TORONTO and SAULT STE. MARIE, ON, June 15 /CNW/ - The Ontario government is promoting Northern tourism and Ontario sport fishing destinations in a North America-wide television blitz, Tourism and Recreation Minister Jim Bradley and Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci announced today.
"We will have an opportunity to showcase Ontario to more than 60 million households in the U.S. including 10 million in our prime target area of the Great Lakes Border States," Bradley said." These shows will lure more anglers
north by giving wide exposure to the Northern Ontario's great sport fishing experiences".
Four television production companies - Real Fishing, Going Fishing,Fish'n Canada and Canadian Sport Fishing - will receive $2.3 million to promote angling in Ontario, in an initiative of the Ontario Tourism Marketing
Partnership Corporation (OTMPC), the marketing agency of the Ministry of Tourism and Recreation, and FedNor, a marketing arm of Industry Canada.
Speaking at simultaneous events in Toronto and Sault Ste. Marie, Bradley and Bartolucci said some 52 shows will be produced in Ontario. The shows will air April 2004 through April 2005 in the U.S on the Outdoor Life Network where they will reach more than 60 million households. They will be shown in Canada on three national networks and 39 independent stations. Eight 30-second commercials with fishing celebrities will also be produced, as well as
celebrity appearances at consumer, angling and sportsman shows.
This is first project to be funded under a new partnership between the province and FedNor. Members of OTMPC's Northern Committee and FedNor's International Business Centre have worked cooperatively for several months to discuss a variety of marketing strategies, which will promote angling and adventure tourism in both Canadian and US markets.
"Northern Ontario has an obvious and enormous natural resource base to further develop the tourism sector," said Bartolucci. "Today's announcement is part of our Northern Prosperity Plan to help build a strong northern economy.

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