Alberta Says, 'Start Your Engines!'

with B.A.

Just like the old pop song’s title says, “Hit The Road Jack” - Travel Alberta wants to encourage visitors to embark on road trips to fully experience their province.

In Vancouver to promote its summer “Road Trips” campaign, the tourist board and the DMOs of Calgary, Canmore Kananaskis, Edmonton and Jasper hosted an evening soiree at Gastown’s Boneta. Also in tow were suppliers such as Calgary’s Out Fly Fishing Outfitters and Firefly Theatre, an aerial theatre performance company based in Edmonton.

Starting off their presentation with “every journey begins with a destination”, Travel Alberta introduced guests to their new You Tube video, “Remember To Breathe” featuring landscapes and experiences that undoubtedly left many breathless. 

To date, this video has received over 1 million hits. It also recently garnered a diamond award at ITB.

Following last year’s tradition, entertainment at the event came in the form of local Calgary singer Wil Mimnaugh. Wil performed his new composition Here We Go, which he wrote specifically for the “Road Trips” campaign. He also composed and sang his Roam from Travel Alberta’s “Remember To Breathe” video.

To encourage people to start burning some rubber, guests were given a gift bag that included coasters for the car, a tire pressure gauge and the official road map of Alberta.

Travel Alberta is certainly promoting road trips in any form be it car rentals, chauffeur-driven limos or coach tours. Best of all, these options are fully commissionable. Plus, agents stand to earn commissions from booking hotels en route.

I’m now thinking that perhaps it’s a good idea to actually hit the roads this summer. The stars must have been correctly aligned as yours truly won an 8 day road trip to Alberta, complete with a convertible! I guess Mr. Willie Nelson and I will be going “On the Road Again” as we head to the Edmonton Indy...