Tree is first and foremost a gift, it is also a major marketing effort for Nova Scotia. In 2015, the total cost of the tree, transportation, ceremonies, and parties was (). The scouting of the tree costs , and the cutting ceremony was . For all of their coverage and efforts, CTV Atlantic received . Promotion on Facebook and Instagram cost an additional . The sendoff in Halifax cost and transporting the tree cost . Merchandise was given away at events in both Massachusetts and Nova Scotia, including tuques at a cost of , flags at and lanyards at . Provincial officials, including the premier and his staff, were flown to Boston and put up in local hotels at an expense of . The MacEachern family also received in travel expenses. WCVB, the Boston ABC affiliate received () to broadcast a live one-hour tree lighting special. A television commercial promoting Nova Scotia would cost about four times as much. The ceremony itself cost (), which was paid by Nova Scotia to the City of Boston. This is less than half of the the ceremony costs. A reception at the Omni Parker House cost . It was attended by the official delegation, as well as Nova Scotian businessmen who traveled at their own expense, and Nova Scotians living in the Boston area. Given the media coverage the province gets in return, and “When you look at the entire scope of the thing, it’s a pretty good value for the province of Nova Scotia,” according to Ed McHugh, who teaches business and marketing at Nova Scotia Community College. Media coverage The "regional media coverage [of the tree cutting ceremony is] huge." Television personalities from CTV Atlantic host the tree cutting ceremony and the send off in Halifax. In addition, their contract commits them to doing weather items and "tree related elements" live from Boston during the evening news on both the day of the lighting and the day after. In 2015, CTV produced and aired a 30-second commercial over a period of 10 days. They also provided digital promotion and news promotions. CTV estimates that this contribution represents a benefit to the province. The tree is also promoted on Facebook and Instagram. See also Boston–Halifax relations Notes References External links The Boston Tree's Twitter page The Boston Tree's Facebook page Individual Christmas trees Culture of Boston Culture of Nova Scotia Landmarks in