News Release

ST. STEPHEN (GNB) – The provincial government will use the Getting Away is Closer Than You Think campaign for the second year in a row to encourage New Brunswickers to explore their home province.

“2017 was a remarkable year for tourism in the province, one of our best years yet,” said Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister John Ames. “As a government, we are investing $100-million over the next eight years in order to increase tourism revenues from a $1.3-billion a year industry to a $2-billion by 2025. One of the ways in which we will achieve this is by investing strategically in the province’s marketing efforts.”

The government will invest an additional $2 million in marketing efforts this year, prioritizing the Quebec and Ontario markets, with further investment geared towards international markets with an emphasis on the New England region.

For New Brunswickers, the campaign will focus on showing residents the variety of experiences the province has to offer while including endorsements from third parties.

The marketing initiatives highlight New Brunswick’s nature, culture and history, including the Bay of Fundy, warm salt-water beaches and Acadian culture. The goal is to promote products and experiences with proven significance to potential visitors, as well as to residents.

The Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture’s 2017 tourism campaign resulted in 11 million video views and three million visits to the Tourism New Brunswick website. It also contributed to 46,000 messages, comments, mentions and replies on social media channels, which was an increase of 59 per cent over the previous year.

The return on investment for every advertising dollar spent on the 2017 marketing campaign was 56 dollars, resulting in an increase of $100 million in visitor spending.

The government sees New Brunswick as a four-season tourism destination and recognizes the economic benefits and potential growth within the tourism sector. The New Brunswick Tourism Growth Strategy will invest $100 million in tourism over the next eight years, with a goal of growing tourism-related GDP to $2 billion by 2025. Tourism visitor spending is estimated at $1.3 billion, making it the third-largest service sector in the province.