(Source: Canada Newswire)
GATINEAU, QC, July 3 /CNW Telbec/ - Acting on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development, the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister responsible for the Outaouais region and Member of Parliament for Pontiac, today announced the awarding of $2.1 million in non-repayable funding to Tourisme Outaouais for the deployment of a commercialization strategy on Canadian and foreign markets from 2009 to 2012.
The tourism agency will focus its campaign on promoting rural and emerging products on the national market and urban products on foreign markets. The initiatives it will launch this year will necessitate an overall investment of $4.2 million.
"The Outaouais tourism industry provides jobs to about 10,000 of our fellow citizens and is considered one of the major paths to regional economic diversification. In light of the current economic difficulties, the government is putting particular emphasis on this critical sector. The funding we are awarding to Tourisme Outaouais will enable the agency to support the sector's companies in their efforts to gain greater market visibility in Ontario, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Mexico," explained Minister Cannon.
The commercialization strategy put together by the region's tourism agency and enterprises will include placing media advertisements, taking part in international tourism shows, establishing a modern and effective presence on the Internet through Web 2.0 technologies and emerging social networks.
"This commercial strategy will help Tourisme Outaouais see to it that the region's tourism offering reflects the changing demand and competitive landscape," Minister Cannon added.
Tourism is a promising growth sector for the Outaouais region, as are high technology, agri-food processing and the transformation of value-added wood products. It is therefore in these priority sectors that Canada Economic Development has decided to focus its development efforts by supporting projects with a potential impact on both the region's urban areas and rural belt.
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