Tourism Richmond's 365 Days of Dining campaign earns Canadian Tourism Award

Award-winning campaign showcased Richmond BC's distinctive culinary appeal

RICHMOND, BC, Dec. 5, 2013 /CNW/ - It's a hat trick of awards for Tourism Richmond's groundbreaking www.365daysofdining.com campaign. At this week's Tourism Industry Association of Canada's (TIAC) annual Canadian Tourism Awards, presented by the Toronto Star and Visa Canada in Ottawa, Tourism Richmond's innovative year-long foodie-focused campaign captured The Social Media Initiative of the Year Award.

Earlier this year, 365 Days of Dining won Best Social Media Campaign (Public) at the Vancouver Social Media Awards and Innovation of the Year at the Richmond Chamber of Commerce's Annual Awards of Excellence.

"We are honoured and proud to be recognized in this way by our peers with a Canadian Tourism Award for excellence. It was no small feat for our marketing and communications team to keep a year-long campaign relevant, fresh and interesting but they did and now Richmond has secured its position on the map as a West Coast foodie destination," said Tracy Lakeman, CEO of Tourism Richmond. "Even six months after the campaign has ended the 365 Days of Dining blog remains a key resource garnering strong monthly visitation."

By targeting a niche aspect in social media marketing, the widely successful, cost-effective and innovative foodie-focused campaign, 365 Days of Dining was born. Armed with market research and a desire to capitalize on the international rise in culinary tourism, Tourism Richmond's goal was to tell Richmond's overall destination story, by focusing primarily on the city's increasingly popular Asian food scene. The imaginative and groundbreaking concept featured a global search and the hiring of a salaried blogger to experience all of Richmond, as a visitor, while dining at 365 eateries in 365 consecutive days and blogging at www.365daysofdining.com from June 2012 to June 2013. The campaign exceeded all targets, was embraced by all stakeholders, increased awareness and restaurant visitation and earned kudos and media coverage from around the world.

The Canadian Tourism Awards are presented annually by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada to recognize success, leadership and innovation in Canada's tourism industry, and to reward those people, places, organizations and events that have gone above and beyond to offer travelers superior tourism experiences in Canada. The Canadian Tourism Awards have become the standard of excellence for businesses and organizations in the travel industry, showcasing the nation's best tourism products, services and experiences.

For more on 365 Days of Dining, visit www.tourismrichmond.com/media and www.365daysofdining.com
High resolution photos and video of the 365 Days of Dining campaign are available upon request

About Tourism Richmond
Tourism Richmond is a non-profit, membership driven destination marketing organization (DMO) whose primary mandate is to enhance awareness about the destination through sales and marketing initiatives and by providing excellent visitor and member services. Ultimately, Tourism Richmond's goal is to increase economic wealth related to tourism for the City of Richmond and all stakeholders. British Columbia's 4th largest DMO, Tourism Richmond was recognized with the DMO Professional Excellence Award in 2010. That same year, Tourism Richmond's highly collaborative partnership with the City of Richmond, as a Venue City during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, earned two awards for community excellence.

SOURCE: Tourism Richmond

Media contact: 

Michelle Dunn
Director of Communications
Tourism Richmond
Direct: 604-821-5481
Cell: 778-822-5481
Email: [email protected]
www.tourismrichmond.com/media
Twitter: @VisitRichmondBC