Earlier today I had a wonderful lunch with Jantine, Ottawa Tourism's Director of Communications, and a local expert in all things Ottawa. We had a delicious lunch at The Grand, an Italian eatery specializing in Neapolitan pizza. I love pizza and The Grand did not disappoint. Jantine explained to me that the restaurant is working to obtain certification for their pizzas from the Avpn (l'Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana), the Neapolitan organization that gives a stamp of approval to pizzerias around the world that want to prove that they really make authentic Neapolitan pizza. Currently there's only one Pizzeria in Canada that has the certification (Pizzeria Libretto in Toronto). I think The Grand has a very good chance at getting the certificate. If you love Pizza and happen to be in Ottawa try The Grand (nope, this is not a paid endorsement, but even if it was, great pizza is great pizza, and this would be an honest blog post - that is, if you like real Neapolitan pizza). 
out how powerful a recommendation can be when it comes from a trusted source, on or offline. I had mentioned to her that my favourite food is Italian so she chose the Grand for our lunch. I found the pizza very, very good, but the fact that this restaurant is seeking approval from this Pizza Authenticity organization in Italy made the restaurant that much more intersting from a blogger's perspective. How do you get people to spread the word about your business or destination? Ah, that's the "holy grail" isn't it? Easier said than done. But it really comes down to a simple concept we focussed quite a bit on at the last Canada-e-Connect eTourism Conference: Engagement. You must engage your audience (don't like to use the word target. Tourism marketing is not a war, it is a courtship.)
I like the term "conversational capital." My friend Carmen Ciotola of Tourism Montreal first mentioned it to me when she introduced me to the book by Bertrand Cesvet (with Tony Babinski and Eric Alper. The book is called Conversational Capital, but with a subtitle that reads "How to Create Stuff people love to talk about." Thought the book clearly presents a framework to analyze something (or someone) from a conversational capital perspective, "create stuff people love to talk about" is easier said than done.
I am in Gananoque for a brief two day visit. I was invited by Kathy from Gananoque Boatline to spend some time here, attend a special event she organizes every year to show appreciation to partners and collaborators. It's been a very interesting visit where I've learned about some of the challenges the area faces as well as some of the opportunities Gananoque has to further develop their destination. I was surprised to learn that that no one in the area seems to have participated in the localsknow CTC campaign. One of the challenges, it seems, has been the timing which is understandable given the fact that the campaign has been put together in virtually no time so it may be that many inthe industry will not benefit directly from it. Today I played some golf with another visitor, a former Gananoque Boatline Captain, now town councillor, and the mayor. It was a lot of fun, but also very productive in terms of learning more about this beautiful part of the country. I hope to be able to work with tourism stakeholders to promote Gananoque as an overnight spot for Hispanic independent travellers in the future. Many Hispanic visitors stop here (or in Kingston) to take tours of the Thousand Islands, but they don't spend more time in the town. I think there is an opportunity to engage Hispanic travellers to Ontario and Quebec to stay longer by educating them in what they can do here in a 24 hour period. 
o take the cruise of the Thousand Islands. Lori and I had some good conversations and I am glad that she's interested in Hispanic tourists. The Gananoque Inn is ideal for a segment of the Hispanic travelling public that travels independently and wants to see and experience authentic Canadian experiences (small families, couples, honeymooners). What we must do is communicate effectively to educate the market (not just Hispanic markets) as to what there is to do here. One way is to show them not just tell them, and by show I mean video, not just pictures. The Gananoque Inn is also an excellent option for small meetings (sales retreats, incentive meetings, board meetings). Hope to come back soon..JPG)
A cool website can be a great marketing tool, but it can also create expectations. And marketers must make sure that those expectations are met (or exceeded). A recent travel experience reminded me of how important it is for businesses (tourism or otherwise) to manage customers' expectations. Last weekend I spent three days in beautiful Huron County in Western Ontario. My wife found the place where we stayed on the Web, but I had seen advertisements of Benmiller Inn before. The Benmiller Inn website indicates that the inn has been awarded a Four Diamond Award and that it belongs to Ontario's Fi.JPG)
nest Inns. The site and its content creates expectations in the mind of the consumer, and so it did in our minds. But when we got to our room the expectatons were not met. And our $200 dinner at the Inn's restaurant was a disappointment (except for the Carpaccio). My point here is not to criticize the Benmiller Inn, but rather to bring up the issue of creating and managing expectations. I must say here, that the Benmiller Inn was responsive to our comments. Kathy, at the front desk was very understanding in listening to our observations and conveyed them to the Innkeeper. The next day she came and found us and told us that they wanted to upgrade us to a larger room, which we accepted. The room was much better and looked more like the rooms pictured on the website..JPG)
y a business (or product or brand), people had very few, if any, avenues to express their disappointment or complaints. But today, as most of us know now, people can Twitter, blog, write on their Facebook wall or their friend's walls. They can write reviews on Tripadvisor and many other sites. Today a complaint can go viral and it can definitely affect the bottom line. So don't forget the basics. Your website should NOT be better than your core offering (in this case the Inn itself). Don't over promise because you will generate expectations you won't meet. .jpg)
