Hamilton Halton Brant Regional Tourism Association (RTO 3)
Regional Tourism Strategy Update 2015-2018
November 2014
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Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
Contents 1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................... 4
2
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 7 2.1
2.1.1 2.1.2 3
DESTINATION VISITOR EXPERIENCE BRANDING PREVIOUS WORK
3.1.1 3.2
3.2.1 3.2.2 3.3
3.3.1 3.3.2 3.3.3 3.4
3.4.1 3.4.2 3.4.3 3.5
8 9
TOURISM – A GLOBAL DRIVER
GLOBAL TOURISM TRENDS TO WATCH THE CANADIAN TOURISM CONTEXT
CANADIAN TOURISM MARKETS ABORIGINAL TOURISM IN CANADA
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21 23
24 25
TOURISM IN THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
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PROVINCIAL VISITOR TRENDS ONTARIO TOURISM CHALLENGES ARTS AND CULTURE
27 28 28
RTO 3 REGION VISITOR TRENDS
TOURISM METRICS BY CENSUS DIVISION NEIGHBOURING RTO COMPARATIVE STATISTICS VISITOR FAMILIARITY AND INTEREST IN ONTARIO’S RTO’S ACCOMMODATIONS SECTOR REVIEW
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33 36 39 41
CONSULTATIONS................................................................................................................ 47 4.1
STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS
4.1.1 BRANT 4.1.2 HALTON 4.1.3 HAMILTON 4.1.4 SIX NATIONS 4.1.5 ACCOMMODATION SECTOR ONLINE SURVEY 4.1.6 DESTINATIONS MARKETING ORGANIZATIONS (DMOS) CONSULTATIONS 4.1.7 MINISTRY CONSULTATIONS
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47 48 49 50 51 52 53
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EMERGING THEMES ........................................................................................................... 54
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BEST PRACTICES REVIEW ................................................................................................ 55 6.1 6.2
2
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SECTOR ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................ 20 3.1
4
HHBRTA ORGANIZATION
RUHR INDUSTRIAL TOURISM STRATFORD PERTH COUNTY CULINARY TOURISM
Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
55 56
6.3 6.4 7
MĀORI ABORIGINAL TOURISM IN NEW ZEALAND ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA OVERNIGHT TOURISM
57 58
RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................................................... 60 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5
WHAT CHANGES ARE THERE IN PROVINCIAL POLICY? WHAT CHANGES HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN THE ONTARIO TOURISM SECTOR? WHAT HAS CHANGED LOCALLY AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL? RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONSIDERATION VISION STATEMENT AND 2015-18 TOURISM STRATEGIC DIRECTION
60 61 62 64 65
APPENDIX A BRANT CONSULTATION SUMMARY ................................................................. 71 BRANT CONSULTATION NOTES
KEY MESSAGES ACTION ITEMS NOTES FROM THE CONSULTATION
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71 71 71
APPENDIX B HALTON CONSULTATION SUMMARY .............................................................. 75 HALTON CONSULTATION NOTES
KEY MESSAGES ACTION ITEMS NOTES FROM THE CONSULTATION
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75 75 75
APPENDIX C HAMILTON CONSULTATION SUMMARY .......................................................... 79 HAMILTON CONSULTATION NOTES
KEY MESSAGES ACTION ITEMS NOTES FROM THE CONSULTATION
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79 79 79
APPENDIX D SIX NATIONS CONSULTATION SUMMARY ...................................................... 83 SIX NATIONS CONSULTATION
KEY MESSAGES ACTION ITEMS NOTES FROM THE CONSULTATION
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83 83 83
APPENDIX E .............................................................................................................................. 87 DMO INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
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Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
87
1 Executive Summary RTO 3 has now been operational for two years. During that time it has matured as an organization, it has put in place governance procedures and appointed a Board of Directors. The focus of the organization has been on destination development and experiential product development. As the Strategy has reached the end of its three year timespan, it is time to revisit it and create a new version to be in place for the next three years, 2015-2018. Discovering Ontario – A Report on the Future of Tourism was a landmark review of Ontario’s tourism industry in 2009. The findings in the report recommended the development of regional tourism. The Province then implemented this recommendation with the establishment of thirteen regional tourism organizations (RTO’s) throughout Ontario to work with tourism partners with the aim of enhancing and growing each region’s tourism products and marketing activities. Each RTO was to be an independent, not-for-profit organization that partnered heavily with local tourism industry stakeholders. The Hamilton Halton Brant Regional Tourism Association (HHBRTA) was created as part of these changes in 2009. The HHBRTA is responsible for supporting tourism operations in Ontario’s Region 3 (RTO 3), providing tourism support services for the Regional Municipality of Halton (including the City of Burlington, the Towns of Halton Hills, Milton, and Oakville), the Cities of Brantford and Hamilton, the County of Brant, the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, and the Mississauga’s of the New Credit First Nation. The long term vision of the RTO 3 is for the tourism sector to be a significant economic driver for the region by 2020. HHBRTA has also identified the following three goals to measure progress towards achieving its 2020 vision for RTO 3:
Increase the proportion of overnight visitors to the region Increase the number of same day visitors Increase the yield per visitor In 2011, the HHBRTA commissioned the creation of a three year tourism strategy that would provide direction for the RTO 3 region to evolve its tourism destination initiatives from 2011-2014. Overall, the three year strategy aimed to:
Provide further direction for the region and identify priorities for future product development;
Market and attract investment on a pan-regional level; Position the region well for the future in a way that complimented the existing activities of partners in the region (avoiding duplication). During the strategy’s three year lifespan, RTO 3 has become established as an organization and achieved success in visitor experience brand and product development. The direction of the original strategy and the long term vision and goals of the organization still hold true. However, it is now time to revise that strategy to take into
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Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
account the most recent needs of the industry and changes in the tourism sector in Ontario as well as building on experience gained by the RTO 3. The consulting firm, Millier Dickinson Blais was contracted to conduct this review. The Strategy review process has concentrated on understanding what has been achieved to date and developing action to build on that success. It also takes into account changes within the tourism industry in Ontario. The most important component of the process, however, has been engaging with a wide range of industry stakeholders. This engagement has been conducted through interviews, consultations, and an online survey aimed specifically at the accommodation sector. Four consultations sessions were held: in the Brant, Halton, and Hamilton regions, as well with the Six Nations community. Stakeholders helped inform progress on the original RTO 3 strategy and identified new directions and opportunities to include in the revised regional tourism strategy. A number of important themes emerged from the industry research and analysis of tourism trends in the region, the province and nationally across Canada. The most important of these themes are:
The majority of visitors to the RTO 3 region are from Ontario (94%) and in particular
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from Toronto. This market should remain a geographical focus for marketing activities. Most of the visits are to the Halton and Hamilton region and not the Brant region. As the Six Nations reservation is located in Brant and there are opportunities to work with them to assist in the development of their tourism experience, this may result in an increase in Brant’s visitor numbers as well as the development of Six Nations tourism products. Per person spending in RTO 3 region is below the provincial average for overnight and same day visitors. This affects the economic impact of the sector on the local economy. The development of experience based overnight packages will include more opportunities for local spending. The growth of a regional visitor experience brand awareness is reflected in the visitor familiarity figures for the RTO 3 region. For U.S. visitors the region remains in the top 5 and for Canadian visitors it has gone from 9th to 6th position in the last year. There are misconceptions about the HHBRTA’s role with small operators and their relationship with DMOs. A communications plan would help to educate and clarify the mandate of the RTO 3 and its strategic direction. A number of new markets have been identified through the research and consultation process and their exploration, through pilot projects, should be part of the revised strategy action plan. Performance metrics remain important not just in reporting back to the province but also to communicate to partners and industry stakeholders. The engagement of the accommodation sector would also enable this reporting to be more complete for the region.
Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
The strategic directions of the revised strategy will not change significantly, although the suggested new action plan reflects the input from stakeholders and industry partners; changes in the tourism industry as well as building on the successes achieved to date by RTO 3 as a result of implementing the original strategy. The suggested new action plan is organized, as in the original strategy, within the original four pillars of the Discovering Ontario – A Report of the Future of Tourism.
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Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
2 Introduction The Regional Tourism Organization (RTO) 3, also known as Hamilton Halton Brant Regional Tourism Association (HHBRTA), first developed a strategy in 2010. As the Strategy was to be in place for three years’ it is now time to review its key priorities and action plan. The revised strategy will be the RTO’s focus for the next three years, 20152018. Since the first strategy was developed RTO 3 has matured as an organization. It has established governance procedures and appointed a Board with 13 members. It has been fully operational for two years with new product developed during that time. During the last three years, the tourism industry has also undergone changes which must be taken into consideration as the original strategy’s progress is assessed, previous actions confirmed and new directions set. This report reviews the previous work of RTO 3, provides an updated analysis of the tourism industry and includes the results of significant consultations with industry stakeholders and partners to obtain input from a number of perspectives within the region. Finally, recommendations are made which confirm the strategic direction and enable the implementation of the strategy through a revised action plan. The Hamilton Halton Brant Regional Tourism Association (HHBRTA) or RTO 3 was created in 2009 as part of a new province-wide regional tourism structure implemented by the government of Ontario. Thirteen new Regional Tourism Organizations (RTO’s) were created to work with tourism partners throughout Ontario with the aim of enhancing and growing each area’s tourism products and marketing activities. Each RTO is an independent, not-for-profit organization that partners heavily with local tourism industry stakeholders. The HHBRTA is responsible for supporting tourism operations in Ontario’s Region 3 (RTO 3), providing tourism support services for the Regional Municipality of Halton (including the City of Burlington, the Towns of Halton Hills, Milton, and Oakville), the Cities of Brantford and Hamilton, the County of Brant, the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, and the Mississauga’s of the New Credit First Nation.
2.1 HHBRTA Organization The HHBRTA has four full-time staff working collaboratively on destination development in the RTO 3 region, and is overseen by a 13 member Board of Directors involved in the tourism industry within the region. As an organization, the HHBRTA works hard so that the Hamilton, Halton, and Brant region is recognized as a compelling tourism destination. The organization aims to have tourism act as a significant economic driver for the region by 2020.
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Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
RTO 3 region is in a unique position situated between the two major tourism destinations of Toronto and Niagara Falls. HHBRTA’s vision focuses on attracting new tourists to the region with a particular focus on linking into these areas. It works to achieve this through the development of new tourism products, and the marketing of authentic and diverse tourism experiences in the region. HHBRTA will work to expand the opportunities and capacities of tourism operators in the region, continually building the recognition of tourism as a significant regional economic driver and employment generator. HHBRTA has identified the following three goals to measure progress towards achieving its 2020 vision for RTO 3:
Increase the proportion of overnight visitors to the region Increase the number of same day visitors Increase the yield per visitor Destination Visitor Experience Branding The HHBRTA has developed the brand “The Heart of Ontario” for the RTO 3 region. The Heart of Ontario brand brings together the various communities in the region under one banner, while also building on the marketing aspects of the region’s central location between Toronto and the U.S. border. HHBRTA has harnessed this position and marketed the region in a way that encourages the populations of these close urban centres to access the regional tourism experiences quickly, easily, and inexpensively. The HHBRTA further brands the region’s tourism offerings as uniquely Canadian experiences. The two key experience brands for the region are:
Nature Unexpected (regional outdoor adventure experiences) Red, White and True (authentic regional Canadian heritage experiences) Nature Unexpected harnesses the Canadian Landscape outdoor offerings of the region, which include the Niagara Escarpment, the Grand River, and the Bruce Trail. A large number of conservation areas complement these larger outdoor attractions. Key outdoor offerings that HHBRTA has set as priority areas for focus include:
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Off-road and on-road cycling Hiking Paddling Rock and ice climbing Skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing Waterfall viewing Camping Shoreline experiences
Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
Red, White and True focuses on many of the important heritage locations and cultural histories of the region. Combining beautifully preserved heritage sites, museums, and festivals and events with newer art galleries, studios, and performing arts centres has created a unique mix of story-telling experiences for tourists. Key heritage experiences that HHBRTA has set as priority areas for focus include:
Canadian Military Heritage Canadian Innovation & Transportation Founding Families Sports & Outdoor Heritage First Nations Culture & Heritage
Other areas of product experience focuses on areas related to culture that include: the arts, live music and art galleries.
Previous Work The HHBRTA has initiated many important projects since its beginnings in 2009 that have contributed to the tourism presence for RTO 3. Key projects include the branding of the region as “The Heart of Ontario”, the development of a tourism image library, the development of a group tour itinerary catalogue, creating targeted annual leisure marketing campaigns, active involvement with the regional milestone events that included War of 1812 Bicentennial, and preparations in gearing up for the 2015 Pan Am/Para Pan Am Games initiatives. HHBRTA has successfully implemented regional based industry stakeholder training series focussed on customer service, packaging and e-marketing development. Most recently, the HHBRTA has produced a number of strategic reports outlining key areas of their operation, including:
Three Year Regional Tourism Strategy (2011-2013) Marketing Strategies (2012-2013 & 2013-2014) Social Media Strategy (2013-2014) Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation (OTMPC) Consumer Insight Research funded jointly by all of Ontario’s 13 RTOs Outdoor Adventure Product Assessment Consumer Marketing Plan Campaign Calendar (2013-2014) Three Year Regional Tourism Strategy (2011-2013)
In 2011, the HHBRTA commissioned the creation of a three year tourism strategy that would provide direction for the RTO 3 region to evolve its tourism services from 20112013. A comprehensive strategy was created that worked to build on the formative work done in the region.
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Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
Overall, the three year strategy aimed to:
Provide further direction and identify priorities for future product development; Market and attract investment on a pan-regional level; Position the Region well for the future in a way that compliments the existing activities of partners in the region, and not replace them. Working with the Executive Director of HHBRTA, a report card has been drawn up to examine the progress of actions determined in the first strategy and the work of HHBRTA to achieve their objectives. While the majority of actions have been completed and/or are ongoing a few were not started. This is due to either a lack of resources or because there was no industry demand. The original strategy is based on the four pillars of ‘Discovering Ontario – A Report on the Future of Tourism’ commissioned by the provincial government. The following report card looks at each of the actions as part of those pillars and describes the progress made.
