Ocean Boating Marine Tourism Marketing

From every standpoint, coastal BC offers an internationally competitive boating experience.  With some of the continent’s most beautiful coastlines, and a range of welcoming communities from remote fishing villages to First Nations to urban centres, Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast are a year-round draw for marine tourists. Industry stakeholders in sectors as diverse as hospitality, marina operators, marine service providers, retail, and more are recognizing an opportunity exists to create formal, collaborative tourism marketing services.

The BC Ocean Boating Tourism Association is leading a project that will define the brand of BC marine tourism, develop marketing messages, and create a 3-year marketing strategy. Deliverables include a detailed market research report, functional interactive web presence, and a product enhancement strategy report.

The creation of a unified, collaborative BC marine tourism marketing and product venture will raise the exposure to world markets and enable the creation of a compelling brand.  The project is expected to yield a 10% increase in the number of marine tourists; increased average length of stay; extension of marine tourism season into shoulders and extension of the benefits of marine tourism revenue to a wider range of hospitality and service sectors. Ultimately, the BCOBTA anticipates a net increase in total marine tourism-related revenue of 15% over the next 5-10 years. This phase of the project was completed in 2015.