New tourism campaign helps Islanders plan staycations

Tourism P.E.I. has launched a $250,000 advertising campaign focusing on staycations for Islanders this summer.

Brenda Gallant, director of marketing for Tourism P.E.I., says the main purpose of the campaign is to drive people to the website activateourisland.ca, where they will find a list of tourism operators that are open and the services and deals they provide.

"We do recognize that looking at a staycation is certainly not going to make up for tourism as it has been for many many years," she said.

"However, we feel it's very important to get Islanders excited about everything the Island has to offer and also encourage them to get out and really support our fellow Islanders, all of those tourism operators out there who really are facing a difficult year."

Gallant is encouraging tourism operators to also visit the site and add their information and website if they are open or plan to do so.

'Repository' for vacation activities

"We're basically a repository for all of the places that you can think of that are a good vacation activity and then linking to their website because it would be difficult for us to put in everybody's information through that. So the easiest way for us is to link to their own website as well."

Gallant said the campaign will continue throughout the summer even if the Island opens up to outside visitors.

"We do want Islanders to continue to enjoy Prince Edward Island as a vacation destination," she said. 

"We're so very fortunate that we live in a place like we do. People save up, want to come here for their annual vacation and sometimes we might take it for granted."

More from CBC P.E.I.