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Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
TOURISM STRATEGY REPORT CARD Work Collaboratively
Building industry capacity to deliver economic growth by:
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Improving organizational governance and administration; Increasing strategic alignment through quality industry communications; Delivering, analyzing, and utilizing relevant industry data & research; Focusing on communications efforts to increase awareness and recognition.
All RTO’s have a set number of indicators established by the province, so the data is available but only internally. Collect Tourism Indicators Across All Sectors
Would like to set up a process but would need to have the accommodation sector onboard.
Ongoing
Not able to complete due to lack of resources.
Take the Lead Role for Building Awareness and Recognition of Tourism as Economic Driver at Regional Level
Achieving through corporate communication role. Engaged in awareness initiatives making presentations to DMO’s and industry events. A stakeholder report was developed that outlines what the RTO has been doing for and with industry stakeholders, to build business and increase tourism receipts to the region.
Ongoing
Enhance Market Intelligence Across the Region
Developed a corporate communications process and tool, through the website, best practices and e-blasts.
Ongoing
Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
Set Standards for Success
Planning for success by:
Taking a more strategic approach to labour market development; Delivering superior customer service through setting minimum quality standards
Develop the Tourism Workforce by Facilitating Access to Existing Training and Development Opportunities
It was identified through an evaluation survey that training was the big need and so this has been the focus. Organized trainings on customer service, e-marketing, and marketing and product development. Outside facilitators and experts brought in to lead sessions.
In 2013-14, developed and conducted 16 complimentary half-day workshops focused on customer service, marketing, tourism packaging, social media e-marketing and Celebrate Ontario funding. Engaged 216 tourism and industry partners through these workshops. Ongoing
Prepare RTO 3’s Tourism Sector for Ontario’s Diverse and Aging Population
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Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
Organized a workshop to talk about diversity and how the RTO can leverage marketing to this audience. Have not focused on aging population as this is not an industry direction. Industry focus is on diversity which should be captured in the revised strategy.
Ongoing
Invest Wisely
Maximizing our investment potential by:
Focusing efforts on product development and innovation; Creating an environment to encourage new investment attraction and retention; Taking advantage of festivals and events to create the ‘travel now’ message
Create an Environment that Fosters New Investment
RTO has no budget to promote the region to attract new investment so does not actively pursue opportunities. If approached, will assist a municipality. Encourage EDOs to include tourism investment in their strategies and work together to promote the region. Would like this to be the direction moving forward.
In progress
Provide the Tourism Voice at Regional Planning Discussions
Work on ensuring tourism as economic development priority is on the municipal agenda. RTO supports product development initiatives that are good for the region
In progress
Champion Transportation Linkages to Other RTO Regions
Provincial effort to review the TOD’s signage in Ontario involves the RTOs. Encouraging investments in infrastructure but these are municipally driven. RTO wouldn’t initiate it themselves. RTO focuses on the high level, and assists regional partners as needed.
Ongoing
Corporate communications has established database and continues to market it.
Completed and ongoing
Maintain Database of Regional Demand Generators
Focus First on Developing and Selling New Overnight Experiences Targeting the Leisure Traveller
Develop Regional Itineraries by Means of Travel and by Travel Interest
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Ongoing marketing priority
Ongoing marketing priority
Facilitate the Development of Two New Regional Events at Need Times of Year
This was not started because of lack of resources and duplication with others e.g. Sporting event would need a lead, bid developer etc. Some DMOs are involved already in Sport Tourism. Each area has facilities and areas to host sports tourism e.g. soccer. Is it a priority for the industry to do this? An inventory of events would need to be done to identify gaps. This would need a dedicated resource person (research to incubation to implementation – probably need 2 years before see a ROI). Region doesn’t have a regional value proposition to look at this (why would a big event come to the region?) Possibilities are to develop a soccer event in Hamilton and a cycling event at the velodrome in Milton.
Not started
PanAm Games has helped to develop panregional collaboration and partnerships e.g. Hamilton and Milton to talk about how to leverage Pan Am events as a legacy, and how to build on it. A tourism strategy, for the Pan Am Games with the RTO as the chief facilitator was done. RTO developing a visitor website hub that will operate off the RTO leisure site to help market the Games. Have people working together that haven’t before.
Nurture Legacies from Milestone Events
Conducted a pan-regional industry symposium for War of 1812 Bicentennial. Tools and templates set up. Using for Pan Am as well, so makes it consistent. Route 1812 mobile app was created as a legacy to be used to promote War 1812 heritage experiences to encourage ongoing visitation of this cultural tourist to the region. Canadian Open, last year, developed a signature golf VIP experience. Next milestone event is Canada’s Sesquicentennial in 2017.
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Ongoing
Reach Out
Market Strategically, using Bold and Innovative Tactics
Principally doing non-traditional marketing, less print, and integrated tactics.
Completed and ongoing
This is achieved through itinerary development (i.e. outdoor activity clustered under a strong outdoor brand and Red, White and Blue clustering heritage.) Not doing the same marketing that the DMO’s are doing, leveraging what is being done Re-thinking out approach to reaching consumers by: Creating greater alignment with local, municipal, and federal efforts Focusing efforts on best bet markets and selling unique products Recognizing and utilizing the new and innovative ways to reach consumers
Cluster Existing Experiences in New Combinations to Create New Appeal and Demand
Numerous DMO’s have asked RTO to do a visitor guide, but that is a duplication of the DMO’s work. Therefore, RTO3 would not do. Create regional industry offers are under developed in creating although it is a visitor demand and trip motivators. RTO3 leisure website is experience based with focus to have ongoing offers for visitors to lure visitors to the region. RTO3 is considering some future industry training to help industry generate more offers to maximize opportunities to increase visitors to the region.
Customize Tools and Tactics by Market Segment
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Completed and ongoing
Ongoing
Adopt Best Practices for an Enriched and Dynamic Web Presence
Have developed a dynamic web presence which evolved from a minimal site. It is now focused on experience and getting the visitor to go through the site. Metrics in place.
Completed and ongoing
Use Compelling Time-Sensitive Offers for Near Markets
Need more industry to be engaged to develop offers to help increase visitor expenditure in the region.
Ongoing and a priority
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Facilitate Efforts to Pursue Meetings and Conferences Beyond the Capacity of Single Centres
This would be considered duplication so have not allocated resources. No DMO has approached the RTO for help pursuing conventions.
Not started
Extend Reach of ‘The Heart of Ontario’ Brand
Partners and DMO’s have a link to RTO site. Invite RTO to contribute content for e-blasts. Also links to the OTMPC site.
Completed and ongoing.
Adopt a Regional Focus in Provincial and National Initiatives
Responsible for uploading regional content to OTMPC site. Leverage with OTMPC to what CTC might be doing nationally. Share relevant information through corporate e-blast. Members of TMAC and TIAO. No national memberships. RTO 3 does pay attention to what happens on the heritage sector nationally, because there is funding opportunities that RTO 3 could align with cultural product priorities.
Completed and ongoing
Actively Link the Commercial Sector to Leisure Opportunities
This is done through corporate site with regular opportunities to participate.
Completed and ongoing
Continuously Enhance Way-Finding
Provincial TODS is ongoing (created a survey RTOs part of a steering group who are now analyzing the results and charting next steps).
Ongoing
Provide Travellers with a Suite of Exceptional Visitor Information Services and Tools
Leisure site is the main tool to promote the region. There are a few visitor centres in the region which RTO3 ensures they are part of the RTO distribution, corporate and consumer e-blasts.
Completed and ongoing
Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
Facilitate On-Line Booking in the Region
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Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
Unless get direction from the industry that this is important, not a priority for the RTO ‘Offers’ section of RTO site was designed to help determine the viability and interest. Part of the assessment of how to proceed. Hotels are not willing to put aside rooms at this time. If this becomes a priority, resources would have to be re-allocated. Marketing budget to support online marketing would need to be significant. There will also be a cost involved in becoming TICO compliant. There would need to be a full assessment of TICO compliance. Need to investigate definition of ‘booking engine’. Getting industry buy-in and increasing the regional marketing budget present challenges.
Not started
Marketing Strategies (2012-2013 & 2013-2014)
Marketing strategies were created for the HHBRTA and have helped to bring the manufactured RTO 3 region into a more identifiable visitor experience brand. The marketing strategies helped evolve the HHBRTA brand of “The Heart of Ontario” away from a static statement and logo into a tagline that focused on the locations of the region that visitors could connect with (i.e. “Find your way to the Heart of Ontario”). The strategies also highlighted the need to prioritize experience based campaigns and buyable packages for HHBRTA’s two key brand offerings of outdoor adventure and arts, culture, and Canadian heritage. The creation of signature experiences for the region was stressed. Key actions were identified, highlighting the RTO 3 region website as a fundamental tool for marketing the region. Creating access points online for potential visitors to sign up and receive travel offers, as well as enter in contests, take advantage of promotions, and funnel prospects to the various tourism regional partners. Bundling tourism offerings between the regions partners was recommended to help build partnership in the sector, and to expand tourism offerings. Targeting communications of tourism experiences around holidays and seasonal offering was also highlighted as important. Tactics for achieving the identified key actions were discussed, with an emphasis on narrow and targeted campaigns (versus broad awareness raising campaigns), and the importance of the website as a central platform for all marketing calls to actions. Ongoing investment in online advertising and search engine optimization for the region was also emphasized, along with an increased investment in social media. Social Media Strategy (2013-2014)
The Social Media Strategy was created with the intention of building on the www.theheartofontario.com website launched in 2010, and introducing new online marketing techniques. The RTO 3 looked to harness the opportunities of social media to extend “The Heart of Ontario” brand, increasing engagement with tourism partners, and building trust with consumers. A key tactic of the Social Media Strategy is to position social media messaging more like a conversation, rather than a campaign. The main social media channels used by RTO 3 are Facebook and Twitter. Each of these channels are used to direct consumers through the travel purchase cycle by directing them to booking options on the www.theheartofontario.com website, while also distributing time-sensitive content “just in time” to help influence the short term decision making of consumers. An important goal of the Social Media Strategy is to provide ongoing education to consumers about the Hamilton, Halton, Brant region, to help improve perceptions and continue to build awareness of the RTO 3 brand. Consumer Insight Research
Consumer insight data for visitors to the RTO 3 region was collected and assembled measuring the types of tourism activities visitors to the area are involved in, awareness
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and perceptions of target markets towards the region as a tourism destination, as well as creating profiles of the types of visitors that the HHBRTA should focus on marketing towards (including how much these travel segments spend when they visit as well as the types of experiences they are looking for). A series of recommendations came from the Consumer Insight Research, conducted by OTMPC and all 13 RTOs including focusing on an education campaign to dispel misconceptions about the RTO 3 region communities and to encourage visitor exploration. A big focus on bold and creative communications was recommended, using digital mediums tailored to youth and diverse ethnic groups. Outdoor Adventure Product Assessment
Outdoor adventure is one of the key branding messages that the HHBRTA has focused on in promoting tourism to the region. The Outdoor Adventure Product Assessment involved creating an inventory of outdoor tourism assets and products in the region, as well as providing recommendations on ways to better position the outdoor adventure brand for HHBRTA’s target markets. Through the assessment, it was found that the RTO 3 region has an immense number of outdoor assets and experiences to market. The biggest potential lies with the Niagara Escarpment, the Grand River, the Bruce Trail, and the over 100 scenic waterfalls in the region. Investments are required to make sure that the quality of visitor experience becomes the best in class. Recommendations were made towards better positioning the RTO #3 region as an outdoor adventure market, including:
Increasing the region’s brand as a cycling destination Continued promotion of signature hiking experiences Positioning the region as the most dog-friendly region in the province Developing and implementing an outdoor tourism marketing campaign, positioning the region as the adventure/outdoor sports tourism hub for Ontario
Consumer Marketing Plan Campaign Calendar (2013-2014)
The Consumer Marketing Plan Campaign Calendar identified twelve campaigns for the 2013-2014 year, and describes the various actions and details associated for those campaigns. The campaigns are meant to ensure there is a year round presence for consumers to enjoy the RTO 3 region, while also creating opportunities throughout the year for tourism partners to be involved. Campaigns are designed to lead with experiences, helping “The Heart of Ontario” brand position itself with the intended markets. The twelve campaigns are arranged by season, thematic area, and arts/performing arts.
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3 Sector Analysis Tourism is an important global industry, contributing enormously to the health of many economies throughout the world by creating employment and driving regional growth. Global tourism markets are growing and becoming more competitive with new, popular emerging destinations such as China, Thailand, and India, attracting more visitors each year. As disposable incomes grow worldwide, tourism is set to play an ever increasing role in the functioning of national and global economies. Canadians, for their part, are avid travellers. Domestic travel in Canada dominates the interests of Canadians, with U.S. markets, sun destinations (in the winter), and European destinations (in the summer), rounding out the major foci of Canadian travellers. New trends in social media and online learning are changing the way tourists find information and what they expect when they reach their destinations. A strong focus on marketing and communicating effectively with a more digitally-aware tourist has become a priority for many tourism organizations around the world.
3.1 Tourism – A Global Driver Tourism is a major economic driver for many countries throughout the world. In a recent OECD study of 48 member and partner countries, tourism accounted for 4.7% of GDP, 6% of employment, and 21% of exports of services1. The number of global tourism visitors exceeded one billion in 2012, a record number, with expectations that the global tourism market will grow to 1.8 billion tourists by 20302. With many new emerging tourism destinations experiencing rapid tourism growth and continued economic development (such as China, India, Thailand, and Brazil), tourism is set to play an ever increasing role in the health of the global economy. Governments around the world are recognizing the positive effects tourism has on creating jobs, promoting regional development, and generating export revenue, and have been incorporating tourism more formally into national economic plans. Governments are looking for ways to keep their country competitive in a global tourism market that continues to grow, and are looking into tourism friendly reforms to make travel easy and efficient for visitors, such as streamlining visa processing, changing visa requirements, and improving border processes (e.g. e-visa, visa on arrival, and automated border processing)3. As of 2012, Europe continues to be the largest international tourism destination, generating just over half of all international arrivals. Asia and the Pacific rank second with 23% of all international arrivals, with the Americas (17%), the Middle East (3%) and
1 OECD, “Tourism Trends and Policies 2014”, 2014 2 United Nations World Tourism Organization, “Tourism Highlights – 2013 Edition”, 2013 3 OECD, “Tourism Trends and Policies 2014”, 2014
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Africa (3%) rounding out the top rankings4. Chinese tourists represented the largest number of global tourists in 2012, also leading the global market for tourism expenditures by spending US$102 billion on international tourism5. An interesting global tourism trend to note (that is also quite prevalent for the Canadian, Ontario, and RTO 3 tourism markets) is that the majority of travel on a global scale takes place within a traveller’s home region, with four out of five worldwide arrivals originating from the same region6. Attracting the domestic tourist is a key priority for countries throughout the world.
