“2014 will be an unprecedented celebration on Prince Edward Island and a tremendous opportunity to increase visitation and grow the province’s tourism industry,” said Minister Henderson. “By combining our financial resources with PEI 2014 Inc. and using the experience and expertise at Tourism PEI, we are able to increase the frequency of our advertising and make 2014 a prominent feature of our campaign without duplicating our efforts. We have every reason to be optimistic that 2014 will be a big year for tourism on the Island and this campaign will go a long way toward achieving that goal.”

The campaign will see a continued focus on traditional markets in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime provinces. A strong emphasis will be placed on eye-catching advertising like large billboard ads and bus wraps in major centres like Montreal and Toronto. The campaign will also continue to focus on media relations, so that stories about Prince Edward Island will appear in highly circulated print publications and on television. There will also be significant investment in online advertising.

The campaign also includes the creation of a mini Celebration Zone that will travel to larger centres in an effort to entice visitors first-hand. The mini Celebration Zone will mirror the Celebration Zone that will occupy the Charlottetown waterfront this summer.

One of the most exciting parts of the 2014 campaign is an upcoming marketing opportunity in Japan. The HNK network, Japan’s national broadcaster, will produce a series about Hanako Muraoka, the woman who translated Anne of Green Gables to Japanese. This fifteen minute daily drama has an audience in the tens of millions. The first minute and a half of each of the 156 episodes will prominently feature Prince Edward Island scenery and imagery. The series will begin on March 31 and will run for six months. The province is partnering with the Canadian Tourism Commission to develop additional promotion to coincide with the series.

“We are extremely excited about this opportunity, and we look forward to working with NHK as this drama series is rolled out,” said Minister Henderson. “We’re already hearing from Japanese tour operators who are expecting a significant increase in interest about Prince Edward Island. Some are already considering charter flights to the Island because of an expected increase in demand.”

The plan will also see strategic purchases on specialty TV channels like Food Network and History Channel. Those purchases will place subject specific vignettes on Island food and history. Advertising will also be placed in the Globe and Mail and in Maritime dailies.