Government of Yukon
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FOR RELEASE #08-039
February 28, 2008
Yukon Promotes Marketing, Partnerships and Air Access in Europe
WHITEHORSE – Tourism and Culture Minister Elaine Taylor leaves for Germany this Saturday to promote Yukon tourism marketing partnerships and initiatives.
While in Germany, Taylor will attend the world’s largest tourism convention, International Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin, March 4-6.
“The travel trade show, attracting more than 180,000 visitors, is an excellent opportunity to meet and connect with tour operators, wholesalers, retail agents and air carrier representatives who are all critical to the continued growth of Yukon as a travel destination,” Taylor said.
While at ITB, Taylor will introduce a unique marketing initiative in Europe where Yukon, in collaboration with Northwest Territories and Nunavut, will have an enhanced presence under a banner entitled “Canada’s North”.
“The partnering of Canada’s three territories under one banner will further leverage our marketing efforts and serve to highlight and focus the world’s attention on what Canada’s North has to offer in terms of the variety of tourism product options available,” Taylor added. The minister will announce the partnership at an event at the Canadian Embassy in Berlin. Over 200 representatives of the international travel trade and media are expected to attend.
Air access remains critical to the growth of Yukon's tourism industry. Taylor's meetings with representatives of air carriers such as Condor will focus on planned improvements to the Whitehorse International Airport and opportunities for furthering access, frequency and capacity from Europe to Yukon.
European visitation to Yukon has been steadily growing with a 10 per cent increase experienced in 2007. Visitors to Yukon on the twice-weekly Condor flights in the summer months have also grown steadily with nearly 4,700 European visitors arriving last year.
Taylor will also meet with Fulda officials to discuss future partnerships including a new Memorandum of Understanding between Fulda Reifen and Yukon Tourism to market and promote the highly successful extreme challenge winter event which contributes over $1 million in local spending to Yukon's economy each winter.
While in Germany, Taylor will also attend a job fair involving the Yukon Department of Education, Advanced Education Branch which will focus on recruiting immigrant workers to Yukon.
German speaking Europeans are Yukon’s largest overseas market bringing close to 10,000 visitors to the territory each year and yielding approximately $8.5 million in spending.
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| Contact: | |
| Roxanne Vallevand Cabinet Communications (867) 667-7949 roxanne.vallevand@gov.yk.ca |
Alicia Debreceni Communications, Tourism and Culture (867) 667-5318 alicia.debreceni@gov.yk.ca |