Global Tourism Trends to Watch The global tourism industry is always changing as new international markets become popular, and developing economies begin to experience increases in prosperity for their citizens. Other factors such as age, technology, and changing preferences account for other important considerations in the international tourism industry. Some of the top global tourism trends for 2014 include:
Youth On the Move Youth travel is expanding globally at 9% per year versus 2% for other segments of the global population. Youth are looking for outdoor adventure offerings in particular, and incorporate a high technological savvy into the way they book travel, research destinations, and share information through social networks and online review websites7.
The Sharing Economy: Peer-to-Peer Accommodation and Travel Services As technology becomes more advanced and people become familiar with online sharing, new business models are emerging to connect travellers. One of the most prevalent spaces for this peer to peer connection has been with rental accommodations, with websites such as Airbnb, HouseTrip, and HomeAway creating opportunities to rent people’s apartments and homes directly. These services are replacing the traditional paid accommodation services of hotels and motels for some travellers. Younger travellers and budget conscious families are especially keen to use these services, and visitors that book accommodations through these sites tend to stay in a destination for more nights, bringing more money into the local economy8.
Active Adventures Growth in adventure travel has increased by 65% per year since 2009, largely driven by younger travelers. The value of the global adventure travel industry was more than $345
4 United Nations World Tourism Organization, “Tourism Highlights – 2013 Edition”, 2013 5 United Nations World Tourism Organization, “Tourism Highlights – 2013 Edition”, 2013 6 United Nations World Tourism Organization, “Tourism Highlights – 2013 Edition”, 2013 7 CTC News Brief, http://en-corporate.canada.travel/content/ctc_news/travel-trends-2014, accessed April 2, 2014 8 CTC News Brief, http://en-corporate.canada.travel/content/ctc_news/travel-trends-2014, accessed April 2, 2014
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Millier Dickinson Blais RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
billion in 2012. Adventure travel usually includes two out of three criteria: nature, culture, and physical activity9.
Culinary Tourism 88% of destinations consider gastronomy a strategic element in defining their brand and image. DMO’s are partnering with chefs, restaurants, and creating food tours to help capture the 27 million culinary American leisure travelers. Culinary tourists are cultured and affluent, and spend roughly $12 billion directly on culinary activities while travelling10.
Wired and Wireless More than 40% of all online research for international travel came from a mobile device, with Millennials leading the way in use. Internet access is an important amenity, especially in accommodations for affluent travellers. There is demand for DMO’s to create dedicated mobile sites to provide tourists with real-time information while they plan and enjoy their trip11.
OTA Power Travellers visit 38 websites before booking a vacation. Online Travel Agent (OTA) websites such as Expedia and Trip Advisor capture almost 50% of those web visits while DMO’s receive about 6%. Younger travellers are most likely to use an OTA when planning a trip. Some DMO’s have begun signing agreements with OTA’s to better promote their areas12.
Shopping Tourism Tourists spend approximately one third of their total tourism expenditures on retail purchases. A growing middle class coming from emerging economies (such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China) are travelling to shop as a main motivation for travel 13. Some destinations, especially in the Middle East, are building malls to help capture this market.
Business Leisure Roughly 72% of business travellers take extended executive trips that have a leisure component to them. Just over half of younger generations (18-30 year olds) are likely to bring a significant other with them on a business trip, while 36% of 31-45 year olds and 16% of 46-65 year olds are likely to bring a significant other with them14.
9 Resonance Consulting, “2014 Trends in Travel and Tourism”, 2013 10 Res onanc e Cons ult ing, “2014 Trends in Travel and Tourism ”, 2013 11 Resonance Consulting, “2014 Trends in Travel and Tourism”, 2013 12 Resonance Consulting, “2014 Trends in Travel and Tourism”, 2013 13 Resonance Consulting, “2014 Trends in Travel and Tourism”, 2013 14 Resonance Consulting, “2014 Trends in Travel and Tourism”, 2013
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China Starts Cruising The Chinese government’s latest five-year plan encourages cruise holidays for Chinese consumers. With the Chinese economy growing rapidly, and Chinese citizens enjoying increasing levels of wealth, industry sources expect that China will become the second largest global cruise market after the U.S.A. by 201715.
Multi-Generational Travel Families are travelling more and more with each other, most often around milestone events. The multi-generational market is about creating meaningful memories for the family to come together, with a high degree of convenience and value. Grandparents in particular are looking to make up for long distances away from their grandchildren16.
Unstoppable Elders There are roughly 1.3-1.6 billion seniors worldwide that are interested in or actively participating in tourism travel. Senior’s represent some of the developed world’s wealthiest and most demanding tourists, with 59% of U.S. seniors defining retirement as “a time to travel and explore new places”. Seniors favour off-peak travel, and value wordof-mouth information as an important source when making travel decisions17.
3.2 The Canadian Tourism Context Tourism demand in Canada grew by 4.2% to $81.9 billion in 2012 18. Driven largely by domestic Canadian travel, the 2012 tourism industry directly accounted for roughly 594,500 Canadian jobs. With 98% of Canada’s tourism sector consisting of small and medium sized businesses19, the tourism sector plays an important role in the everyday lives of Canadians. FIGURE 1 - TOURISM DEMAND IN CANADA (2012)
$ billion
12/11 %
Total demand
81.9
4.2
Domestic
66.4
4.5
International
15.5
2.8
Tourism GDP
32.3
4.0
s (2012 Q4)
15 CTC News Brief, http://en-corporate.canada.travel/content/ctc_news/travel-trends-2014, accessed April 2, 2014 16 Resonance Consulting, “2014 Trends in Travel and Tourism”, 2013 17 Resonance Consulting, “2014 Trends in Travel and Tourism”, 2013 18 Canadian Tourism Commission, “Tourism Snapshot 2012 Year-in-review”, 7th edition 19 Government of Canada, “Canada’s Federal Tourism Strategy: Welcoming the World”
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Millier Dickinson Blais RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
Tourists mainly visited the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec in 2012, with these three provinces capturing roughly 82% of the total tourism visits in Canada. The ranking of provinces by total visits in 2012 is20:
Ontario (7.7 million visitors, 42% of total visitation) British Columbia (4.3 million visitors, 24% of total visitation) Quebec (2.9 million visitors, 16% of total visitation) Alberta (1.5 million visitors, 8% of total visitation) All Other Provinces (1.8 million visitors, 10.4% of total visitation)
Canadian Tourism Markets International Visitors
Roughly 75% of all international travel to Canada originates in the United States, with the 55+ age demographic being the largest segment among US visitors (44.5% of all overnight U.S. leisure visitors). Though American visitors account for the greatest number of international visitors to Canada, American spending accounted for only 52% of all international expenditures in 201221. Larger spending ratios come from overseas visitors travelling from the CTC’s identified key international markets22, with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and China leading the way for overseas visitation to Canada. The top three activities for these U.S. and overseas travellers visiting Canada in 2012 were shopping (9.5 million people), sightseeing (8.3 million people), and visiting family and friends (7 million people). Of particular note for the Canadian tourism economy in 2012 is that the number of young international travellers (24 years old or under) to Canada is increasing, growing by 24% between 2011 and 2012. These young travellers represent 20% of the total tourism visitation market in Canada. Young families and youth coming from France and Mexico are a large part of this market segment23. Domestic Travel
Canadian domestic travel accounts for 80% of total visitor spending in Canada. Canadian travellers see Canada as one of the best places in the world to find inspirational geography and interesting and engaging people. With nature and culture as
20 Canadian Tourism Commission, “Tourism Snapshot 2012 Year-in-review”, 7th edition 21 Canadian Tourism Commission, “Tourism Snapshot 2012 Year-in-review”, 7th edition 22 The CTC key international markets are the US, the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Brazil, China, and India. 23 Canadian Tourism Commission, “Tourism Snapshot 2012 Year-in-review”, 7th edition
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Millier Dickinson Blais RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
the top vacation interests of Canadian travellers, Canada is well positioned to continue to grow the Canadian domestic travel market24. Over two-thirds of Canadian travellers claim to be knowledgeable about domestic holiday opportunities (compared to just over one-third knowing about the U.S. opportunities). The top barriers for those planning to travel domestically in Canada include expense, weather concerns, the fact that they live in Canada already, and a preference for other destinations. Continued emphasis on the value of a domestic vacation is important in encouraging Canadian travellers to choose Canada for their next vacation25.
Aboriginal Tourism in Canada26 Aboriginal tourism in Canada presents a significant growth opportunity for the Canadian tourism industry. Some of the largest markets for Aboriginal tourism come from Europe, with 85% of potential travellers to Canada from France, 72% from Germany, and 46% from the United Kingdom indicating an interest in Canadian Aboriginal experiences and products during their trip to Canada. Awareness of Canadian Aboriginal experiences, however, is low within these markets, with potential visitors unfamiliar with what Aboriginal tourism experiences in Canada might actually be. The main draws for European visitors looking for Aboriginal tourism experiences in Canada are based on the notion that Aboriginals in Canada commune closely with nature and have unique spiritual belief systems, offering new insights and perspectives that are different from other Canadian tourism products. When it comes to Aboriginal tourism, European visitors most especially want:
An authentic experience, not a staged show or artificial village created for tourists. To seek opportunities to meet and interact with Aboriginal people to experience how they live now and learn about their culture and traditions and how they lived in the past. Tourists are not interested in only experiencing museum tours and sitting in on lectures. To experience several aspects of Aboriginal culture including arts and crafts (viewing and making), dancing and drumming, ceremonies, pow-wows, and traditional subsistence activities (fishing, hunting, trapping, gathering). On the negative side, European visitors are concerned about product quality, product delivery and whether or not many of Canada’s Aboriginal tourism products are market ready. Aboriginal tourism is not the main draw for tourists coming to Canada, but rather a value added activity to an already planned trip.
24 Canadian Tourism Commission, “Global Tourism Watch – 2013 Canada Summary Report”, 2013 25 Canadian Tourism Commission, “Global Tourism Watch – 2013 Canada Summary Report”, 2013 26 Insignia (prepared for the Canadian Tourism Commission), “Aboriginal Tourism Opportunities for Canada – U.K., Germany, France”
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3.3 Tourism in the Province of Ontario Note: Due to changes in Statistics Canada’s survey methodology, 2011 domestic data is not comparable to prior years. In 2011, there were 138.8 million visits in Ontario, with $20.8 billion in visitor spending. Ontario’s tourism sector directly employs roughly 300,000 people, and tourism acts as Ontario’s 8th largest export industry27. Ontario residents account for 85% of tourism visits in the province, along with 62% of the tourism spending. U.S. visitors account for 8% of total visits and 15% of tourism spending, while overseas visitors account for 2% and 13% respectively28. U.S. visits, however, have been experiencing relative declines as Canada’s price competitiveness decreases with a weaker U.S. dollar, while overseas entries to Ontario are growing, attributable to large gains in arrivals from emerging markets such as China, Hong Kong, and India29.
27 Industry Canada, “Ontario Economic Overview” Jan 2012 28 Tourism Research Unit, Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, “Tourism Statistics Region 3”, Fall 2013 29 Industry Canada, “Ontario Economic Overview” Jan 2012
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FIGURE 2 - PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FOR ONTARIO'S TOURISM INDUSTRY (2013)
Current Performance Summary
Jan.-Dec. 2013
% change
13,111,793
-2.4%
11,185,671
-3.3%
International Border Crossings Total Inbound From the U.S. From overseas
1,926,122
2.8%
Total Outbound
30,625,649
-0.4%
To the U.S.
26,008,441
-0.4%
To overseas
4,617,208
-0.9%
62.4%
0.8
$126.57
1.3%
1,757,600
2.1%
Ontario Hotel Statistics Hotel Occupancy Hotel Average Daily Rate Employment in Tourism-Related Industries
Source: Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, http://www.mtc.gov.on.ca/en/research/performance/performance.shtml , accessed April 2, 2014
Provincial Visitor Trends FIGURE 3 - TOURISM STATISTICS BY REGION
Roughly 65% of the visits in Ontario were same day visits by Ontario residents, with many of the trips being to visit friends and relatives. The majority of domestic overnight visitors stayed in private homes (65%), while U.S. and overseas visitors accounted for a higher proportion of paid accommodations for overnight visits30. As seen in Figure 3, Region #5 (the Greater Toronto Area) led the Province in the number of tourism visits and visitor spending, capturing 21.5% of visits in the Province, and 32.3% of provincial visitor spending (it is worth noting that Region 3 is ranked 7th for tourism visits and 10th for visitor spending). Visitors in Ontario spent an average of $150 per trip on their visit, mostly on food & beverage, and transportation31. Close proximity to major U.S. urban centres and ease of access to overseas destinations through Toronto’s transportation hub has been an important part in attracting foreign visitors to Ontario.32 Most U.S. visitors to Ontario travel
30 Tourism Research Unit, Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, “Tourism Statistics Region 3”, Fall 2013 31 Tourism Research Unit, Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, “Tourism Statistics Region 3”, Fall 2013 32 TNS Canada, “Ontario Tourism Market Assessment Research Study – 2009”, 2009
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Visitor Spending Visits 2011 (millions) ($ billions) Ontario 138.8 20.8 Region 1 11.5% 7.0% Region 2 8.2% 8.0% Region 3 7.3% 3.7% Region 4 7.7% 5.2% Region 5 21.5% 32.3% Region 6 8.2% 4.0% Region 7 9.2% 5.9% Region 8 4.0% 2.3% Region 9 5.7% 3.9% Region 10 6.4% 7.3% Region 11 4.1% 2.1% Region 12 3.4% 2.9% Source: Statistics Canada, Travel Survey of thgeio Rn es1 id3e nts of C5a.n7a% da 2011, Intern6a.t8 io% nal Re Travel Survey 2011, Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport
from bordering States (New York 32% and Michigan 29%)33, while other regional urban centres such as New York City, Chicago, New Jersey, and Philadelphia offer good opportunities to attract new visitors. Priority international markets for provincial tourism includes traditionally strong European markets such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, along with new emerging markets such as China, Mexico and India34.
