Riverhead - The East End Tourism Alliance is doing what it promised, working to drive tourism traffic in the off season with creative internet based marketing twists to support regional tourism and add more consumer value and fun to the Winterfest 2011 program.

The 2011 Long Island Winterfest - Jazz on the Vine events are organized by the East End Arts Council and the Long Island Wine Council, with assistance from the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development under the auspices of the Office of Film & Cultural Affairs, the Long Island Convention and Visitors Bureau, as well as support from Hotel Indigo, Cross Sound Ferry, Teatro Experimental Yerbabruga and Peconic Public Broadcasting.

EETA is the 2011 Program Ticket sponsor; visitors attending this year's events at the participating wineries will pay a $10 admission fee for special events at the wineries. In return, they will receive a commemorative Winterfest 2011 Jazz on the Vine two part ticket that will entitle the ticket holder to both a free glass of wine and the opportunity to win one of the weekly eastendgetaway weekend packages if their ticket number matches the weekly winning ticket number posted on www.eastendgetaway.com each week.

East End Getaway is also hoping to build awareness and more participation through a Facebook challenge, every time 50 new friends "like" eastendgetaway.com on Facebook, a winner is randomly chosen among all of eastendgetaway.com's friends for two free tickets to Winterfest!

The weekend getaway packages include overnight accommodations at Hilton Garden Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Jedediah Hawkins Inn, Enclave Inn, Heron Suites, Hyatt Place East End, Hotel Indigo, gift certificates for Vintage Tours, Navy Beach and Southampton Publick House, two tickets to Atlantis Aquarium, a wine basket and a welcome gift bag from Tanger Outlets. The weekly winning ticket number will be posted each Tuesday throughout Winterfest between February 18 and March 25.

Bryan Deluca, President of East End Tourism Alliance, said "The eastendgetaway.com website continues to grow as a first stop tourist destination website for the East End. Since launching last year, over 10,000 visitors have used the website. We are getting great feedback from site users that they find eastendgetaway.com to be user friendly and very informative for all there is to experience on the East End. We believe that by creatively utilizing the internet platform to reach a wider audience, the East End Tourism Alliance is helping to build the off season day trip and overnight accommodation market. We are very excited to be the ticket sponsor for this year's Winterfest program."

The East End Tourism Alliance, a not-for profit, 501(c)(6), has united; the LI Wine Council, the Long Island Farm Bureau, the North Fork Visitors Council and the Hampton's Promotion Council to develop the regional tourism marketing platform. The eastendgetaway.com website strategy development team has pooled their collective experience and knowledge of co-operative tourism marketing platforms that have successfully transformed competing destinations through online tourism marketing strategies. With funding and support from the East End Supervisors & Mayors Association and the LICVB, the East End Tourism Alliance is well positioned to market the website in the tri state area and promote visits to the east end year round.

For more information about the East End Tourism Alliance, email: info@eastendgetaway.com or call 631-208-9200, ext. 101.