Canada uses Google to encourage tourists off the beaten track

The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) has teamed up with Google Maps and Street View to incorporate mapping technology into online ads.

The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) has teamed up with Google Maps and Street View to incorporate mapping technology into online ads.

The new system allows travellers to locate a destination on a map and explore things to see and do at each location. This is part of a much larger, integrated campaign currently directed at attracting more European tourists to Canada.

Ernst Flach, executive director of global marketing at CTC, said: “With the vast majority of people researching their travel online, the objective of these online ads was to give people a real and authentic glimpse of Canada, bringing our city streets directly to interested travellers, by harnessing the power of Google Maps and Street View.” 

The CTC hopes this new mapping approach will encourage tourists to explore off the beaten track.

“What makes this execution so effective, is that it utilizes a technology that the target audience already uses to research destinations, but it introduces this technology within a new context to offer inspiration in a whole new way,” said Cosmo Campbell, creative director, DDB Canada.  

“It was a great experience working with Google – discovering new ways to adapt their technology to work in unexpected places.”