Issue link: http://tourismwpg.uberflip.com/i/134953
» Staycations | The Neighbourhood Project A combination of the words "stay" and "vacation," the term was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2009 and defined as "a vacation spent at home or nearby." Staycations grew in popularity during the economic recession as they generally cost less than a vacation abroad and don't include the hassle of travel. Many residents take for granted or are unaware of their city's unique attractions, events and lesser-known sites. To aid in the planning and enjoyment of a staycation, Tourism Winnipeg will update a comprehensive list of staycation activities that appeal to a broad range of interests and provide a fresh look for Winnipeg's tourism products and services. Tourism Winnipeg will also update The Neighbourhood Project, a program highlightng the top activities and attractions for each Winnipeg neighbourhood. Marketing will support these initiatives through print and media relations campaigns targeting locals and visitors. Digital Marketing The number of people turning to the Internet for vacation and travel planning has increased more than 300 per cent over the past four years and is now standard practice for most travellers. The Canadian Tourism Research Institute found 77 per cent of Canadian travellers plan to book at least part or all of their next vacation online, as well as use mobile devices before and during trips. This dramatic change in use of online planning requires destination marketing organizations to increase investment in digital marketing to increase visitation. » Website Development Strong creative design with functional navigation is directly linked to a website's ability to communicate the value proposition and positioning of a brand. The design of a website should be engaging, promote a memorable experience and be consistent with the message delivered through traditional marketing. Destination marketing organizations build, maintain and 32 continually improve web-based resources to ensure visitors have a reliable source for their travel decisions. Websites are critical marketing tools that must be constantly updated. They feature engaging photos, video uploads, core experience descriptions and testimonials about visitor experiences. Tourism Winnipeg's website, www.tourismwinnipeg. com, is its primary marketing tool and call to action for marketspecific activities. Tourism Winnipeg will keep evolving its web strategy to capture best practices used by destination marketing organizations throughout the world. This web strategy will take into account Internet marketing communications that increases tourism visitation and enhances the visitor experience. Development of foreign language capabilities will also be included in the strategy. » Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Tourism Winnipeg will take action to increase both SEO and SEM, resulting in a stronger online profile to generate tourism growth for Winnipeg. A greater portion of its marketing efforts will be dedicated to online activities, ensuring website platforms are fully optimized and rank high in popular search engines, like Google, Yahoo and Bing. In consultation with a digital media firm, Tourism Winnipeg will undertake an extensive review of: title tags, keywords, descriptions, body text, images, hyperlinks, blog directory submissions, the content blueprint, article submissions, videos, online press releases, domain names and filenames to improve the search engine optimization of the website. » Online Marketing Research indicates online ads can have the same effect in raising awareness as other types of display advertising, such as magazines or newspapers; it is also one of the fastest-growing A Master Tourism Plan for Winnipeg | 2011-2015 | 2013 UPDATE