Conn. takes tourism campaign to social media

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut announced Tuesday it is expanding its tourism campaign on social media websites.

The state Office of Tourism, seeking to involve the public in marketing, said residents and visitors may vote to select favorite destinations and attractions. The destination that receives the most votes will be featured in an online documentary video on the state's social media channels this fall.

The CT Fan-Favorite campaign will run on Connecticut's Facebook and Twitter pages for two weeks. Residents and visitors may post on Facebook or tweet favorite destinations through July 31.

To be considered a favorite tourism destination, tourism must be an important part of the business, and the destination must operate as a commercial tourist attraction or be a natural attraction such as a state park.

Kip Bergstrom, the state's deputy commissioner for economic development, said fans on the state's Facebook page soared from 5,000 to 103,000 in a few months because of strong marketing efforts.

Tourism officials want the public to be "brand champions," he said. "That's nirvana: Thousands could be brand champions, to tell colleagues, to share it with friends and relatives."

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and tourism officials unveiled Connecticut's new marketing strategy, "Still Revolutionary," in May. The two-year, $27 million marketing initiative is intended to boost tourism by drawing attention to the state's role in the Revolutionary War and Industrial Revolution.

Bergstrom said it's too early to know if the marketing campaign is working. The good weather this summer so far has helped and he said tourism officials are hearing that lodgings and other tourist-related businesses are reporting increased bookings this year over 2011.

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