Fraser Valley tourism agencies win award

Tourism Abbotsford and its regional partners have won a marketing initiative award.

The organization, along with Tourism Langley and Tourism Chilliwack, received the award for most valuable marketing partner at the 2011 Regional Tourism Leaders Forum last week in Squamish. They were recognized for Handpicked in the Valley – where adventures take route.

The campaign was created to meet the needs and attitudes of visitors to the Fraser Valley. It aims to increase overnight stays by creating more awareness and leveraging the uniqueness of each community. The program also strives to increase the target audience, add more value to the visitor, and create a larger tourism impact in the region.

“The benefits of combining efforts of commonality in destination marketing will serve community, regional and provincial partnerships very well,” said project coordinator Erinn Kredba.

While the three communities have worked independently on their strategic tourism plans, they have also pooled together resources and ideas to create a campaign that not only benefits businesses but provides visitors with unique experiences as well.

The website www.handpickedinthevalley.com was launched in March and enables users to create their own itineraries based on their personal interests.

Abbotsford News