When you’re getting ready to travel to a new destination, it’s always a great idea to check out their visitor bureau website for thorough information on the city and its offerings.

Tourism Vancouver is a fantastic city that provides straightforward information. Its comprehensive website has specific sub-sites for meeting planners, travel trade members, media, and visitors.

Additionally, they’re taking full advantage of social media:
Their Twitter account has over 14,000 followers
Their Facebook page has over 16,000 fans
Their Flickr account has almost 5,000 images

They’re also amidst a Twitter promotion to celebrate their 125^th anniversary this year.  The “Why Visit Vancouver” contest encourages participants to:
1. Find a happy place to sit and think about Vancouver for a few minutes
2. Grab a pen and paper or log in to Twitter
3. Carefully compose a tweet about why Vancouver is a must-visit city
4. Include the hash-tag #VisitVancouver

They put a lot of thought into this, so much so to identify that after posting the #VisitVancouver hashtag, entrants will only have 125 remaining characters to express their thoughts.

The winner will receive a hotel stay at Four Seasons Vancouver and dinner for two at Yew Restaurant and Bar.

Tourism Vancouver has also summarized 125 Things to Do in Vancouver to celebrate their birthday further, which includes a diverse array of relaxing options.

They also regularly run other contests that keep readers engaged, such as the Vancouver Signage Challenge. Their new video blogger will produce monthly videos for their blog. Additionally, they are working with local photographers to create stunning photo essays.

While many tourism bureaus take a more passive, behind-the-scenes approach to their marketing, Tourism Vancouver is doing an amazing job of being proactive, engaging their potential visitors, and, as Gary Vaynerchek put it, humanizing business.