Travel Media Association of Canada holding national convention in Yarmouth in June

A gathering scheduled to take place in this region next summer holds strong potential for significant publicity in articles afterwards.

The Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC) is holding its 2022 convention in Yarmouth, with up to 150 delegates attending the June 22 to 26 event.

Yarmouth & Acadian

Shores Tourism Association (YASTA) executive director Neil MacKenzie says this is a tremendous opportunity for the region and will deliver a huge return on investment in terms of media value.

“Having this many travel media professionals experience the region will build awareness and help drive demand for travel for years to come,” he says.

The event media marketplace and most of the local tours, and some of the evening events will be in the Yarmouth area. The Rodd Grand Hotel & Convention Centre is the host hotel.

The event will incorporate most of Southwest Nova Scotia and many tourism partners, with pre and post-tours featured before and after the conference. There will also be other events highlighting the unique culture, history and tourism experiences within South West Nova Scotia, says MacKenzie.

“YASTA's goals are to drive demand for our destination,” he says.

He adds that working with the Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC) and travel media in general (photographers, writers, journalists, online influencers etc.) has "certainly helped YASTA."

“Leveraging travel media has been a big part of our marketing strategy and has really helped drive visitation and interest in our location, especially over the pandemic when local Nova Scotia visitors and Maritimers needed a place to go," he says.

YASTA staff and partners are busy planning tours and experiences for the event and are looking forward to welcoming visitors in June 2022.

TMAC CEO Donna Hatt said the organization is thrilled to be holding its first in-person conference, postCOVID-19, in Nova Scotia, and Yarmouth.

“Of course, we know that Neil (MacKenzie) and his hosting committee will deliver a most memorable collection of experiences.

“It's the resulting articles within travel media publications, broadcasts, and Influencer platforms that will really demonstrate the power of media as future travellers are inspired to discover and visit the region,” says Hatt.

In a January 21, 2020 funding request letter for the event to Yarmouth town council, Mackenzie wrote that TMAC was held in Cape Breton in 2016 and produced excellent results for Cape Breton Tourism.

When asked about the value of hosting TMAC, Mary Tulle, past executive director for Destination Cape Breton said, “This was the best thing we ever did.”

YASTA requested and received $10,000 towards funding support from the Town of Yarmouth to host the convention.

MacKenzie says they are hoping to bring in ACOA and Communities, Culture, Tourism & Heritage as partners.

Tourism Nova Scotia and Parks Canada and other municipalities in Southwest Nova Scotia are also partners for the event. Event organizers are working with many private sector partners, including Bay Ferries, Rodd Hotels and Resorts and the Digby Pines.

It has forged partnerships with ACOA, Tourism Nova Scotia, Communities Culture & Heritage and Parks Canada, and municipalities in Southwest Nova Scotia and private sector partners such as Bay Ferries, Rodd Hotels and Resorts, and Pacrim Hospitality.