VANCOUVER - The 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics are coming to British Columbia. With the world spotlight focused on the region, the tourism industry expects to reap the benefits.

"Tourism in British Columbia is currently a $9.3 billion industry, and we believe that hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics can help us achieve a level of tourism activity before, during and after the Games that will accomplish the economic impact goals set out in the Vancouver 2010 Bid proposal," added Mike Duggan, chair of Tourism British Columbia.

Tourism British Columbia is wasting no time in mounting a campaign to entice visitors into choosing the province as their travel destination, which will lead to greater product development, and media attention. The first step in this initiative was the launch of new website where journalists can learn about the province and stay current on the latest news for the 2010 Games. The site can be found at http://www.2010tourismnews.ca.

Businesses in Vancouver from heliskiing to winemakers are also planning to launch their own industry-specific marketing campaigns.

"Media will be looking for cultural stories as well as sports," said Deanna Rainey, CEO of Thompson Okanagan Tourism. "This is a superb opportunity to showcase our First Nations culture, the wines of British Columbia, along with our spectacular scenery and world-class facilities."

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