New travel brand, slogan for Manitoba aim to tell the world 'Canada's heart is calling'

Manitoba has a new marketing campaign and slogan, aimed at drawing tourists to the province with the message "Canada's heart is calling."

Travel Manitoba unveiled the new slogan and brand at a news conference Monday, saying it's meant to capture how people feel when they travel, rather than focusing on specific places in the province.

"This brand gives us the opportunity to showcase Manitoba as a place that answers the call of the heart," said Cody Chomiak, vice-president of marketing for Travel Manitoba, the Crown corporation responsible for promoting tourism in the province.

"If COVID taught us anything, it's that our backyard is pretty spectacular, and the time is now to share that with the world."

Premier Heather Stefanson acknowledged that businesses in the tourism industry were "among the first … to close and last to open as a result of the pandemic," and said she hopes the new branding will help turn their fortunes around.

"The new Manitoba tourism strategy aims to make our province more attractive to visitors and to investors in our province," she said at Monday's news conference.

"We saw just last month with the official opening at The Leaf at the Assiniboine Park that Manitoba has the attractions and experiences that can compete on the world stage and attract international, national and local audiences."

In 2019, the tourism industry generated $1.6 billion in Manitoba, but that number dropped during the pandemic.

Travel Manitoba says the goal is hit the $1.6-billion mark again by 2024, and see tourism revenue climb to $2.5 billion annually by 2030.

Manitoba's previous slogan, "Canada's heart beats," was rolled out in 2014 and "changed the way people viewed Manitoba as a travel destination," Travel Manitoba president and CEO Colin Ferguson said in a press release.

The new branding aims "to tell the next chapter of that story," he said.