Long Weekend Survey Reveals Who Spends the Most/Least, Who Travels the Longest, and Which Long Weekend is Canada's Favourite

    From Cottaging to Cocktailing, Survey Shows How Canadians Like to Spend
    Their Long Weekends

    TORONTO, July 31 /CNW/ - In a survey developed by the country's
top-selling Canadian-made vodka(*), Alberta Pure(TM) Vodka, some 2,000 people
weighed in to voice their opinions about one of Canada's greatest summer
traditions - the long weekend.
    "This survey certainly indicates that Canadians' long weekend preferences
vary from province to province," says Ginny Homewood, Maxxium Canada Brand
Manager for Alberta Pure(TM) Vodka. "It's also promoting a long weekend
favourite amongst all Canadians, Alberta Pure Vodka, and its new packaging
redesign."

    Canadians' favourite long weekend

    The nation-wide survey revealed that 31% of Canadians favour the Canada
Day weekend, with Labour Day weekend coming in a very close second with 30% of
the votes. The least favoured among the summer long weekends is the Victoria
Day weekend which received only 14% of the votes.

    Defining a pure Canadian weekend

    Barbequing and getting outdoors tied for the most coveted long weekend
activity. Vodka cocktails ranked the next most important activity of a summer
long weekend. The least favourite activity selected by respondents was
watching television/movies.
    "We also know from previous research we've done that drink preferences
vary from province to province," Homewood adds. "For example, cola is the
number one vodka mix of choice for Albertans. No other province shares that
taste preference. The vast majority of provinces prefer to mix orange or
cranberry with their vodka."

    Who spends what

    On average, Newfoundlanders spend the most money on their long weekends,
with 38% of respondents from Canada's most easterly province saying they spend
more than a $1,000 on a single long weekend excursion. Other big spenders
include the Yukon (60%) and British Columbia (37%) whose residents said they
spend between $500 and $1,000 on their long weekend outings. The most thrifty
long weekend spenders come from Manitoba (55%), PEI (44%) New Brunswick (44%)
and Ontario (39%) where the majority of respondents said they spend less than
$200 on each long weekend getaway.

    Who travels the furthest

    The vast majority of Canadians (75%) travel via car to get to their long
weekend destination. Most respondents (28%) said their commute time was three
to four hours. Some 33% of people from (PEI) spend the most time (more than
six hours) traveling to their long weekend destination (followed by NFLD at
23%) while people from Yukon spend the least amount of time (40% spend less
than 1 hour) on their long weekend commute.

    How people spend their long weekends

    Most Canadians (30%) prefer to spend their long weekends at a cottage or
cabin with 29% preferring to stay at home. Only 17% of respondents said they
prefer to spend their long weekend camping. Staying at a hotel (9%) was the
least popular choice among respondents.

    Favourite Canadian city to spend the long weekend

    Vancouver was ranked as the favourite Canadian city in which to spend a
summer long weekend, with 18% of the total votes. The city that ranked number
two, Toronto, received only half as many votes (9%). Montreal ranked a close
third with 8% of the popular vote.

    The survey was administered online by ThatsTheSpirit.com. A total of
1,856 people representing every province in the country participated in the
survey which ran throughout June and July.

    Alberta Pure Vodka launches smooth new look this summer

    Alberta Pure(TM) Vodka's smooth new packaging features a shimmery
metallic label on a glacier-green background that highlights the iconic, yet
slightly modified, image of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Building on the
brand's huge home-grown appeal, a Canadian maple leaf is a prominent new
element of the label.
    This redesign represents the most dramatic change in the brand in more
than a decade. The only other significant change occurred in 1995. At that
time, Alberta Pure(TM) Vodka moved away from the traditional text and emblem
style label that had been its trademark since the brand's inception in 1960 -
introducing a more modern design that included a rendering of the Canadian
Rocky Mountains.


    (*) National ACD MAT 9L cases as of March, 2008

For further information:

For further information: Laura Cochrane, LexPR Canada, (416) 542-9140
x3361, lcochrane@lexpr.com