ht next to the road, but once you are in the Inn proper this should not be an issue. The few staff we encountered were very friendly and attentive (except our dinner waitress who seemed somewhat aloof). The first room we stayed at was fine but the air conditioning was not working and it was a bit run down - it did not look the rooms pictured in the website. The second room/suite they upgraded us to was excellent, though we did not spend much time in it. The elegant restaurant has a cozy atmosphere. When we had dinner on a Thursday evening there weren't many customers there (maybe two other tables), but we were looking forward to the meal. Our expectations were high based on the Inn's website. We were not expecting La Pinsonnière, but we were expecting a very good high-end meal. We did not have it. The first steak I ordered was overcooked, my wife's scallops were dry and our daughter's cornish hen was just OK (according to her, I did not try it). We only had two glasses of wine total and the bill c
ame to $200 plus gratuity. Not a very expensive meal (La Pinsonnière can easily be double that), but not inexpensive either. The issue was not the money, but the expectations. The next day we had lunch at the Corner Cafe in Blyth, a local diner in that charming Ontario town. Being a diner kind of place The sandwiches were great and the fries excellent our expectations were very low (sandwiches cost about $4). But we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch. Our expectations were exceeded. (I had a Denver, my wife had a Club and our daughter had chicken). So given, these two experiences, we have decided that next time we're in the area, we'll eat at the Corner Cafe and not at the Inn. .JPG)
If you were not able to attend the Ontario Tourism Marketing Summit event this year, you can take a look at the presentations by visiting the OTMP's Summit webpage. Given the economic situation around the world, I particularly recommend taking a look at Warren Jestin, Senior VP & Chief Economist, Scotiabank's presentation, Ontario Tourism - Don't Expect a Return to Business as Usual .JPG)
I will be away for the following week resting by a beautiful lake in Muskoka, Ontario. No emails, no websites, no Facebooks, no Canadamigos.com, no blogging. Just an old fashioned hardcover (The Bourne Sanction, if you want to know), a canoe, and the family. Hope you are having as great a summer as I am.
I am a Canadian tourism professional in the communications and eMarketing sector of the industry. I am also some a sort of professional tourist since I moved to this country almost 20 years ago settling in Toronto. I travel around Canada for business and for pleasure. For business I always look for spots that can attract the Mexican, Latin American and Spanish visitors. For pleasure I just travel to see as much of Canada as possible. I have travelled to every area of the country, and yet, every once in a while I am reminded of how much I can still discover. Our country is so immense that even travelling full time would take a very long time to see it all. 
ntario's West Coast. My daughter is an avid singer and my wife and I support her aspirations, so when she has an opportunity to sing we do our best to help her (she's 14). This past weekend, in the context of the Blythe Theatre Festival, she participated in Ontario's Country Singing Competition. This meant we had to go and stay in the area for a couple of nights. We found a hotel (through Google and Google Maps of all sites). The Bedford Hotel (formerly the Albion) in Goderich is an impressive building in the town's square (also impressive) that dates back to the 1890's. The rates were very reasonable and the staff very friendly. Mind you at night it was a bit noisy for our taste (a bride and groom party) and in the mornings the staff begins work early (rooms are not quite sound proof)
. Staying in Goderich was serendipitous because we could not find suitable accommodations in Blythe proper. But it turned out to be the best because we were 20 minutes away from Blythe and we had a beautiful town to go for a walk (Goderich's slogan is "the prettiest town in Canada" something that would be very debatable. I personally think it would be impossible to determine the prettiest town in Canada - what about Baddeck, N.S.; Canton-de-Hatley, Quebec; Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont; Banff, Alberta; Lunenberg, N.S.; Canmore, Alberta, Tremblant, QC, and many others). 
skies. We went exploring on Highway 21 down to Grand Bend a town with a fantastic beach (all these years living in Toronto and I did not know about it - it shows you how limited marketing can be). Grand Bend is a young town meaning it seems to cater mostly to the young or to young families. The lake is so beautiful that one can take a photograph and fool someone by telling them it was taken in the Caribbean. We had lunch in Grand Bend at a local burger joint and the food was quite good for the money.
e visit the area again we might stay in there. We very much enjoyed the drive and the exploring (in my native Mexico, when I was a kid, we used to call it "pasear en coche" and it was always a treat). To me (a hard core city boy), visiting these towns and driving by the numerous bucolic farms - seeing the young calves and foals amid green fields - was like going back in time or entering some kind of movie. The feeling of peace, beauty and tranquility of small town life in the towns we saw was quite invigorating. So, one thing we realized is that we may want to do more of these outings in the future, just a couple of days to explore some new town nearby (I think within 2 to 3 hours from Toronto - perhaps Bruce County since I have not visited Sauble beach). . In July we will be doing just that on our way to Quebec City to take part in the 400th Anniversary celebrations. We plan to drive from Toronto to Quebec taking the Chemin du Roy from Montreal. I am sure we will find many beautiful small towns there too. Because, after all and even though it's Ontario's marketing phrase (and anthem), I believe it can apply to all of Canada: There's No Place Like This.