NWT Tourism Co-Op Opportunities

Valued Members,

2020 has brought unprecedented challenges to the tourism industry. Border closures, new safety requirements and the persistence of the global COVID-19 pandemic have had a devastating impact on the tourism industry, both globally and here in the NWT. We have all been impressed with the resilience of our industry and the various strategies taken by members to survive in these extraordinary times. While ‘Staycation’ marketing to NWT residents has been a helpful option for some members, we know that industry recovery lies in our ability to market beyond the territorial border. 

Some individual members and some member organizations have reached out to us, looking for marketing options to assist with connecting to their customers, supporting their efforts towards building resiliency and eventual recovery. The opportunities outlined in 2020/2021 Co-op program come as a result of feedback from members and our commitment to always give NWT Tourism partners the best quality advertising possible. In the time of a global heath pandemic, it is imperative that NWT Tourism select appropriate marketing platforms and channels to best accomplish our goal of driving interest in visitation in the NWT, when the time is right, and to ensuring our local industry has a strong recovery. While we know times are hard, we are very pleased to share the Partnership Advertising and Marketing Opportunities with you today.

You can see the entire list of opportunities for the 2020-21 fiscal year by clicking here.
Please note we are always interested to hear about members marketing activities; there may be ways we can help share content further with national partners such as Destination Canada, ITAC and others.

To facilitate further promotion of Staycations, NWT Tourism has implemented a new “Local Deals” package page on the spectacularnwt.com website as well as continuing to work with and fund local media programs negotiated during the pandemic. Every member is entitled to have up to two “Local Deals” packages on this section of the website and these will be added to existing staycation marketing. We encourage members to reach out to us with planned staycation activities as we are always wanting to know how this may fit into marketing activities. Note that staycations packages are separate from the regular packages targeted at consumers outside of the NWT and feel free to reach out to Robin in our office to for assistance in promoting your Northern Staycation. You will find more details about this and all our other offerings in the attached document. 

Highlights:

Packages
2 different landing pages on the spectacularnwt.com website, targeting two distinct markets (Local Deals, targeted at visitors within the NWT, and our regular Packages page, targeting visitors from outside the territory). Plus, if you highlight your Local Deals package with NWTT we will promote it via a targeted social media post.

Facebook and Instagram
New for 2020: targeted social media post! Prominent placement boosted results and custom-created content. Our social program either dedicates the entire week to promoting your special business, product, or event organically with our followers or you can place targeted ads served directly to your target demographic. We’ve cut out some of the clutter and positioned our advertising partners front and center on our social platforms.

Social Media NICE Content Creation Campaign 
Take your social media advertising to the next level. A member of NWT Tourism’s team will create custom social media content that highlights your story, an itinerary, specific packages or an event through our multiple social channels. This opportunity includes:
One (1) longform organic story post on Facebook (approximate word count set at 250 words)
One (1) Instagram story
One (1) boosted Facebook post to your selected target demographic, featuring your event, community or business

Staycation Program 
Highlight your business to the local NWT market through local media channels.  New opportunities are being added. Connect with us to stay informed.

Lastly, NWT Tourism is working with national partners on recovery campaigns and we are encouraging members to reach out to our marketing team to learn more about these campaigns.  Here are some examples: Destination Canada’s ‘Nice’ Campaign, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada’s Destination Indigenous Campaign. Please get in touch if you would like to learn more.

We are committed to helping our members and the tourism industry stay connected during these tough times and to continue to share the spectacular NWT with protentional visitors until the time is right for our friends, family and customers to visit again,

Sincerely,

Joel Walton

Marketing Director

NWT Tourism