Ontario Tourism Challenges Given that Ontario residents account for the majority of Ontario tourism visits and spending for the Province, there is a need to build strong brands for Ontario destinations so that the destinations appeal as “unique and different” to domestic travellers to build curiosity and excitement. Other primary markets are Quebec and close U.S. states, particularly New York.35 Also, trip booking in Ontario is often left to the last minute or thought unnecessary by travellers. There is a strong need to develop early booking incentives, and to use online assets and social media to guide people through the discovery and research phases of destinations to the booking phase36. Challenges for the U.S. market centre on the U.S. economic downturn, which has reduced border crossings into Canada. Other economic and political effects, such as currency rates and passport requirements have suppressed U.S. interest in visiting Canada. A strong Canadian dollar and generous Canadian duty-free rules have also encouraged more Canadian travellers to visit the United States (competing with Ontario destinations for the domestic visitor market)37.
Arts and Culture In 2010, arts and culture tourism accounted for $4.1 billion in visitor tourism spending in the Province. Arts and culture activities accounted for 22% (9.5 million) of the overnight tourism trips in Ontario, with arts and culture overnight tourists outspending typical overnight tourists in Ontario at a rate of almost two-to-one ($667 per trip vs $374), while also generally spending more nights visiting38. There are large spillover effects from arts and culture tourism into other areas of the tourism economy, including accommodations, food and beverage, retail spending, and
33 Tourism Research Unit, Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, “Tourism Statistics Region 3”, Fall 2013 34 TNS Canada, “O ntario Tourism Market Assessment Research St udy – 2009”, 2009 35 TNS Canada, “Travel Intentions Study, Wave 18”, April 2014 36 TNS Canada, “Travel Intentions Study, Wave 17”, February 2013 37 TNS Canada, “Travel Intentions Study, Wave 18”, April 2014 38 Research Resolutions & Consulting Ltd., “Ontario Arts and Culture Tourism Profile”, 2012
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Millier Dickinson Blais RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
entertainment & recreation. Arts and culture tourists are twice as likely as other overnight tourists to identify culinary and shopping experiences as trip motivations39.
FIGURE 4 - TOP ARTS & CULTURE ATTRACTIONS IN ONTARIO (2010)
Activity
% of Ontario Overnight Visitors Engaged by Activity
Historic Sites
10%
Museums/Art Galleries
8%
Art Performances
8%
Festivals and Fairs
5%
Attractions
3%
(Zoos, Aquariums, Botanical Gardens) Source: Research Resolutions & Consulting Ltd., “Ontario Arts and Culture Tourism Profile”, 2012
3.4 RTO 3 Region Visitor Trends In 2011, there were 10.1 million visits and $760 million in visitor spending in Ontario’s Tourism Region 3 (Hamilton, Halton, Brant). The region was ranked 7 th in number of visits relative to the other 13 tourism regions in Ontario. The vast majority of these visits and spending were by residents of Ontario (94% and 82% respectively). U.S. visitors accounted for 3% of total visits and 7% of total spending, while overseas visitors accounted for 1% of total visits and 5% of total spending40. Visits to the region were mainly to Hamilton and Halton (45% of total visitors for each), with some going to Brant (11%). In visiting the region, most visitors only go to one of the main census locations (i.e. Hamilton, Halton, or Brant)41.
39 Research Resolutions & Consulting Ltd., “Ontario Arts and Culture Tourism Profile”, 2012 40 Tourism Research Unit, Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, “Tourism Statistics Region 3”, Fall 2013 41 Tourism Research Unit, Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, “Tourism Statistics Region 3”, Fall 2013
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Millier Dickinson Blais RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
FIGURE 5 - SAME DAY VISITS AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL VISITS, 2011
Source: Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, Regional Tourism Profile – Ontario & RTO 3. 2011
The average per person visitor spending for RTO 3 is well below the provincial average for both overnight and same day visits. As seen in FIGURE 6, below, the Ontario average per person visitor spending for overnight visits is almost double the value for the RTO, and almost 50% greater for same day visits.
FIGURE 6 - AVERAGE PER PERSON VISITOR SPENDING, 2011
Source: Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, Regional Tourism Profile – Ontario & RTO 3. 2011
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Millier Dickinson Blais RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
The average number of nights per overnight trip in RTO 3 is slightly above that for the Province of Ontario. Overseas visitors stay roughly two nights longer in RTO 3 than the provincial average, while U.S. visitors stay slightly less in RTO 3 than the provincial average in Ontario. FIGURE 7 - AVERAGE NUMBER OF NIGHTS PER OVERNIGHT TRIP BY VISITOR ORIGIN, 2011
Ontario
Other Canada
U.S. Overseas
Total
Ontario
2.2
4.3
3.5
13.1
2.9
RTO 3
2
4.6
3
15.2
3
Source: Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, Regional Tourism Profile – Ontario & RTO 3. 2011
Roughly 94% of all visits to RTO 3 were made by residents of Ontario. FIGURE 8 illustrates the top 10 places of origin of visitors to RTO 3 from Ontario. As seen in the figure, the municipalities of Toronto, Niagara, and Waterloo accounted for the majority of visits in 2011. FIGURE 8 - TOP 10 ORIGINS OF VISITORS TO RTO 3 (000’S), 2011
Brant County
247
Durham Regional Municipality
258
Wellington County
505
Peel Regional Municipality
615
Halton Regional Municipality
622
Haldimand-Norfolk Regional Municipality
629
Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Municipality
755
Waterloo Regional Municipality Niagara Regional Municipality
964 997
Toronto Metropolitan Municipality
Source: Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, Regional Tourism Profile – RTO 3. 2011
Visits to friends and relatives (VFR) accounted for 62.3% of all visits to RTO 3 in 2011, above the provincial average of 46.4%. The vast majority of overnight visitors to the
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Millier Dickinson Blais RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
region stayed in private homes or other unpaid accommodations. Visitors from outside of Ontario were the most likely markets to stay in paid overnight accommodation42.
FIGURE 9 - VFR VISITS AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL VISITS, 2011
62.3%
46.4%
Source: Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, Regional Tourism Profile – Ontario & RTO 3. 2011
Visits to RTO 3 were fairly evenly spread throughout the year, with increases in the summer months (Q3) and decreases moving into the winter months (Q4).
42 Tourism Research Unit, Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, “Tourism Statistics Region 3”, Fall 2013
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Millier Dickinson Blais RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
FIGURE 10 – RTO 3 PERSON VISITS BY CALENDAR QUARTER (000'S), 2011
3500 3000 2500 2000 Total 1500 Overnight 1000 500 0 Total Overnight
Q1 (Jan - Mar) 2421 483
Q2 (Apr - Jun) 2501 550
Q3 (Jul - Sep) 2907 771
Q4 (Oct - Dec) 2245 512
Source: Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, Regional Tourism Profile – RTO 3. 2011
Tourism Metrics by Census Division Figure 11, below, highlights select tourism statistics for the three census divisions found within RTO 3 (Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Municipality, Brant County, and Halton Regional Municipality). It is worth noting that most visitors only visit one of the census divisions on a trip to RTO 343. As seen in the figure, Hamilton-Wentworth and Halton each accounted for roughly 45% of the total visits to RTO 3 in 2011, while Brant hosted roughly 11% of visits. As a result, the majority of visitor spending for RTO 3 took place in Hamilton-Wentworth and Halton. It is interesting to note that Halton led RTO 3 in overnight visits in 2011. The municipality of Toronto is the top origin for visitors for all three census divisions in RTO 3. The top activity for each of the divisions is outdoor/sports activity, with boating and fishing being the main activities within that category.
43 Tourism Research Unit, Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, “Tourism Statistics Region 3”, Fall 2013
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The majority of visits to each of the census divisions within RTO 3 were to visit friends and relatives, with a minority of visits for pleasure or business. A larger percentage of visits to Brant and Halton were for pleasure relative to Hamilton, while a higher percentage of business visits were seen in Hamilton.
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Millier Dickinson Blais RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
FIGURE 11 - TOURISM METRICS IN RTO 3 BY CENSUS DIVISION, 2011
Tourism Indicators Total Visits (000's) Overnight Visits (000's)
Hamilton-Wentworth
Brant County
Halton
4,488
1,089
4,523
962
233
1,128
$359,440
$60,902
$322,974
Average Visitor Spending Per Person
$80
$56
$71
% of Total Visits from Ontario
96%
92%
92%
% of Total Visits from U.S.
2%
4%
5%
Toronto Metropolitan Municipality
Toronto Metropolitan Municipality
Toronto Metropolitan Municipality
Any Outdoor/Sports Activity (Boating)
Any Outdoor/Sports Activity (Fishing)
Any Outdoor/Sports Activity (Boating)
Sports Events
Sports Events
National/Provincial Nature Parks
Historic Sites
Casinos
Sports Events
Total Visitor Spending (000's)
Top Place of Visit Origin (Total Visits) Top 5 Trip Activities
Cultural Performances
Cultural Performances
Festivals/Fairs
National/Provincial Nature Parks
National/Provincial Nature Parks
Cultural Performances
% of Total Visits - Pleasure
13%
19%
23%
% of Total Visits - VFR
58%
60%
66%
% of Total Visits - Shopping
4%
7%
3%
% of Total Visits - Business
11%
8%
5%
% of Total Visits - Other Personal
12%
6%
2%
Source: Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, Regional Tourism Profile – Census Divisions 24, 25, 29. 2011
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Millier Dickinson Blais RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Review Final Report
Neighbouring RTO Comparative Statistics The four RTO’s neighbouring RTO 3 are:
RTO 1 – Southwest Ontario RTO 2 – Niagara Falls and Wine Country RTO 4 – Huron, Perth, Waterloo, Wellington RTO 5 – Greater Toronto Area
As seen in Figure 12, RTO 5 leads the region (and the province) in total visits, total visitor spending, and average visitor spending per visit. RTO 3 has the lowest numbers in these categories relative to its neighbouring RTO’s. While RTO 3 compares relatively favourably to RTO 4 statistics, total visitor spending remains much lower, likely due to the fewer overnight visitors to RTO 3 and the lower average visitor spending per visit. Figure 13 and Figure 14, below, illustrate total visit and total visitor spending statistics for all five regions graphically.
FIGURE 12 - RELATIVE PERFORMANCE OF NEIGHBOURING RTO'S, 2011
Total Visits (000's)
RTO 1 15,791
RTO 2 11,350
RTO 3 10,073
RTO 4 10,711
RTO 5 29,830
Overnight Visits (000's)
4,344
4,220
2,315
2,984
11,005
Total Visitor Spending (000's)
$1,460,492
$1,653,891
$760,549
$92
$146
$76
Average Visitor Spending Per Visit
$1,078,078 $6,712,850
$101
Source: Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport Regional Tourism Profile – RTO 1, RTO 2, RTO 3, RTO 4, RTO 5. 2011
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Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Final Report
$225
FIGURE 13 - NUMBER OF VISITS TO NEIGHBOURING RTO’S, 2011
Source: Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport Regional Tourism Profile – RTO 1, RTO 2, RTO 3, RTO 4, RTO 5. 2011
FIGURE 14 - VISITOR SPENDING IN NEIGHBOURING RTO’S, 2011
Source: Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport Regional Tourism Profile – RTO 1, RTO 2, RTO 3, RTO 4, RTO 5. 2011
RTO 3’s neighbouring tourism regions account for the largest number of visits, and highest total visitor spending for all tourism regions in Ontario. Region 5: Greater Toronto
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Area has the biggest tourism impacts in RTO 3, leading all of Ontario in the number of visits and total spending to the region. Figure 15 shows the statistics for the other neighbouring regions. It is worth noting that Region 3: Hamilton, Halton, Brant is ranked second along both total visits and spending, indicating that residents in RTO 3 tend to travel within their own region frequently. Figure 16 and Figure 17, below, illustrate the concentration each neighbouring RTO has in RTO 3 for both number of visits and total spending. FIGURE 15 NEIGHBOURING RTO TOURISM IMPACTS ON RTO 3, 2011
Region
# of Visits
Spending
Region 5: Greater Toronto Area
2,705,799
$158,652,244
Region 3: Hamilton, Halton, Brant
1,623,134
$105,836,056
Region 4: Huron, Perth, Waterloo, Wellington
1,569,288
$78,113,476
Region 1: Southwest Ontario
1,205,781
$84,836,388
996,552
$65,825,753
10,072,958
$760,548,992
Region 2: Niagara Falls and Wine Country RTO 3 Total
Source: Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, Regional Tourism Profile – RTO 1, RTO 2, RTO 3, RTO 4, RTO 5. 2011
FIGURE 16 - CONCENTRATION OF NUMBER OF VISITS FROM NEIGHBOURING RTO'S, 2011
Source: Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, Regional Tourism Profile – RTO 1, RTO 2, RTO 3, RTO 4, RTO 5. 2011
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FIGURE 17 - CONCENTRATION OF VISITOR SPENDING FROM NEIGHBOURING RTO'S, 2011
Source: Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, Regional Tourism Profile – RTO 1, RTO 2, RTO 3, RTO 4, RTO 5. 2011
Visitor Familiarity and Interest in Ontario’s RTO’s As seen in Figure 18, visitors from the United States and Canada have a good familiarity with Region 3, each ranking it within the top five (5th and 4th of 13 respectively) of the various tourism regions in Ontario. For both groups, Toronto and Niagara Falls lead the way, re-enforcing the opportunity that exists in building on visitor awareness of these destination to draw more visitors to Region 3.
FIGURE 18 - MARKET FAMILIARITY WITH THE RTO REGIONS
% stating very/somewhat familiar with the region RTO 1
RTO 2
RTO 3
RTO 4
RTO 5
RTO 6
RTO 7
RTO 8
RTO 9
RTO 10
RTO 11
RTO 12
RTO 13A
RTO 13B
RTO 13C
USA
12
41
10
6
25
5
5
4
7
12
5
5
5
8
6
Can ada
43
73
45
34
76
36
34
27
31
61
31
34
25
22
21
Source: TNS Canada, “Travel Intentions Study, Wave 18”, April 2014
As seen in Figure 19, market interest in visiting Region 3 in the next two years offers a bit of a different story. While American visitors continue to rank the region as a top five
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Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Final Report
destination in Ontario (5th of 13), Canadian visitors rank the region 6th of 13 as a place they would like to visit in the next two years. This is an improvement from 9 th in 2013. Larger attractions such as Toronto and Niagara Falls continue to lead the rankings, with other centers such as Ottawa, Huntsville, and the Bruce Peninsula ranking highly for Canadian travellers.
