County Officials Reconnect with Quebeckers

CREST HAVEN – County officials have spent months reconnecting with the French-Canadian market. 
The “Reconnect Canada” campaign was launched at the end of 2021 after the international border was closed for two years due to Covid.
County Tourism Director Diane Wieland and New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism Executive Director Jeffrey Vasser took a trip to Quebec City to meet with key stakeholders and to gain firsthand knowledge from potential visitors.
During the summers prior to the pandemic, visitors from Canada made up 7% to 9% of visitors to Cape May County.
For years, the county had an office in Quebec. Now, a local public relations consultant works on the county’s behalf.
“This latest trip to Canada was more about listening and engaging with our friends in Quebec so we know even better what is important to them as they begin to vacation again,” said Wieland. “It was very encouraging to hear so many people were excited that the border is reopened and to visit some of their favorite spots in Cape May County.”
The marketing campaign is far-reaching and includes print, radio and digital. The Tourism Department is also working with publications to bring down travel writers, while also working with social media influencers to engage with people in the mediums that people are consuming today.
The campaign is a two-year effort to expand county reach throughout Quebec and into parts of Ontario. The Tourism Department’s budget was bolstered with funding allocated by the County Board of County Commissioners via American Rescue Plan funds. 
“The Board of County Commissioners are fully supportive to continue the recovery efforts in tourism, as it is our most important economic engine to our area,” stated Cape May County Commissioner Director Gerald M. Thornton, liaison to the Cape May County Department of Tourism. “Tourism reached 96% of the numbers produced in 2019 in this county. Our goal for this year is to break the all-time high reached in 2019 and recoup some of the losses this county experienced during the pandemic.”