How 10 quirky things can help Tourism PEI learn more about its market

Tourism PEI is teaching potential visitors 10 quirky things about the Island, and in the process learning a bit more about how to turn that potential market into actual tourists.

The tourism marketing agency sent out the list in its newsletter this week, and is promoting it on its social media accounts.

The listincludes favourites that will be familiar to Islanders: the tendency to offer directions using landmarks that are no longer there the purple house, Towers Mall the warmest water north of the Carolinas, the Mother's Day lobster tradition, and the CBC Newsroom favourite don't try to call anyone between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. on a weekday.

Tourism PEI's Brenda Gallant said the first goal of the list is to be creative and innovative enough to get people to read it among all the other ads that crowd people's email and social media.

"We want to really try to capture some attention because, as we know, it's very competitive out there and whether it's looking for travel destinations or anything else," said Gallant.

But the list has a secondary purpose as well.

The list includes links to different kinds of attractions on the Island. Tourism PEI can track what kind of things people are clicking on, and use that information to improve future marketing efforts.

"It helps us profile who our readers are and gauge their interests," said Gallant.

"Are they more interested in culinary, beaches, outdoor activities, that kind of thing. So the more messages we have out there the more we can capture information regarding their interests."

Do people want to know more about the potato fudge or the lighthouse where you can spend the night. In a crowded marketplace, it's this kind of intelligence that can give P.E.I. the edge.

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