Taking visitors on a journey (at a time when they can't take a journey)

Challenge

Like many tourism destinations, Tofino was hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. With increasingly strict travel restrictions in place Tourism Tofino needed to find a way to keep connected with would-be-visitors and remind them of all the great things they can experience when the time comes to visit again.

Approach

Relying on Tofino’s core essence of “oneness,” we developed multiple executions across social media and digital channels to communicate the sense of deep emotional connection with the sea, sky and land at the heart of any journey to Tofino. Throughout our executions, we used a deliberately poetic, almost spiritual brand voice to help visitors visualize the experience of reconnecting with nature and with themselves. We also created a series of mindfulness videos with calming visuals and sounds, allowing would-be visitors an opportunity to de-stress and take a mental journey to their favourite destination at an exceptionally difficult time.

Results

Our campaign achieved high engagement across the province, with video views on social platforms far surpassing industry norms. More importantly, reservations and bookings bounced back strongly, with summer visitations from in-province travellers at record levels. Throughout the pandemic, Tofino has remained one of the less-affected destinations, and has suffered a less severe drop in visitations than many other destinations within the province.