mr.x
July 17th, 2006, 10:03 PM
This shows that Chinese companies are willing to invest in Vancouver!
Channel links B.C. with mainland China
'Huge amount' of money expected to be invested when filming begins
Wency Leung, Vancouver Sun
Published: Monday, July 17, 2006
Beijing's Travel Channel is opening its first North American office in Vancouver to produce television programs about Canadian travel destinations for the station's 300 million viewers.
By establishing a permanent presence here, The Travel Channel (China), owned by China's top film and television producer Asian Union Film and Media, is gearing up to become a leading source of information in China about B.C.'s tourism industry.
"Very few people in China know about where to go or what to do in Canada. It's not being promoted that well," said James Ho, owner of local Chinese-language radio station CHMB AM 1320 who is representing The Travel Channel.
The company set up its office at Ho's radio station late last month. It has yet to determine how many employees will work there.
The Travel Channel won't likely begin producing programs from the new location for at least another year, since the company already has a list of projects committed for the next 12 months, Ho said.
Still, the establishment of a North American office is a sign of the company's willingness to invest here, using Vancouver as its springboard to the rest of Canada and the U.S.
"I haven't seen any other media company from mainland China set up offices in North America the way they have done," Ho said.
In recent years, B.C. has become a popular location for Chinese television producers to shoot dramas and other shows that are broadcast back in China.
In 2004, Tourism B.C. helped Shanghai's Oriental TV film its Driving Across Canada -- From Coast to Coast series.
Last year, Guangdong TV producers shot part of their Survivor Challenge -- Canada show in B.C.
But Chinese crews tend to stay for only short periods of time.
Ho declined to disclose how much The Travel Channel is spending on its new office, but he said it expects to invest "huge" amounts of money for each project when it eventually begins filming.
Ho said the station's executives are interested in putting together shows about B.C.'s golf courses, sports fishing and other tourism activities and hot-spots across Canada and the U.S.
The shows will be tailored exclusively for its Chinese audience and won't likely be shown on Canadian television.
Advertisement slots will also be filled by Chinese companies.
The station's executives are eager to begin doing the ground work for these programs, Ho said, especially since Canada is poised to receive approved destination status from Beijing, which will make it easier for Chinese citizens to obtain exit visas to visit the country.
"They can see the writing on the wall and see how popular North America is at the moment and how important it is to set a foothold in North America," Ho said.
Approved destination status is expected to bring about 700,000 Chinese tourists to Canada each year, compared with the 120,000 mainland Chinese who visited the country last year.
Negotiations on the agreement are taking longer than expected, but some industry experts believe talks will wrap up as soon as this fall.
The Travel Channel is a relatively new company. It was launched about five years ago as outbound travel from the Communist country began to skyrocket.
It has since become an important vehicle for international destinations to access potential Chinese travellers.
Countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are already promoting their tourism industries in China through The Travel Channel.
While The Travel Channel's operations in Vancouver are in its early phases, the company has begun promoting local events.
Last month, it helped sponsor Vancouver-based ITM International Top Model Corp.'s modeling show, ITM Model Look North America 2006.
Canadian tourism experts are looking forward to the station's program production here.
Until Canada is granted approved destination status, the Canadian tourism industry's ability to market itself remains limited.
Beijing currently does not allow Canadian tourism companies and government agencies to advertise in China.
The tourism industry is permitted only to promote itself at trade shows, through editorials in the Chinese press, or by hosting Chinese media groups on tours of Canada.
Stephen Pearce, vice-president of leisure travel sales and market development at Tourism Vancouver, said he hoped his organization would be able to cooperate with The Travel Channel's new office.
"I think it's a tremendous opportunity to showcase the city," Pearce said.
Donna Brinkhaus, executive director of Asia Pacific marketing for the Canadian Tourism Commission, was also optimistic about Travel Channel's plans here.
Chinese media know what appeals to their audiences, and their coverage supplements the commission's own efforts to introduce Canada to potential Chinese travellers, Brinkhaus said.
