These days, it's the smallest screens that are capturing the biggest picture.
Images of Chilliwack's gorgeous lakes, trails, hillsides, waterfalls and even caves have been captured by the most adventurous among us, and shared on social media for all to see.
The constant stream of beautiful photographs on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube seemed to have replaced those old-fashioned slideshow gatherings of yesteryear. The images are easily accessible, fun to share, and inspiring for all.
It's a new way of communicating that Tourism Chilliwack has mastered, in their efforts to showcase this area to outside visitors. And they're hoping more residents will get on board with a popular hashtag, #sharechilliwack.
"Just over a year ago, we launched our #sharechilliwack campaign as a way to engage our community in sharing what they love most about Chilliwack with their friends, families and followers on social media," says Vanessa Oddy, destination markeing manager. "We understand that people trust the opinions of their peers. The #sharechilliwack campaign allowed us to tap into the power of conversation and build real connections with real people about our amazing community through experiences."
So if you search your social media for that hashtag, you'll find more than 10,000 images in Instagram alone. Some were taken by professionals, others are from new photographers learning how to document their adventures online. It all combines to give potential visitors more eye candy than could ever fit on a standard website or within the pages of a traditional tourism publication.
The online campaign has been a success for Tourism Chilliwack and also for the community as a whole.
"Tourism Chilliwack’s #sharechilliwack campaign has been hugely impactful in showcasing the best of what our community has to offer from many different angles and lenses," Oddy says. "Social media does not only help draw people to our community but helps keep people here longer through showcasing a diversity of experiences."
And when tourists stay longer, businesses benefit. The government has seen the value in destination marketing, too.
"Tourism Chilliwack is working in partnership with many other communities to leverage our marketing budget, by applying for Destination BC’s cooperative marketing fund," Oddy says. "In 2015, Tourism Chilliwack was able to leverage $34,000 into $400,000 worth of marketing campaigns to help promote Chilliwack and the diversity of experiences it has to offer."
But they haven't thrown out traditional means of marketing, either. They'll be at the Vancouver Outdoor Show in March, presenting Chilliwack as a great place not only to visit, but to hike, bike and even fly.
For Oddy, an avid hiker and a trails builder and advocate, getting up into the air is something she has yet to try out.
"I have never tried paragliding," she says. "It is something that intrigues me, especially after seeing the footage from our recent #sharechilliwack video! Although I have a slight fear of “the edge” and taking that final leap of faith, I think I would enjoy the bird’s eye view."