Destination Canada has launched what it’s calling the first winter pickleball spa in an effort to attract U.S. visitors who are fans of both the sport and spas.
Dubbed the “DinkDunk Pickleball Spa,” which was developed with Rethink, its name acknowledges the pickleball “dink” shot and the cold plunge “dunks” enjoyed at spas. Among the adult U.S. population, 14% have tried pickleball at least once.
“Our 2023 winter campaign invited international travellers to try something new in Canada, a destination that offers a safe space to get out of your comfort zone,” says Gloria Loree, SVP of marketing strategy and CMO of Destination Canada. “We wanted to push that message further, so we asked ourselves: what if instead of a traditional tourism ad, we created an entirely new experience?
“Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America, especially among avid travelers. And the desire to recharge is also a key travel driver. ‘Top spa destinations’ is a permanent category in high-end travel publishers. So as the video says, ‘we mashed those two things together.'”
The spa features an outdoor pickleball court and high-end luxury amenities, set in a ‘winter wonderland’ landscape in Quebec. It is available as a pop-up experience from March 16 to 23.
“Canada is a winter playground, and the Charlevoix region of Quebec is a perfect example of this,” Loree says. “The area offers plenty of new experiences for international travellers to try, from skiing to snowshoeing to dogsledding to trying their hand at some French. We wanted to create a magical experience that would be truly irresistible to our target market, and given the skyrocketing popularity of pickleball and cold plunges, a luxury pickleball spa tucked away in a winter wonderland fit the bill.”
Loree says an extensive search was conducted across multiple provinces and territories to find the “unicorn” location, a property that was previously a spa and had the infrastructure to support the pickleball court, indoor sauna and massage studio. The court and outdoor materials were then constructed with the brand in mind.
The spot features the same actor, Tricia Black, from Destination Canada’s “Maple Leave” campaign. This is because Black is “bright, warm, welcoming, neighbourly and inviting,” Loree says, adding that Black “embodies the spirit of Canada’s openness.”
The spa has two time slots per day for four guests who get the space entirely to themselves. The experience is part of a three-night luxury vacation package that includes boutique hotels and private drivers. Sign-ups happened quickly the day the video went live mid-January, and there is now a waitlist on the campaign website.
Overall, Destination Canada anticipates total tourism revenue will exceed 2019 levels, generating $109.5 billion by the end of 2023, which would represent the recovery of the tourism sector from the COVID-19 pandemic, one year earlier than projected. Despite tourism coming to a standstill in 2020, the industry is expected to grow faster than the general economy at 5.8%, according to Destination Canada’s projections. Visits are not projected to recover to pre-COVID levels until 2024 when they will reach 101% of 2019 levels.
Strong domestic travel has led revenue recovery for the tourism industry. Tourism revenues from international visitors accounted for over 27% of total tourism revenues in Canada. It collapsed to a low of 8.2% in 2021, climbed to 21% in 2022 and was set to return to 27% in 2023.
Historically, the U.S. accounted for 68% of international overnight visitors to Canada and 49% of total overnight tourism receipts. In 2019, Canada saw nearly 15 million arrivals and $11 billion in spend to Canada from U.S. travellers.
The campaign, which ends Feb. 11, is on YouTube, Meta and strategically placed DOOH boards all across New York City near pickleball courts.
Praytell supported with PR and Initiative handled paid media.
