Northern BC Tourism works with tourism operators from around the region to develop stories and ideas that could gain earned media coverage.
1. Offer to host media. We do not always know what requests we might get, but if you tell us that you’re interested and able to host media, you will be top of mind.
2. Supply Fresh Story ideas. Northern BC Tourism supplies story ideas to the Ministry of Tourism Culture and the Arts, which is distributed to over 3,000 journalists each month. Tell us more about your business, and we’ll try to feature your experience!
3. Keep us updated. One of the most frequent questions journalists ask us is, “What’s new?”
4. Use Visiting Journalist Program – Communities and operators listed on HelloBC.com are eligible for support through the ministry’s Visiting Journalist Program. Requests which: represent more than one partner, provide unpaid media coverage in a key market/s, and represent a publication with a minimum circulation of 50,000 will be considered. You must be able to demonstrate that you are making an equal investment in the press trip. Generally, support will be through air or ground transportation.
To best represent our region and its operators, Northern BC Tourism attends travel media events, including the Canadian Tourism Commission’s Go Media Canada Marketplace and Canada Media Marketplace, in addition to co-hosting media events with the Ministry of Tourism Culture and the Arts (formerly Tourism British Columbia) travel media department.
Media marketplaces provide around one-on-one scheduled appointments with travel journalists, where we are able to establish relationships, put a face to a name (and region) provide news and information, and begin early media visit planning. Professional development and networking time round out the marketplaces, which are both immensely productive and educational.