FIGURE 19 - MARKET INTEREST IN TRAVELLING TO THE RTO REGIONS
% stating very/fairly interested in visiting the region in the next 2 years
USA Canada
RTO 1
RTO 2
RTO 3
RTO 4
RTO 5
RTO 6
RTO 7
RTO 8
RTO 9
RTO 10
RTO 11
RTO 12
RTO 13
RTO 14
RTO 15
19 45
41 66
16 34
12 40
30 59
11 32
10 43
9 32
13 38
20 55
11 36
10 43
11 31
13 30
12 29
Source: TNS Canada, “Travel Intentions Study, Wave 18”, April 2014
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3.5 Accommodations Sector Review Hotel occupancy rates in 2011 reached a five year high for RTO 3 at 61% occupancy. This rate is the same as the hotel occupancy rate for the Province of Ontario. The Average Daily Rate (ADR) for hotels in RTO 3, however, was at a five year low in 2011 at $104. ADR in RTO 3 is below the provincial rate of $122. The Revenue per Available Room (RevPar) in RTO 3 showed moderate growth in 2011, growing from $57 in 2009 and 2010 to $63 in 2011. The provincial rate is $74.
FIGURE 20 - HOTEL STATISTICS RTO 3, 2007-2011
Occupancy (%) ADR ($) RevPar ($)
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
61 108 66
59 111 65
53 107 57
55 104 57
61 104 63
Source: PKF Consulting, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Tourism Statistics Region 3. Fall 2013.
The accommodation sector is a significant stakeholder in the tourism sector within the RTO 3 region of Halton, Hamilton and Brant. Historically, the sector has not been actively engaged with the RTO activities as it is focused on business travel not leisure and predominately the establishments belong to a hotel chain and are guided by corporate marketing strategies. At the beginning of the strategy review process it was recommended, by industry partners, that the most effective way to communicate with the accommodation sector would be to develop an online survey. Representatives from accommodation establishments were invited to the consultation sessions but in addition a focused online survey was developed. The questions were targeted specifically to understand the
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issues and marketing direction of accommodation establishments as well as how they viewed their relationship with RTO 3 and their knowledge of the HHBRTA’s marketing activities. Significantly, the sector reported that their business is currently coming principally from the business travel segment (28%), with independent travellers as the second largest group (24%). Leisure travellers account for 16% of business. This confirms that there is a completely different focus within the accommodation sector from that of the RTO.
FIGURE 21 LOCATION
Twenty two accommodation establishments completed the survey, of those 12 were from a hotel, motel or resort that is part of a chain. The majority of these chain hotels and motels were in Halton, 7 in total and 4 are located in Hamilton and 1 in Brant. For this group, 8 of the 12 hotels received 40% or more of their trade from the corporate travel sector. This is clearly the most important market for their business. All of the 12 hotels use online channels to reach a broader market and 10 of the 12 would find value in participating in a new online reservation system. Seven of those ten would be prepared to make a financial contribution to the system for sales received as a result. When asked about how they would like to work with the RTO 3, almost 90% would like to jointly develop tourism product to include overnight offers. Over 50% in each case would like to work with the RTO 3 on product development research, partner in matching funding initiatives and develop new geographical markets. There is a gap between this group’s awareness of the RTO 3’s marketing and their engagement. Almost 64% reported that they were aware of RTO 3’s marketing activities but in practice there is limited engagement.
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The following results are taken from the total accommodation sector group of 22.
FIGURE 22 ACCOMMODATION SECTOR BUSINESS MARKETS
When asked about strategies for new growth, 31% of establishments were focused on the corporate travel market with 20% on the group and independent travel markets. Leisure travel was recorded as a focus for 14% of projected new business growth. Corporate travel was also given as a priority marketing sector (35%) and the independent traveller group was second (24%).
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FIGURE 23 NEW BUSINESS GROWTH PRIORITIES
January, February and November were identified as the months where there is capacity for business development. However, when asked about the days of the week as priorities for new business the answers were spread across different days. Sunday and Monday, Thursday and Friday were the most common answers. This could be an opportunity for the RTO to provide added value to the accommodation sector by working with them to develop packages around these quieter times. The majority of the establishments that responded to the survey have a marketing budget, (80%) and use online travel channels, for example, Expedia, Hotels.com to promote special deals. The business generated from these tools varied from 40% down to 3% depending on the establishment. Generally the respondents (82%) confirmed that they would be interested in participating in an online reservation system with the HHBRTA and would be prepared to make a financial contribution (62%). While considerable research would need to be undertaken to define the scope of this project, the industry is confirming that such a tool would be valuable and so should be explored by the RTO. A question was asked about how the individual accommodation venues would like to work with the HHBRTA. Developing special offers, overnight packages and industry networking were the three major responses. Questions relating to an awareness of the HHBRTA marketing revealed that approximately 60% of respondents were aware of the recent marketing campaigns,
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leaving 40% who unaware. To address this gap, actions need to be developed to increase engagement with the sector.
FIGURE 24 WORKING WITH THE HHBTA
The majority of respondents offered to provide feedback on the revised tourism strategy and jointly development tourism product to include overnight offers in collaboration or partnership with the HHBRTA.
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FIGURE 25 EXPERIENCE WITH THE RTO 3 REGIONAL TOURISM STRATEGY
Less than one third of the establishments who answered this question are familiar with the strategy and a similar number are aware of the strategy but have not referred to it. There demonstrates once again that there is a gap in knowledge that needs to be addressed in order to engage the accommodation sector in RTO activities.
Key Messages
The accommodation sector has a different focus to that of the RTO 3 i.e. business travel versus leisure travel. The accommodation sector does have some awareness of the strategy but is not participating or engaged with the RTO. RTO 3 needs to work with the accommodation sector to improve communications with them, ensure they are informed and work collaboratively on activities that would add value to their businesses.
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4 Consultations 4.1 Stakeholder Consultations Understanding the importance of engaging partners and stakeholders in the strategy review process, a series of consultations were arranged. Participants were invited to sessions in Brant, Halton and Hamilton. The sessions were arranged geographically to attempt to maximize attendance. Recognizing the significance of the Six Nations input, a specific consultation session was organized for them at the Six Nations Tourism Office, followed up by a second meeting. An internal meeting was also held with HHBRTA staff to ensure that their experience and feedback was included in the process. In addition, DMOs were given the opportunity to have an individual interview to gain a more in-depth perspective from these partners. The sessions were used to update the audience on the work of the HHBRTA as well as to inform them about the project. Their views on the original strategy and its progress were solicited and feedback sought on the direction going forward. Lists of participants and summaries of the consultations are contained in Appendix B. The HHBRTA and the MDB power points with the discussion questions are contained in Appendix C. The following are summaries of the key messages that emerged from each of the sessions. From these some common themes can be seen:
Brant This session was held on Thursday April 3rd at the Brantford Tourism Office. It was attended by 16 stakeholders including DMOs, attractions and government representatives. The group generally agreed that relationships with HHBRTA were germinating and starting to work well. Two activities that received positive feedback were the guerilla marketing at Union Station in Toronto and the partnerships at the Sportsmen’s Show. The biggest challenge is that stakeholders are largely unaware of what the RTO does and some of the participants had not heard of the Heart of Ontario brand. There was felt to be a need for everyone to come together and cross promote as well as creating regional experiences. Opportunities to bring the industry together would be welcomed. Smaller operators present felt that there was a need to communicate more with them and to arrange one to one meetings. There is confusion as to the role of the DMO vs the RTO in regard to these smaller operators. New markets suggested included people in Toronto who do not have cars but want to explore the area; newcomer market (India, Pakistan and Vietnam); culinary/agri-tourism sector; cycling marketing as there are a number of cycling events in the County of Brant; educational market. The completion of the Brock Trail system is a new opportunity
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There was a discussion about the group travel trade which is a focus of the DMOs and not a role for the RTO. It was felt that interaction at trade shows has changed. People want to interact physically at the trade booth and are there to talk and learn. The RTO is focussed on the operators that are in overnight geographic markets and have established distributions that align with the region’s best offers. The RTO does work closely with the OTMPC on how to expand distribution further afield. Key Messages
Outreach to the grassroots operators needs more attention and a need to build
relationships one on one with them. There is great support for the RTO and some of the campaigns they have run (i.e. Sportsmen’s Show, guerilla marketing at Union Station). There are new markets that need more attention (the “wheel less”, newcomer, schools), and new techniques needed to interact with them (standing out at tradeshows, “backdoor marketing”). The tourism industry should come together as a region more and create regional deals and discounts that smaller operators can pass on to their customers. There is strong potential for culinary/agri-tourism in the region and an inventory has been created. Efforts to sell the region in a bundled way by creating packages of experiences that incorporate many different operators in the region (i.e. bike in the morning, lunch at a restaurant, and raft in the afternoon). There is a need to keep proving the value of the RTO to get buy-in from partners.
Halton This session took place on Tuesday April 1st at the Quality Inn in Oakville. It was attended by 25 stakeholders including DMOs, tourism attractions, accommodation establishments, Chambers of Commerce and Government representatives. The RTO was felt to have been successful in marketing and bringing all the partners together through the internet and getting them to work together. There was a strong push to engage with tourism groups at the beginning but now there is a need to re-engage them. The training workshops were strong. There had been strong research to discover the uniqueness of the region and this should continue to be a focus. As the RTO’s goal is to increase overnight visitors to the region, there is a need to involve more hotels and accommodation operators. There was support for the brand but the RTO should continue to build it. One of the challenges is the need to get the tourism businesses directly involved through buy-in to products and understanding how working with the RTO will benefit them. In particular, there is a challenge in rural areas where businesses do not have the same access to programs.
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DMOs and the RTO should work together to align marketing plans to maximiz e budgets and resources and avoid duplication. New directions suggested included: packaging major events as overnight versus day trips; food and culinary tourism; connect tourism products between regions and act as an intermediary for First Nations groups. There should be a focus on the smaller, independent operators in the revised strategy in order to engage new partners. This could be a collaborative effort with the DMOs. Likewise, efforts should be made to connect to the accommodation sector, particularly around online reservations. In order to see progress, performance metrics should be communicated regularly with partners. There should also be strong communication between the RTO and DMOs to ensure there is no duplication. Key Messages
Involve the accommodations sector more (promotions, engagement). Build the business case to demonstrate why operators should partner with the RTO (what is in it for me?). Measure performance metrics and communicate those back to partners regularly. Food/Culinary tourism presents a good opportunity for future direction (partner with the Ontario Culinary Tour Alliance. Work with the DMO’s to create partnerships with the smaller operators in the region.
Hamilton The session in Hamilton was held on Tuesday April 1 st at the Waterfront Trust. It was attended by 25 stakeholders including tourism attractions, accommodation sector and industry/conservation authorities. The group felt that the role of the DMO vs the RTO still needed to be better understood. They would like to work with the RTO to apply for funding and help bring new products to market e.g. overnight packages. The agency of record was thought to be an asset to RTO 3. The Red White and True Campaign was a great success when measured through the redemption of coupons and the passport. Feedback on the Sportsman Show was that it didn’t seem to be the right venue. The revised strategy should look at the goals and outcomes of activities along with metrics. New opportunities put forward included: culinary tourism; arts; live music; Hamilton Waterfront; creation of an image library; development of a booking engine and education of frontline workers. Metrics on marketing activities should be collected and shared with the stakeholders
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Key Messages
Confusion around the roles of the RTO and the DMO and how they work together and
can help operators. More alignment needed (social media one example). DMO’s could use support from the RTO in creating an online image library. Focus on metrics and communicating those to partners. Culinary tourism a great opportunity that partners would like to see developed more. Opportunities are growing to include the music industry and the arts in the RTO’s focus. A booking engine would be fantastic to make it easy to learn and book packages. Training for frontline accommodation workers in the region’s offerings would be very helpful. There is a need to focus on creating more packages (group bus tours require developed packages).
Six Nations The Six Nations of the Grand River is the largest First Nation in Canada with a total of 23,902 band members. 11,865 are reported to be living in the territory. It is the only territory in North America that has the six Iroquois nations together. These nations are the Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Seneca and Tuscarora. There are also some Delaware living in the territory. Tourism development is in the early stages of evolvement. A tourism and cultural plan was finalized in April 2014 ‘Six Nations Cultural Experience Five Year Strategic Plan’. The plan was developed through a consultation process and identifies 7 strategic priorities:
To develop a governance system that will oversee the implementation of the five year cultural experience strategic plan.
To work in collaboration to create authentic, true and realistic cultural protocol guidelines that respect our traditions and our environment.
To develop a system, in collaboration with our cultural experience providers, that will measure the impact in the community, such as: number of jobs; number of businesses including expansions and number of visitors as a result of our efforts.
To provide learning, volunteer and employment opportunities for youth in the hospitality and tourism industry; to provide teaching opportunities for our knowledge keepers and to provide learning opportunities for visitors and Six Nations community members in cultural tourism.
To build relationships with other communities for the purpose of networking, sharing resources and building capacity. To create cross cultural collaboration that generates new economic opportunities and increase public/private support for culture.
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To increase Six Nations delivery of unique cultural tourism products and services. To provide authentic high quality products and services to visitors.
To work in collaboration with Six Nations cultural experience stakeholders to promote our unique cultural experiences. To develop and implement a marketing strategy. Two meetings were held with the Six Nations groups. The first was a consultation session on April 2nd at the Six Nations Tourism Office in Ohsweken. It was attended by four representatives and facilitated by Michelle Sault of the Mississaugas of the New Credit. A subsequent unfacilitated meeting took place on May 2 nd at the same location. As the Six Nations group have now developed a plan and are beginning to promote cultural tourism, the timing is right for the HHBRTA to work with them in a supporting role. First Nations were largely excluded from the original strategy and so there is an opportunity with the revised strategy to address new opportunity. Key Messages
Six Nations stakeholders participated in limited role in the development of the original
strategy. Six Nations needs administrative support in making funding applications. RTO 3 could help with roadside signage from the Highway. Itinerary development is needed e.g. two day experience, bring Six Nations assets together. There are a number of tourism assets independent of each other and promoted in an informal way amongst themselves. Grand River – other RTOs have capacity to link into First Nations experience. RTO 1, 3 and 4 are all making investments. Advocacy for Ministry support. The Ministry is increasing efforts to educate Canadians about First Nations history but they need to provide help to the Six Nations. The focus on First Nations culture by the Province is encouraging visitors to go to the reservation but the attractions are not all ‘visitor ready’, lacking basic facilities and with no budget to make capital improvements. Ministry should take into account that RTO3 has the largest First Nations reservation in the country but no overnight facilities. This would fit in with the RTO3 Investment Attraction actions.
