Hostess Frito-Lay is expected to forge closer marketing ties with sister company Pepsi-Cola Canada now that PepsiCo Foods International is sole owner of the Canadian snack food company.

On June 25, PepsiCo, which also owns Pepsi-Cola Canada, announced it had acquired the remaining 50% interest in Hostess Frito-Lay from Kraft General Foods.

Kraft and PepsiCo became partners in Hostess Frito-Lay in 1988 when PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay Canada merged with Kraft’s Canadian snack food division Hostess Food Products.

Jim Postl, president of Hostess Frito-Lay, says he anticipates the new ownership structure will lead to a ‘closer working relationship between Pepsi and ourselves.’

è The Association of Canadian Advertisers has awarded its 75th Anniversary Bursary Award to Sandi Hester, a product manager with Wrigley Canada.

The bursary, established by the aca board of directors in 1989 on the occasion of the association’s 75th anniversary, is awarded annually to the top student in the association’s advertising management course.

è Tourism Canada has announced a new database marketing program aimed at luring more u.s. tourists to Canada in 1992.

‘Calling Canada: The World Next Door’ is a joint program involving Air Canada, Citibank, Via Rail Canada, Rocky Mountaineer Railtours and Budget Rent-a-Car.

The program, which runs July 1 to Dec. 31, also involves a variety of hoteliers, including Canadian Pacific Hotel properties, Delta Hotels, Sandman Inns, Wandlyn Inns, Holiday Inns and Venture Inns.

Nearly 400,000 residents of New York and California will receive an information package containing a vacation brochure, discount voucher booklet and a personalized phone card indicating a toll-free information number.

Citibank Premier, MasterCard and Visa supplied the names.

è Tribute Publishing of Don Mills, Ont. has introduced a Batman Returns souvenir program for sale in Famous Players theatres and Shoppers Drug Mart stores.

The glossy, 11-inch by 17-inch program will also go on sale later this summer at Batman displays in the Metro Toronto Zoo and the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto.

Tribute has printed 100,000 copies of the program, which will sell for $4 each.

Sponsors are Parker Brothers, Chesebrough-Ponds and Shoppers Drug Mart.

Meanwhile, Tribute’s sister company, Basstoy International, is running Batman Returns sales promotions involving Kraft General Foods’ Post cereals and Chesebrough-Ponds’ Pears Hair Care products.

Shoppers Drug Mart is involved in the Chesebrough promotion, distributing 39-in. by 59-in. Batman posters for 99 cents with the purchase of two Pears products.