P.E.I. oysters are truly in Vogue

It was a Christmas Eve gift for Tourism PEI and the oyster industry: an article published Dec. 24 on the website of Vogue magazine focusing on the Island's "unbeatable oyster scene."

"We were absolutely thrilled," said Brenda Gallant, director of marketing for Tourism PEI, who became aware of the story when she saw it shared on social media.

"Any time we see any kind of exposure of Prince Edward Island in major publications or great websites, we're very excited because the more exposure we get with major partners like that, the better it is for us."

P.E.I. connection

The article came as a pleasant surprise to Gallant and the rest of her department, but it turns out there was a P.E.I. connection to the story.

The author, Christian Allaire, is a freelance writer from New York, who is a frequent contributor to the Vogue website. He happened to be on the Island this summer visiting a friend. One thing led to another and he pitched a story on P.E.I. to Vogue.

"We do aggressively go after media, we bring quite a few media here in order to ensure that we have some great articles, some great feature stories," Gallant said.

"But there are alsocases such as this one which came about without our knowledge at all, it was actually through an Island connection."

Gallant also likes the potential new audience the web story could bring.

"When you look at Vogue in particular, they've got quite a reach and they have people who are looking at what's trendy, what's hot out there," she said.

To see P.E.I. oysters, which really are trendy, knowing a little bit more about where they come from gives that intrigue. Brenda Gallant

"To see P.E.I. oysters, which really are trendy, knowing a little bit more about where they come from gives that intrigue and 'I want to know more about this place.'"

The photos for the Vogue story were taken from the Tourism PEI website, which Gallant says is an important resource in the business.

"Quite often that's what happens, media know to look for this on destination websitesso we always ensure that we have that up to date, with new photography."

James Power, of the Raspberry Point Oyster Company, was surprised when he got a call to be interviewed for the story.

"Probably like a lot of people, Vogue maybe sounds more like fashion and not so much about food but food is also quite fashionable at times," he said.

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"It probably didn't impact our oyster orders a lot, it was more of the fleeting fame that comes with being involved in a magazine like Vogue."

Value Village highlighted

Gallant got a chuckle when the article highlighted Value Village in Charlottetown as one of the places to visit on P.E.I.

"We've identified what are the top priorities, everything from coastal and culinary, culture, golf we tend to stick to those areas," she said.

"But any promotion of Prince Edward Island in a positive light is always great for the industry and all of us."

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