Accommodation Sector Online Survey At the start of the review process an online survey was recommended as the most effective way to communicate with the accommodation sector. The survey was developed to capture information that was unique to this group and gain an understanding of their perceptions and knowledge of the RTO and willingness to work with them going forward. They represent a significant stakeholder group within the RTO 3 region.
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Out of a total of 50 properties in the HHBTA database, 22 responded to the survey, representing 44%. Of those 22 replies, 55% of respondents from chain hotels and motels. When considering the results the sample size must be taken into account. The revised strategy should include specific actions to encourage the accommodation sector to participate in RTO 3 activities and be engaged with them. This issue is not unique to RTO 3 but has been identified by the province as being experienced by most RTOs. Since increasing overnight stays is a primary goal for the RTO 3 and is one of the reporting statistics that RTO 3 sends back to the province, engaging with accommodation establishments is critical to get a complete picture of the region’s tourism statistics.
Destinations Marketing Organizations (DMOs) Consultations Five interviews were conducted with DMOs in the region. A list of participants is given below. Generally, the DMOs would like to see more collaboration with the RTO 3 and would like to be engaged with them in the initial stages of a project. The DMOs would like to be involved in developing initiatives, leveraging their knowledge to build them, rather than being asked to participate in them. There was agreement that RTO 3 activities do address gaps faced by DMOs e.g. expertise in social media; marketing to the U.S. regions and training. It was felt that a communications strategy is needed to address confusion experienced by stakeholders and industry partners as to the roles and responsibilities of the RTO and the DMOs. A number of priority areas of focus were identified in the interviews, including: agritourism; sports tourism; arts and culture; First Nations; Outdoor products; Canada’s 150th Birthday celebrations in 2017; cycling. Rebecca Edgar
Executive Director
Susan Monarch
Manager, Tourism Hamilton Tourism & Culture Division Planning and Economic Director, Tourism and Development Department, City of Culture Hamilton
Anna Bradford
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Oakville Tourism Partnership
Nicole Drake
Acting Manager - Tourism & Marketing
Economic Development & Tourism, City of Brantford
John Davidson
Director – Economic Development
Regional Municipality of Halton
Pam Belgrade
Executive Director
Tourism Burlington
Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Final Report
Ministry Consultations An interview took place with the Regional Tourism Advisor from the Ontario Ministry. She is a member of the Taskforce and works closely with both the RTO 3 Board and with the Executive Director. The Ministry’s position is that the RTO 3 needs to work on an industry-led basis but maintain the framework of the four pillars of the ‘Discovering Ontario’ Report and report annually and semi-annually to them. The province is pleased with the progress of the RTO 3. Their relationship with the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport is crucial. The process with the Ministry is prescriptive as they provide 95% of funding to the RTO. As with other RTOs, RTO 3 needs to explore partnerships with the DMOs who are looking to them for support and resources. The RTO is expected to work at a strategic level and not duplicate any efforts already taking place. There is a need to enhance communications efforts to address concerns expressed by industry stakeholders as to the role of the RTO 3.
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5 Emerging Themes Combining the results of the background review and the sector analysis with the feedback from the consultation sessions several key points have emerged. These will be looked at in more detail in Section 7 Recommendations and Implementation Plan.
The majority of visitors to the RTO 3 region are from Ontario (94%) and in particular
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from Toronto. This market should remain a geographical focus for marketing activities. Most of the visits are to the Halton and Hamilton region and not the Brant region. As the Six Nations reservation is located in Brant and there are opportunities to develop their tourism experience, this may result in an increase in Brant’s visitor numbers as well as the development of Six Nations tourism products. Per person spending in RTO 3 region is below the provincial average for overnight and same day visitors. This affects the economic impact of the sector on the local economy. The development of experience based overnight packages can include more opportunities for local spending. There is a drop in the number of visitors during the winter months and this was also reflected in the accommodation sector survey results. This could be an opportunity to develop activities that would be appropriate for this season and encourage year-round visitors e.g. associated with conference business. The top activity by visitors is in outdoor and sports activities so consequently these activities should remain a strategic direction for the RTO. The growth of brand awareness is reflected in the visitor familiarity figures for the RTO 3 region. For U.S. visitors the region remains in the top 5 and for Canadian visitors it has gone from 9th to 6th position in the last year. There are misconceptions about the RTOs role with small operators and their relationship with DMOs. A communications plan would help to educate and clarify the mandate of the RTO and its strategic direction. A number of new markets have been identified through the research and consultation process and their exploration should be part of the revised strategy action plan. Performance metrics remain important not just in reporting back to the province but also to communicate to partners and industry stakeholders. The engagement of the accommodation sector would also enable this reporting to be more complete for the region. The concept of RTO 3 developing a booking engine needs to be explored to understand what is expected to be achieved from this and who would contribute towards the investment needed to put it in place. The facilitation of an online booking engine was an action in the original strategy. Two actions could be omitted from the revised strategy as both would be duplication of other efforts. They are: to facilitate the development of two new regional events and to facilitate efforts to pursue meeting and conferences.
Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Final Report
6 Best Practices Review 6.1 Ruhr Industrial Tourism Ruhr Region, Western Germany The Ruhr is a coal-rich region in Western Germany with a combined population of five million people distributed through five major urban centres and more than 50 small communities. The region was once a powerhouse for coal mining in all of Europe, with over 300 coal mines in operation in 1850, servicing a variety of European steel mills, chemical plants, and manufacturing facilities. Globalization in the second half of the 20th century, however, led to the closure of the mines in the Ruhr and the surrounding manufacturing industries. Since these closures, the Ruhr regional government has transformed the decaying industrial legacy of the area into leading European cultural attractions turning obsolete blast furnaces and coal mines into monuments and artistic spaces. Some of the initiatives created include:
Converting the giant Gasometer at Oberhausen – one of the largest in the world which used to store gas from the coking plant– into one of Europe’s most unusual exhibition spaces (currently housing an exhibition about the planets). Reinvigorating the Zollverein coal mine in the town of Essen to the point where it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is known as “the most beautiful coal mine in the world”. Re-imagining the massive former blast furnace Duisburg-Nord to become a ‘landscape park’ with outdoor activities such as rock climbing, mountain bike trails, and an after dark light show. Restoring the Emscher River to its natural state (once considered to be the most polluted river in Germany). The Ruhr region was selected as the “European Capital of Culture” by the European Union in 2010, representing the first time an industrial region (rather than a city) was awarded that title. The Ruhr region has seen a 10% year on year tourism growth in bed nights in recent years, and a 49% tourism growth from 2000-2010 (well above the German average of 29% for the same period). Ruhr Industrial Tourism - Relevance to RTO 3
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Industrial tourism offers unique opportunities for a region to differentiate its tourism offerings. Rebranding and marketing of industrial heritage and sites can result in significant tourism assets for a region. Architecture, landscapes, and machinery are three of the main industrial assets associated with industrial tourism. Investing in partnerships and collaborations with arts and culture industries are key industries to lead the transformation of industrial sites into significant tourism assets.
Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Final Report
6.2 Stratford Perth County Culinary Tourism Stratford, Ontario The Stratford Perth County region in Southwestern Ontario is one of Ontario’s hot sports for food and culinary tourism. The region has a long history of agriculture being home to Ontario’s oldest farmers markets operating since 1855. New initiatives within the past 20 years have built on the region’s agricultural heritage and significant live theatre industry, helping define Stratford Perth County as a leader in the culinary tourism world. Momentum around culinary tourism in Stratford reached a strong crescendo in 2008 with the launch of the Savour Stratford Perth County Culinary Festival. The annual weekend festival celebrates local cuisine, talented chefs, and passionate food producers, attracting 25,000-30,000 people annually and generating an estimated $4.2 million for the local economy over the course of the two day event. The festival builds on other significant culinary developments in the Stratford Perth County region, including a world renowned training program at the Stratford Chefs School, access to local farm and agricultural experiences, and a national reputation for culinary creativity represented by some of the finest restaurants in Canada. The momentum for culinary tourism and local food in Stratford Perth County continues to grow with plans for a new local brewery, new walking and farm tour experiences (one of which integrates artistic creations using agricultural products such as hay), a new chefs’ collective, and a new harvest festival all in the planning stages. Stratford Perth County is an excellent example of how an agricultural region has built on its agriculture and farming heritage to create a modern and successful tourism experience centred on food.
Stratford Perth County Culinary Tourism - Relevance to RTO 3
Build on already existing cultural tourism experiences in the region. Understand what visitor types are present in those industries and what other types of experiences can be introduced to compliment what they are already participating in.
Create opportunities for the culinary community to come together and collaborate. Encourage cooperation and identify opportunities for culinary groups to work together to promote the culinary assets in the region.
Starting with one or two main culinary events can have major spin off effects in building a broader culinary tourism experience for a region, with significant economic impacts.
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6.3 Māori Aboriginal Tourism in New Zealand Location: Multiple Communities in New Zealand The Māori people are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. The Māori arrived in New Zealand in the 13th Century from nearby Polynesian Islands, and developed a unique cultural heritage in the following centuries. Today, the Māori are known internationally for many of their diverse cultural practices, such as face and body tattooing, kapa haka performances (warrior dance), and the traditional hāngī (feasts cooked in an earth oven). It is estimated that roughly 80% of New Zealand’s 2.7 million international tourists experience at least one Māori cultural activity during their visit. The Māori people are distributed throughout both islands of New Zealand. One of the largest Māori centres is in the community of Rotorua, where nearby constructed Māori villages and an abundance of cultural activities are easily accessible. While Rotorua is a centre of Māori tourism, the “Māori brand” is emerging throughout many other communities throughout the country, and is redefining itself in new, modern ways not necessarily related to traditional cultural tourism, such as whale-watching tours, urban Māori experiences, kayaking, jet boating, and glacier guiding. The New Zealand Māori Tourism Council is a large reason that the Māori people are taking on a larger role in New Zealand’s tourism44. The Council’s role is to influence investment decisions in Māori tourism, foster relationships within the industry, assist in policy development, and to develop strategies that encourage growth in Māori tourism. The Council has created a strategic plan to position the Māori culture as a core element of the New Zealand tourism experience (along with other outcomes45), identifying priority areas for focus, including:
Major Cities – Positioning Māori tourism at the heart of urban tourism and marketing
strategies. Events – Incorporating a distinctive Māori component into key national events. Regions – Promoting and enhancing the quality and number of regional Māori ventures. Conservation Land – Expressing Māori culture through high quality, high-yield tourism products connected to the land. Trade – Using Māori cultural values to support New Zealand trade promotions overseas.
44 The Council is made up of a number of regional Māori tourism organizations, representing more than 200 Māori businesses. 45 Other indicators include increasing visitor numbers for Māori tourism businesses, increasing yields for Māori tourism operators, increasing business capability within the Māori tourism sector, among others.
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New Zealand’s Māori culture is the second largest experiences motivator (behind ‘landscapes’) for tourists that visit New Zealand. Māori people are engaged at a comparable rate to non-Māori people in the tourism sector, with the rate of growth in the industry faster for Māori compared to non- Māori. Māori Aboriginal Tourism in New Zealand - Relevance to RTO 3
Aboriginal experiences can play a very significant role in the tourism offerings of a region or country. Visitors (international visitors in particular) are interested in experiencing authentic and new cultures as a motivator or addition to an already planned trip.
A coordinating body is an important component of creating a broader Aboriginal tourism identity in a region or country. Developing tourism assets in multiple geographic areas and tying them all together is an important strategy in sharing the
6.4 Asheville, North Carolina Overnight Tourism Location: Asheville, North Carolina, USA Asheville is the largest city in the western part of North Carolina with a population of roughly 84,000 people (425,000 people in the Asheville Metropolitan Area). Tourism plays a significant role in the Asheville regional economy generating $1.5 billion in visitor spending, welcoming 9.1 million day and overnight visitors, and accounting for one in seven jobs in the County in 2012. Buncombe County (in which Asheville is located) imposes a 4% destination marketing fee (DMF) on all overnight room stays to generate funds for destination marketing and other tourism related responsibilities. This DMF was spearheaded by local accommodation providers in Buncombe County, and has increased over the past 20 years based on the needs for the fund. From this 4% DMF, 1% is reserved for a Tourism Product Development Fund (TPDF), which is a specially marked fund used for the sole purpose of driving more overnight patronage in the city of Asheville and Buncombe County. The TPDF is available to both for profit and not for profit organizations, with the goal of increasing overnight patronage being the most important criteria for successful funding distribution46. Since its beginnings in 2001, the TPDF has generated almost $15 million in funding that has gone to support 16 community projects that have contributed to
46 Projects judged by a TPDF committee of nine people, and then a recommendation is made to the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority for a final decision.
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increasing the patronage of accommodations in the County. Examples of funded projects include47:
The John B. Lewis Soccer Complex The Grove Arcade A Bonsai Garden at the North Carolina Arboretum The Asheville Visitor Center The Buncombe County Civil War Trails
Some projects the TPDF has funded are directly attributable to securing major sporting events and conferences in the Asheville area, generating thousands of room nights for each event. The results from the TPDF and marketing efforts in the County have played a significant role in the upward trend for overnight stays in accommodations in the Asheville area. Room demand rose 3% between 2012 and 2011, while occupancy rates increased from 62.8% to 64.4% in the same period. It is expected that occupancy rates in 2014 will top the record high of 66.8% (recorded in 2007). Total accommodation spending in Asheville increased by 8.4% between 2011 and 2012.
Asheville, North Carolina Overnight Tourism - Relevance to RTO 3
The accommodation sector is willing and capable of creating and leading unique solutions to drive more overnight visitation to a region.
