping energy rush, all you have to do to enter is select the trip that you’d like to win. Each package includes airfare and accommodation, as well as a variety of activity and dining options.
Book early and save for summer. Book your summer vacation at whistler.com by June 30 and receive a third night free on select accommodation. From the Rocky Mountaineer train package to the Scandinave Spa package, Ziplining, floatplane and train or bear-viewing, whistler.com offers summer vacation packages to suit all tastes. Whistler-based travel consultants at whistler.com can also customize vacation packages, taking care of flights, ground transportation, accommodation and activities. Whistler.com offers the largest selection with no booking fee for accommodation and activities and the price match guarantee. Call 1.800.WHISTLER (1.800.944.7853) to request a no-obligation quote or visit whistler.com for more details and offers.
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Whistler is Canada's premier year-round leisure and meeting destination located in the Coast Mountains 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Consistently rated the top ski resort in North America, Whistler was the Host Mountain Resort of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The resort offers an extensive range of accommodations totaling 10,000 bedrooms among 24 hotels as well as townhomes, condos, B&Bs and chalets. Whistler also boasts more than 100 restaurants and bars, 200 retail shops, 25 spas and countless activity options from world-renowned skiing and snowboarding, mountain biking and golf, to hiking, rock climbing, and watersports. The Resort Municipality of Whistler is home to a diverse community of more than 10,000 permanent residents.
Tourism Whistler is the member-based marketing and sales organization representing Whistler, operating the Whistler Conference Centre, Whistler Golf Club, Whistler Visitor Centre, as well as 1.800.WHISTLER and whistler.com - Whistler's official source for visitor bookings and information. As the convention and visitors bureau for the Resort Municipality of Whistler, Tourism Whistler represents more than 7,000 members who own, manage and operate properties or businesses on resort lands including hotels, restaurants, activity operators and retail shops.
Broadcasters: Whistler now has the capability to take you live with our enhanced fibre network. The significantly expanded network of more than 200 kilometres of fibre optic cabling throughout the resort allows instant transmission of HD signals to any location at any time. Details on how to access, and book the fibre are available on our media site.
Media can visit whistler.com/media for Whistler facts, media releases, story starters, local personality profiles and access to images and B-roll.
Media Contact
Patricia Westerholm
Manager, Communications
T: 604.938.2748
E: pwesterholm@tourismwhistler.com
W: www.whistler.com/media
T: www.twitter.com/mediaTWhistler
F: www.facebook.com/GoWhistler