June 25, 2003 -- You might have a chance to win an annual vacation for the next 20 years to British Columbia if you enter a contest from the province's tourism authority. The odds should be a lot better than some magazine's cash giveaway, and will certainly be better than trying to break the bank at Monte Carlo or Vegas. No purchase is necessary to participate, but if you book one of its BC Escapes lodgings, you're automatically entered in the contest.
The website for Tourism British Columbia (www.hellobc.com) is itself worth a visit, even if you don't bother to enter their contest. Typical programs offered include vacation packages from Western US states starting at just $288 for three nights, and from the Eastern US, prices for the same three nights range upward from $499.
Though Tourism British Columbia (TBC) calls this contest a "BC Escape for Life," it's "just" for 20 years, but that's still a whale of a prize for anyone. Of course, you'd want to bring someone along, but this freebie is nothing to sneeze at. You'd get a chance to have fun once a year with a three-night getaway of your choice from over 500 TBC-approved accommodation properties. The price is good year-round, annually.
Perhaps you'd like to laze your time away beside a calm, clean lake, listening to the birds chirping. Or you could choose Vancouver or Victoria for city pleasures, with shopping and museum visits during the day, dining out and visiting jazz clubs in the evening. You could choose a wilderness lodge with a spa, or a golf resort boasting an award-winning chef. Or maybe you'd prefer a cattle drive on a dude ranch, or a snowbound lodge in the mountains.
The contest is open to Canadian and American adults, except for residents of Quebec, Florida and Colorado. One entry per person. The prize annual vacation cost is limited to $1,000 CDN (about US $730). Canadian residents only have to answer a skill-testing mathematical question on the phone at an agreed-upon time. You can enter by booking a BC Escape on the phone at 800/HELLO BC (same as 800/435-5622) or online at www.hellobc.com. The deadline for entering is midnight, August 24, 2003; the winner will be selected on September 5, 2003 and notified by phone.
To enter without booking a BC Escape lodging, you have to handprint your name, complete mailing address, daytime phone number and date of entry on a 5-by-7-inch piece of plain paper, sign it and mail it to HELLO BC Booking Sweepstakes, 242-280 Nelson Street, Vancouver BC, V6B 2E2, postmarked by August 24, 2003 and received by August 29, 2003. Complete details are available on the web site www.hellobc.com/contestrules.