Narrowing in on the goal to focus on overnight visitation helps to ensure that efforts are always dedicated to the highest impact actions.
Continual addition of new product keeps a destination vibrant. Having formal mechanisms for new product to be developed on a regular basis is critical.
47 It is interesting to note that more than half of the awarded TPDF funds have gone to the City of Asheville owned or affiliated projects.
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7 Recommendations Discovering Ontario – A Report on the Future of Tourism, was a comprehensive review of Ontario’s Tourism Industry, in 2009. It recommended the establishment of a provincewide regional tourism structure through the creation of 13 regional tourism organizations (RTOs) to better position Ontario to realize the full economic potential of the tourism industry. Hamilton Halton Brant regions are the geographic areas what makes up RTO 3 and established an industry taskforce to establish the organization. Once incorporated the organization is now legally called Hamilton Halton Brant Regional Tourism Association (HHBRTA). One of the first actions of the newly formed group was to develop a strategy. Regional Tourism Organization 3: A Three Year Regional Strategy was launched in 2010 to be in force from 2011 to 2014. In 2014, the time arrived to review that strategy, build on the successes of the past three years as well as recognize changes in the industry and set the direction going forward to 2018. RTO 3’s Regional Tourism Strategy made a number of recommendations with actions identified to implement them. Like the ‘Discovering Ontario” Report, these actions were organized under four pillars: Work Together; Set Standards for Success; Invest Wisely and Reach Out. Also following the provincial strategy, the overall goal was that the tourism sector would act as a significant economic driver by 2020.
7.1 What changes are there in provincial policy? Since 2009 the Ministry has supported the tourism industry through a variety of programs that help to implement the Discovering Ontario recommendations. This support has focused on five key areas: Implementing the Regional Tourism Approach and supporting the formation of the RTOs; developing a Tourism Investment Strategy; conducting research to support the regions and leveraging other opportunities to support tourism e.g. Federal, Provincial , Territorial relations). For the past five years, MTCS has focused on implementing key recommendations from Discovering Ontario. It is now also reviewing its strategy. In spring 2014, the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO), in partnership with the Ministry, is conducting consultations with its members and stakeholders in the broader industry, on the current status of the recommendations. The review will include the identification and prioritization of approximately five recommendations and supporting opportunities for continued implementation by both industry and government. At the time of writing this report, the results of this review process are unknown, but the MTCS continues to be dedicated to the regional tourism approach and assisting the regional tourism organizations.
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In support of this regional approach the Ministry has committed to continue to provide $40 million annually in funding to support the regional tourism organizations (RTOs). A new funding model introduced in 2013, ensures that each RTO has sustainable base funding with the opportunity to receive additional funding based on the region’s industry performance founded on historical data; as well as additional funds where the RTO can show partnership funding in support of their activities. This guaranteed base funding provides the RTOs with additional tools to encourage more partnerships, strategic coordination and to leverage regional resources.
7.2 What changes have taken place in the Ontario tourism sector? Ontario residents continue to account for the majority of Ontario tourism visits (85%) and spending for the Province (62%). Consequently, there is a need to differentiate one region from another by building strong brands for individual Ontario destinations. The unique assets and value proposition of each region must be promoted so that the Ontario traveller is enticed to visit. Other primary markets for Ontario are Quebec and close U.S. states, particularly New York. There has been a relative decline in recent years, in the number of U.S. visitors due to the economic downturn there as well as the effects of currency rates; passport requirements and security threats which have kept U.S. citizens in their home country. However, the overseas visitor market is growing in Ontario particularly visitors from emerging markets, including China, Hong Kong and India. International travellers have been encouraged to visit Ontario by the ease of access through Toronto’s transportation hub. There are also evolving opportunities with ethnic population centres, diverse cultures and the new Canadian market. Preliminary results for 2012 are encouraging for the industry, showing an increase in visits to Ontario by 2.3% over 2011 to 142 million and an increase in Ontario tourism receipts. 48 The Ontario government is encouraging the RTOs and the industry to develop new products and enhance existing products, including exploring opportunities to support Aboriginal Tourism experiences in the future.49 All of these changes within Ontario’s tourism sector are reflected at the local level in the RTO 3 region.
48 Ontario Tourism Competitiveness Study Discovering Ontario Recommendations 49 Ontario Tourism Competitiveness Study Discovering Ontario Recommendations
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7.3 What has changed locally at the regional level? Travel trends to the Hamilton, Halton Brant region mirror the provincial trends as the majority of visitors (94%) were from residents of Ontario and they accounted for 82% of the spending. U.S. visitors account for 3% of visits and overseas visitors 1%. Within the region, visits were mainly to Hamilton and Halton and in 2011 came principally from Toronto, Niagara and Waterloo. 62.3% of those visits were to friends and relatives. The top activities were outdoor and sports related. The accommodation sector has not been actively engaged with the RTO 3 activities and the survey undertaken as part of this review indicates that their focus is different, as it is on the corporate traveller and group (sports) not the leisure traveller. Going forward RTO 3 should encourage their participation by developing value added products in partnership with the accommodation establishments. The Hamilton Halton Brant region boasts the largest First Nations population in Canada, living both on and off the reservation. The Six Nations Tourism office has just recently developed a cultural tourism strategy and is talking to the RTO about ways in which they could assist e.g. by creating the experience package linking the Six Nations tourism assets together. This focus is one which is being encouraged generally by the province. Identifying the RTO 3’s unique tourism assets is important to differentiate the area in the minds of the Ontario tourist. The top activities are outdoor pursuits but there is growing interest in other areas e.g. Industrial Heritage Tourism and Agri-business/culinary tourism. As a next step, research will need to be undertaken to understand these potential market opportunities and the resources needed to exploit them. RTO 3, like the other RTOs in Ontario, is now a more mature organization having gone through the development of a governance structure and established operating principles. They have some experience and success in product development and now have a sustainable funding model from the Ministry which allows them to develop a stronger and more coordinated approach to their activities. Their relationship with other industry partners is crucial as their mandate is to add value to their activities and not duplicate existing initiatives. Collaboration with these partners is encouraged by the funding model provided by the province. Stakeholder consultations indicate that there is a lack of understanding of the role of the RTO and their mandate in relation to their industry partners. There is also willingness, particularly by the DMOs, to be more involved in product development and initiatives at an earlier stage. A communications plan to clarify mandates, roles and responsibilities would be a solution to promoting a better understanding and potentially increased collaboration between all groups. Performance metrics being introduced at the provincial level need to be reflected at the regional level. Participation by the whole industry, including the accommodation sector, is needed to understand the complete regional tourism sector. The development of a complete picture would be significantly improved by the inclusion of the accommodation
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sector in the reporting process. The RTO’s mandate is to increase the number of overnight stays and thereby increase the economic impact of tourism to the region. To create the regional experience and increase visitor rates the RTO has to play a leading role in linking tourism assets across the Hamilton Halton Brant region. This will also strengthen the unique value proposition of the area and the development of the ‘Heart of Ontario’ brand. The revised strategy should take all of the consultation feedback into account with the latest industry research. The principle recommendations are summarized in the table below. All have associated actions in order to implement them which are incorporated into the Action Plan.
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7.4 Recommendations for Consideration
Communications Plan
New Markets/Products
New Tools and Tactics
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7.5 Vision Statement and 2015-18 Tourism Strategic Direction The original regional tourism strategy launched in 2010 defined a vision statement; goals for the organization and operating principles. Operating Principles
To achieve stated goals, RTO 3 will follow a set of operating principles as follows. RTO 3 will:
VISION RTO 3’s area will be recognized as a compelling tourism destination and tourism as a significant economic driver by 2020.
build on RTO 3 investments to date, with a firm eye on the future; GOALS undertake initiatives that supplement, not replace, existing Increasing the efforts of sub-regional DMOs and other organizations active proportion of in tourism such as Chambers of Commerce; overnight visitors; take a long-term view with the recognition that in some increasing the cases, tactics and initiatives require multi-year commitments number of same day before returns on investment are realized or measurable; visitors and adopt a product life-cycle portfolio approach that recognizes increasing the yield the value of mature experiences/products, supports product per visitor. that are generating growth and actively nurtures new and emerging tourism products and experiences; focus on ‘best-bet’ opportunities that are grounded in fact and an objective assessment of the potential; design and execute innovative marketing tactics to drive new, incremental visits and spending; maintain laser focus, using tactics that are measurable and that contribute to the end goal of increasing tourism receipts to the region as a whole; and create partnership opportunities, whenever appropriate, to generate net income to the RTO 3 organization.
All of these foundational statements are broad and developed to be achieved in the long term. There is also alignment between the RTO 3’s vision and that of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport who is the organization’s principle funder. The strategic direction of the revised strategy will not change significantly, although the new action plan reflects the input from stakeholders and industry partners; changes in the tourism industry as well as builds on the successes achieved to date by RTO 3 as a result of implementing the original strategy. The new action plan is organized, as in the original strategy, within the original four pillars of the ‘Discovering Ontario’ Report. The column on the right of the action plan contains the new actions, in green, coming from the recommendations. Before implementation of the suggested action plan an assessment must be made by the RTO 3 staff to determine the priorities that can be operationalized and resourced.
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The priorities will be identified in the organization’s yearly Business Plan which is developed as a requirement to secure provincial funding will be annually approved by HHBRTA Board of Directors. The Action Plan that follows is suggested for consideration to help with the organization’s determination of priorities for the Business Planning process.
A. Work Collaboratively
Goals
Objectives
Action Items A1. Develop a strategy to engage the accommodation sector to ensure all regional indicators recorded.
Building industry capacity to deliver economic growth by:
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Improving organizational governance and administration; Increasing strategic alignment through quality industry communications; Delivering, analyzing, and utilizing relevant industry data & research; Focusing on communications efforts to increase awareness and recognition.
Collect Tourism Indicators Across All Sectors
A2. Report performance metrics to industry partners on a regular basis. A3. Facilitate the collection and dissemination of regional tourism data to partners. A4. Identify the resources that the RTO 3 would need to complete A1-A3.
Take the Lead Role for Building Awareness and Recognition of Tourism as Economic Driver at Regional Level
Enhance Market Intelligence Across the Region
A4. Develop a communications plan to clarify the role of the RTO and its relationship with DMOs to stakeholders and industry partners. A5. Report on industry performance at a regional level to raise the profile of the industry.
A6. Investigate buying tourism data on behalf of the region and making it available to partners. Determine the use of the data by partners before buying and understand the resources needed by RTO3 to complete.
Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Final Report
B. Set Standards for Success Goals
Objectives
Action Items B1. Organize training for frontline accommodation staff as identified in consultation sessions.
Planning for success by:
Taking a more strategic approach to labour market development; Delivering superior customer service through setting minimum quality standards
Develop the Tourism Workforce by Facilitating Access to Existing Training and Development Opportunities
Prepare RTO 3’s Tourism Sector for Ontario’s Diverse and Aging Population
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B2. Continue to look for and identify future training needs. Work with the labour boards and workforce development groups to advance the tourism sector as a career opportunity. B3. Organize workshops on new emerging markets at the local level e.g. new Canadians.
C. Invest Wisely
Goals
Maximizing our investment potential by:
Focusing efforts on product development and innovation; Creating an environment to encourage new investment attraction and retention; Taking advantage of festivals and events to create the ‘travel now’ message
Objectives
Create an Environment that Fosters New Investment
C1. Continue to work in collaboration with EDOs and the province to attract tourism investment and promote the region. C2. Assist in identifying gaps in infrastructure which would improve the region’s tourism sector and create linkages to connect partners.
Provide the Tourism Voice at Regional Planning Discussions
C3. Continue to promote tourism interests within the region by being at the table when discussions take place about local tourism initiatives.
Champion Linkages to Other RTO Regions
C4. Identify projects where a cross-regional approach would be beneficial to enhance visitor experience.
Maintain Database of Regional Demand Generators
C5. Continue to maintain database of regional demand generators in order to understand regional capacity.
Focus First on Developing and Selling New Overnight Experiences Targeting the Leisure Traveller
C6. Identify partners e.g. accommodation sector, and new markets to explore, in developing overnight packages.
Develop Regional Itineraries by Means of Travel and by Travel Interest
C7. New markets identified include: Agri-tourism; Culinary; Cycling; Live Music; Toronto residents without cars, ethnic population centres.
Facilitate the Development of Two New Regional Events at Need Times of Year
C8. Remove from action plan due to lack of resources and potential duplication with other stakeholders.
Nurture Legacies from Milestone Events
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Action Items
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C9. As a high priority plan for new milestone events e.g. Canada’s 150th Birthday, 2017
D. Reach Out
Goals
Objectives
Action Items D1. Develop strong regional value proposition to compete with other regions of Ontario for visitors.
Market Strategically, using Bold and Innovative Tactics
D2. Explore opportunities arising from the Pan Am games to attract international visitors. D3. Continue with nontraditional marketing and build on success so far.
Provide Travellers with a Suite of Exceptional Visitor Information Services and Tools
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Cluster Existing Experiences In New Combinations To Create New Appeal and Demand
D4. Coordinate pilots projects to determine workability of developing packages around themes and bring regional assets together as one experience e.g. agri-tourism; industrial heritage.
Customize Tools and Tactics by Market Segment
D5. Identify priority market segments and develop specific tools and strategies to address those markets.
Adopt Best Practices for an Enriched and Dynamic Web Presence
D6. Continue to develop the website and encourage visitors to use the site.
Use Compelling Time-Sensitive Offers for Near Markets
D7. Identify industry partners to work with to develop offers.
Facilitate Efforts to Pursue Meetings and Conferences Beyond the Capacity of Single Centres
D8. Remove from action plan as there has been no industry demand and is potentially duplication with partners.
Extend Reach of ‘The Heart of Ontario’ Brand
D9. Develop communications plan within regional industry to ensure all partners are aware of the brand and monitor the potential.
Millier Dickinson Blais: RTO 3 Regional Tourism Strategy Final Report
D10. Continue to promote regional focus at provincial and federal level. Adopt a Regional Focus in Provincial and National Initiatives
D11. Participate in provincial strategy consultation process through TIAO.
Actively Link the Commercial Sector to Leisure Opportunities
D12. Facilitate the development of regional deals and discounts.
Continuously Enhance Way-Finding
D13. Continue work as part of the provincial steering group.
