CREST HAVEN – With Cape May County’s thrust to attract Canadian tourists to campgrounds, shops and motels, it’s amazing Canada Day wasn’t widely celebrated locally July 1. The equivalent of the Fourth of July, that is a national holiday for those living north of the U.S. border.
Diane Wieland gave her report on Canadian marketing June 24 to freeholders. The PowerPoint presentation detailed the focus of the public relations effort to bring an increasing number of Quebecois to the county.
From 1968, when the county first noticed Canadians spending vacations locally, and decided to hire its first part-time tourism representative there until today, there has been a close connection between the county and Province of Quebec.
There are fewer visitors from Ontario, who prefer to fly rather than drive. In Quebec residents do not seem to mind the nine-hour trek from Montreal or the 11-hour drive from Quebec City, south on the New York Thruway and Garden State Parkway to the Jersey Cape, Wieland said.
Because most of the potential visitors speak French, the county seeks to get as much free publicity, by means of articles, in French-language magazines and on radio. To that end, Wieland, accompanied by Freeholder E. Marie Hayes, traveled to Quebec in mid-May. They met with writers and editors from various publications. Both extolled what Cape May County offers as an attractive vacation place for their readers.
Over time, the county weathered vagaries of national and international economics. In 1995, Wieland said there was a dip in Canadian tourism. That was due to the dismal dollar exchange rate for Canadians crossing the border. They lost 39 cents on every dollar spent, she said. “We lost a lot of visitors because they lost a lot when they exchanged their dollars,” she noted.
Today’s exchange rate is far better. Coupled with more goods ($400) allowed to be taken back with them free from the 19-percent Goods and Service Tax on everything, many vacationers buy clothes and other small articles at lower cost here than at home.
Gasoline, too, is less here than the roughly $1.45 per liter (there are 3.75 liters per gallon, or over $5 per gallon) spent at home. Although American drivers complain about the high cost of fuel, compared to the Canadian driver, it’s still less costly.
When the local contingent traveled north, it went laden with press kits, in English and French on small thumb-drives, Jersey Cape labeled articles and, New Jersey’s recently-named state candy: salt water taffy.
“We came bearing gifts and food, and already we’ve seen the fruits of our efforts. I was interviewed while I was there,” said Wieland.
“They were very interested we would take the effort to have our front-line people learn conversational French,” Wieland said. The 600,000 circulation Le Soliel did a two-third-page story valued at $8,000. Montreal de Journal, with 1 million circulation did a two-page spread valued at $28,000 on spending 42 hours in Cape May. It was entitled, “42 heures a’ Cape May.”
Debbie Bass of the Office of Tourism and Public Information worked closely with that writer. Wieland also noted that, when the county party went to Quebec, that writer picked them up at the airport.
County advertisements, placed in French-language publications tout “The Jersey Cape Nous sommes ouverts et pretes a vous accueillir!”
Since morning radio is popular in Quebec, the county joined with several radio stations to offer contests to attract visitors. ENJ Radio in Montreal is doing four weeks of radio advertising on the air and website that includes 140-30-second ads, valued at $2,100. It is also hosting a contest on the morning show and website valued at $2,500. The prize: seven nights at Holly Shores Camping Resort in Erma.
Rouge FM radio in Quebec City is also embarking on four weeks of on-air and web advertising, also 140-30-second spots valued at $2,100. Its morning show contest, valued at $2,500 is five nights at Reeds at Shelter Haven in Stone Harbor.
For the affluent who drive BMW autos and read the BMW Experience magazine, a five-page spread on Cape May held at $30,000 public relations value.
Wieland also mentioned an article in the Canadian Automobile Association magazine, in English and French. “They are very concerned about the effect (Hurricane) Sandy had on this area,” said Wieland. They ran a contest for the county and asked only those who sought Trip-tiks to the area. It received over 2,300 inquires she added.
Wieland said the magazine, whose editor lodged at the Reeds visited the entire county then wrote a story on Stone Harbor and Avalon.
Wieland told the board she will make an end-of-year report to gauge how the Canadian market did this summer.
Villas – I guess Kamala Harris was just too honest, too intelligent and too sane of a person to win an election in a racist, sexist, backward country like America.