"If there happens to be a TV station based here and that [can] reach our correct target audience, there's no reason why CTC wouldn't work with them," she said.
wleung@png.canwest.com
© The Vancouver Sun 2006
Channel links B.C. with mainland China
'Huge amount' of money expected to be invested when filming begins
Wency Leung, Vancouver Sun
Published: Monday, July 17, 2006
Beijing's Travel Channel is opening its first North American office in Vancouver to produce television programs about Canadian travel destinations for the station's 300 million viewers.
By establishing a permanent presence here, The Travel Channel (China), owned by China's top film and television producer Asian Union Film and Media, is gearing up to become a leading source of information in China about B.C.'s tourism industry.
"Very few people in China know about where to go or what to do in Canada. It's not being promoted that well," said James Ho, owner of local Chinese-language radio station CHMB AM 1320 who is representing The Travel Channel.
The company set up its office at Ho's radio station late last month. It has yet to determine how many employees will work there.
The Travel Channel won't likely begin producing programs from the new location for at least another year, since the company already has a list of projects committed for the next 12 months, Ho said.
Still, the establishment of a North American office is a sign of the company's willingness to invest here, using Vancouver as its springboard to the rest of Canada and the U.S.
"I haven't seen any other media company from mainland China set up offices in North America the way they have done," Ho said.
In recent years, B.C. has become a popular location for Chinese television producers to shoot dramas and other shows that are broadcast back in China.
In 2004, Tourism B.C. helped Shanghai's Oriental TV film its Driving Across Canada -- From Coast to Coast series.
Last year, Guangdong TV producers shot part of their Survivor Challenge -- Canada show in B.C.
But Chinese crews tend to stay for only short periods of time.
Ho declined to disclose how much The Travel Channel is spending on its new office, but he said it expects to invest "huge" amounts of money for each project when it eventually begins filming.
Ho said the station's executives are interested in putting together shows about B.C.'s golf courses, sports fishing and other tourism activities and hot-spots across Canada and the U.S.
The shows will be tailored exclusively for its Chinese audience and won't likely be shown on Canadian television.
Advertisement slots will also be filled by Chinese companies.
The station's executives are eager to begin doing the ground work for these programs, Ho said, especially since Canada is poised to receive approved destination status from Beijing, which will make it easier for Chinese citizens to obtain exit visas to visit the country.
"They can see the writing on the wall and see how popular North America is at the moment and how important it is to set a foothold in North America," Ho said.
Approved destination status is expected to bring about 700,000 Chinese tourists to Canada each year, compared with the 120,000 mainland Chinese who visited the country last year.
Negotiations on the agreement are taking longer than expected, but some industry experts believe talks will wrap up as soon as this fall.
The Travel Channel is a relatively new company. It was launched about five years ago as outbound travel from the Communist country began to skyrocket.
It has since become an important vehicle for international destinations to access potential Chinese travellers.
Countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are already promoting their tourism industries in China through The Travel Channel.
While The Travel Channel's operations in Vancouver are in its early phases, the company has begun promoting local events.
Last month, it helped sponsor Vancouver-based ITM International Top Model Corp.'s modeling show, ITM Model Look North America 2006.
Canadian tourism experts are looking forward to the station's program production here.
Until Canada is granted approved destination status, the Canadian tourism industry's ability to market itself remains limited.
Beijing currently does not allow Canadian tourism companies and government agencies to advertise in China.
The tourism industry is permitted only to promote itself at trade shows, through editorials in the Chinese press, or by hosting Chinese media groups on tours of Canada.
Stephen Pearce, vice-president of leisure travel sales and market development at Tourism Vancouver, said he hoped his organization would be able to cooperate with The Travel Channel's new office.
"I think it's a tremendous opportunity to showcase the city," Pearce said.
Donna Brinkhaus, executive director of Asia Pacific marketing for the Canadian Tourism Commission, was also optimistic about Travel Channel's plans here.
Chinese media know what appeals to their audiences, and their coverage supplements the commission's own efforts to introduce Canada to potential Chinese travellers, Brinkhaus said.
"If there happens to be a TV station based here and that [can] reach our correct target audience, there's no reason why CTC wouldn't work with them," she said.
wleung@png.canwest.com
© The Vancouver Sun 2006