Provide Travellers with a Suite of Exceptional Visitor Information Services and Tools
D14. Collaborate with DMOs and other industry partners to ensure maximum distribution of regional information, continually update distribution lists. D15. Develop new information for new products on an ongoing basis.
Facilitate On-Line Booking in the Region
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D16. The development of a booking engine or online reservations system was brought up throughout the consultation process. The feasibility of the RTO developing this engine should be investigated taking into account an assessment of TICO compliance and a definition of ‘booking engine’. The support that could be received from the industry should also be confirmed, in order to make a final decision.
Appendix A Brant Consultation Summary Brant Consultation Notes Key Messages
Outreach to the grassroots operators needs more attention. Build relationships one
on one with them. There is great support for the RTO and some of the campaigns they have run (i.e. Sportsmen’s Show, guerilla marketing at Union Station). There are new markets that need more attention (the “wheelless”, newcomer, schools), and new techniques needed to interact with them (standing out at tradeshows, “backdoor marketing”). Come together as a region more and create regional deals and discounts that smaller operators can pass on to their customers. Strong potential for culinary/agri-tourism in the region. Sell the region in a bundled way create packages of experiences that incorporate many different operators in the region (i.e. bike in the morning, lunch at a restaurant, raft in the afternoon). Keep proving the value of the RTO to get buy-in from partners.
Action Items
None mentioned.
Notes from the Consultation Challenges
Stakeholders are largely unaware of what the RTO does.
Has been a lot of progress in the past year through events and other outreach. On the right track, just keep sharing information. Grassroots level needs more communication directed to them. RTO 101 sessions needed.
Connectivity to the grassroots has a ways to go. Bring people together, feed them. E-blasts, going to their places of business.
Personal follow-up phone call critical to being successful. Always the same faces at meetings. Build on existing meetings (i.e. District 7, museum, others) to incorporate RTO content. Knock on doors and build relationships.
Never heard of the Heart of Ontario brand before now. Brant County residents don’t really even know what is available in the local area.
Some operators don’t even market locally.
Successes
Relationships are germinating and starting to work well. Doing a great job. Guerilla marketing at Union Station in Toronto was good, partnerships at the Sportsmen’s Show. Amendments
Important to think about the “wheelless” market in Toronto. People that don’t have cars but want to come out and explore.
Garth is doing a pilot to bring people out on a coach bus for the day to explore the area for nine hours.
Round up the “street smart” people and form a committee to direct tourism planning. People that have experience on the ground taking the steering wheel. Interaction at the trade shows is different today.
Look at a different way to get people to physically interact in the booth. i.e. Set-up a raft in the booth to attract people. While the kids are jumping up and down in the raft, the parents are there to talk and learn. Coupon concept doesn’t seem to be working.
How much work is being directed towards the group tour trade?
Focus of the RTO is on selling core experiences. Group tour is duplication with what the DMO’s are doing. RTO role is very niche pursue the operators that have established distributions and target them to develop product for them to promote. The RTO does work closely with the OTMPC on how to expand distribution further afield.
Newcomer market
India, Pakistan, Vietnamese etc.
“Backdoor Marketing Experience”
When the group is on a raft, you have their undivided attention for 5 hours. Great opportunity to spread the message of things to do in the area.
New Directions/Gaps/Opportunities
Completion of the Brock Trail system.
Connects to Port Dover, and the Trans Canada Trail Hard to track the use of trails Not being marketed extensively right now
Cycle friendly marketing. Easily a dozen cycling events in the County of Brant.
Need to leverage those and mine them for information. Opportunity there to leverage a market that is already here. Help build the development of businesses along the trail.
Need to come together more, create a global assistance mentality where partners can promote each other. Grassroots organizations want to be a part of bigger packages, but don’t know how or have trouble with it.
i.e. Coupon code to direct visitors to make accommodation bookings in the area for the computer museum. Where to eat, etc., all listed on the computer museum website. Computer museum doesn’t have the numbers necessarily to get a discount, but what if all attractions in the county came together. Partners are currently making these connections on their own (i.e. go directly to the hotel and make the partnerships). Discounts for accommodation and food. Good to coordinate with the Brantford DMO.
Where does culinary and agri-tourism fit for the region? (Asked by Maria)
Huge opportunity, but a good amount of background work is still needed. Do the farmers want people to come, what do people expect to see on a farm, etc.? People might not necessarily know what they want. Sales pitch needed to the farmers. Huge potential for culinary tourism. New certifications that the Culinary Tour Alliance has for restaurants. Chef’s Challenge at events. Norfolk County has a huge Eat and Drink event. Inventory does exist in Brant County for culinary tourism. Really important to have product available all year round.
Need a workshop for partners on how to run pilot programs.
What do you need to consider, how do you do it?
Look at the educational market. The Monday-Friday market.
School field trips. www.schoolshow.ca
Develop packages that tie in together with each other.
i.e. start the day touring the computer museum, have lunch at a restaurant, go rafting in the afternoon.
What can you do for the RTO?
Grassroots groups don’t have much connectivity with the RTO. Larger stakeholders have more exposure and connectivity. Put together some packages.
Hike, bike, and raft
Have to cater programming for overnight visitors to account for a more inactive population.
Want to have a good time, not a sore time. Two days of rafting might not be the best, but maybe one day of rafting, one day of hiking.
What can the RTO do for you?
For some sectors, the RTO needs to work a bit harder and extend the reach a bit further to get the buy-in. Keep it simple lots of lead time and no jargon.
Many grassroots operators are one person operations. They don’t have time to get too involved. Really need to prove the value of partnering with the RTO that much more.
One of the problems stakeholders have is to all get together and communicate with each other.
Create more opportunities to bring tourism interests together.
Knock on the doors and build relationships with tourism operators.
As modern as we are, you can’t ever replace that personal connection.
Marketing
Some awareness. Not seeing marketing campaigns directed at the general public. Considerable effort is being directed to the outfitters and stakeholders to take them and then market to the consumer.
RTO e-marketing blasts show operators what the RTO is doing to promote the region to consumers. Consumer e-blasts go out directly to consumers (about 16,000 people in the distribution).
Signature tourism packages are too expensive.
Bringing a minority of people with dollars.
Heart of Ontario website is not friendly to navigate.
Appendix B Halton Consultation Summary Halton Consultation Notes Key Messages
Involve the accommodations sector more (promotions, engagement). Build the business case for why operators would partner with the RTO (what is in it for me?). Measure performance metrics and communicate those back to partners regularly. Food/Culinary tourism presents a good opportunity for future direction (partner with the Ontario Culinary Tour Alliance. Work with the DMO’s to create partnerships with the smaller operators in the region.
Action Items
A meeting with the DMO’s to help inform the strategy. Send questions from this session out in a survey to get a broader sectorial representation.
Notes from the Consultation Challenges
Rural areas of the RTO region don’t have the same access to the benefits need more buy-in from businesses in these areas e.g. Milton and Halton Hills.
Need to involve more hotels and accommodations.
Objective is to increase overnight visitors in the region.
Getting the tourism businesses involved.
Products for them to engage with to achieve buy-in. Woodbine Racetrack one example of a group that could create packages. Bigger operators need to understand “what’s in it for me?” Smaller groups struggle more with the cost of developing packages.
Provincial and municipal organizations are receiving the top billing and focus.
Smaller private groups not showcased as much (they have smaller budgets to use).
Keep the focus on what is unique to the area.
Zeppelin rides/transportation Water activity on the lake. Transport from bigger centres to the region by water. Electric bike route.
Provide a clear definition of a tourist, and share that definition with partners.
Small tourism businesses might not even see themselves as a tourism provider.
Performance metrics
Communicate these metrics partners to measure success from specific events.
Re-engage tourism groups within the region.
Strong push at the beginning, but less so after that.
Continue to build the “Heart of Ontario” brand. It still has a ways to go. Confusing because there are a lot of players in the game. Location of RTO meetings sometimes very inconvenient. Successes
Marketing
Connecting everyone through the internet.
Strong background research done to discover what is unique to the region. Focusing in on specific campaigns.
Red, White, and True Pan Am
Good example of getting partners to work together.
Leverage many voices.
Training has been strong. Amendments
More engagement with the accommodations sector.
Start showing the increase in business in the various areas.
Opportunity for further alignment with partners in the region.
Budgets and experience offerings.
Include more agri-tourism/food tourism “Pound the beat” 1 on 1’s with partners to explain the advantages of working together. Create connected routes/suggested itineraries. Have the attractions but not necessarily the ability to attract. New Directions/Gaps/Opportunities
A lot of major events could be packaged as overnight versus day trips. Work with the Ontario Culinary Tour Alliance
Create food opportunities for the region.
Everyone has different budget timelines and deadlines. It can be difficult to get everyone together to get things done.
Step back and to see what is working Filter information to all partners (smaller ones sometimes left out) Opportunities come up after budgets have been set
Connect product between the Regions.
First Nations groups as an intermediary.
What can you do for the RTO?
Use partners to make calls and be a cheerleader. What can the RTO do for you?
Host events broadly throughout the region.
Especially big ones.
Board members can be good resources for partners to communicate with directly. Have experiences/events go to the right partners. Connect other groups to the accommodation sector.
Especially around online reservations.
Focus on the grassroots as the next phase of the strategy.
Smaller, independent operators.
Let’s see the numbers
Keep communicating the numbers to partners Watch the numbers grow over time Other, simple metrics that show progress are also important (such as web traffic) Helps get new partners and make the case of “what’s in it for you?”
Collaborative opportunity with the DMO’s and the RTO to bring in the grassroots/smaller operators.
Information opportunities (online?) Helps with the communication strategy to keep things simple.
Communicate with the RTO to collaborate so duplication doesn’t happen. A meeting with the DMO’s to help inform the strategy. Send questions from this session out in a survey to get a broader sectorial representation. Marketing
Not everyone is aware of the RTO 3 marketing. Focus on why we want to attract, how to do it, and who to target. How to access tourism funding and how it gets distributed.
Especially for small operators.
Appendix C Hamilton Consultation Summary Hamilton Consultation Notes Key Messages
Confusion around the roles of the RTO and the DMO and how they work together and can help operators. More alignment needed (social media one example).
DMO’s could use support from the RTO in creating an online image library.
Focus on metrics and communicating those to partners. Culinary tourism a great opportunity that partners would like to see developed more. Opportunities are growing to include the music industry and the arts in the RTO’s focus. A booking engine would be fantastic to make it easy to learn and book packages. Majority of partners in the room agreed. Training for frontline accommodation workers in the region’s offerings would be very helpful. There is a need to focus on creating more packages (group bus tours require developed packages).
Action Items
None mentioned Notes from the Consultation Challenges
Need for a flexible training program (culinary, etc.). Create modules to get certified in a variety of areas, all accumulating to a designation or certification.
Mohawk College used to have a program like this.
Lack of events
Downtown Hamilton BIA are running events all the time, but are having trouble being able to register (i.e. loading them) them for marketing on the Ontario website.
Confusion exists on how to register an event online.
The Sportsmen Show didn’t seem like it was really the target outdoor audience.
Would be worth looking at the Outdoor Show as a more appropriate venue.
Looking at the goals of the strategy, what are the outcomes?
Put the metrics up there, and then revisit the goals to see if they are still where we want them to be.
Issues around the coordination, follow-up, number of calls booked for a sales mission to Western New York. The website is difficult to load images on.
Not enough parameters around the size and shape of images to make it user friendly. i.e. automatically size and zip down to the size you want, it would be helpful.
Getting everyone to understand the role of the RTO and the DMO. Getting better, but can be confusing. Successes
The Red White and True campaign has been fantastic.
Tracking the redemption of coupons, that piece tracked 2-3 times higher than any other coupon. Red White and True passport far exceeded previous efforts.
Amendments
Include culinary experiences in the strategy.
Hamilton has food trucks, eat local Engage with Ontario Culinary Tourism Association. Needs to be wrapped around product development piece. RTO could lead the charge around the culinary development piece and have the DMO’s buy-in to the service or product development.
Nice to see that the “arts” are included in the strategy.
Big win for Hamilton
Include the music industry
Brand new music strategy, Province is all over it.
The funding model is something to think about.
The IPP fund (is a different acronym now) from OTMPC
Has to be directed at US marketing only. Started with the CTC pulling out of the US markets and focusing on the international. Caused the shift for the OTMPC to focus on the US market.
New Directions/Gaps/Opportunities
A lot of people come to the Hamilton waterfront, and want to know what to do. Visitors go to a destination that is free, and want information.
Tourism Hamilton has built a marketing campaign to help put materials in public spaces. Visitor amenities and services need more focus. This isn’t in the RTO’s mandate at all. Seen as duplication to what the visitor centres are doing. The RTO ensures the centres have the collateral/promotional material. Do supply the OTIC’s with materials as well. Great for the RTO to connect with partners and inform them when new materials come out.
Image library
Investigate software to house images. DMO’s need support in this. RTO could set up the framework for this, with the DMO’s contributing financially.
Need a booking engine
Many participants agree that this is a key gap for the area. Need to have packages that are bookable, that are track able, and that are driving overnight stays for the region. Enables the consumer. Software exists that doesn’t redirect to partner sites. Can do the booking right there and then, all together. Concern from the group that the accommodation sector might veto the idea, where benefit could be felt by other tourism partners.
Some confusion as to the brand for the Nature Unexpected brand.
Website is Our True Nature, but the brand is called Nature Unexpected.
Education opportunities for the front line accommodation workers that guests talk to most often and directly.
i.e. hotel reception/concierge Training seminar would be important. There was a day when used to do concierge/frontline cross-regional FAM tours. Even a quick fact sheet/insider guide would be helpful.
Needs to be more alignment through the social media strategies between the DMO’s and the RTO’s.
Are they forming a larger group? Connecting through hashtags.
What can you do for the RTO?
No comments What can the RTO do for you?
Collaborative opportunities to get more funding/money.
Leverage each other to get a little bit more on the table by bringing everyone together.
Leverage tourism providers to bring a new product to market.
Hard for some operators to package things. Either don’t have the knowledge, or the budget.
Help drive tourism to the area. Opportunities to package, especially overnight.
Group tours hinge on the need to package. Bring together stakeholders to see how those packages could be formed, as well as develop a route map of partnerships the RTO thinks would be good between the different stakeholders.
Marketing
Collecting metrics and share them back to the stakeholders.
Currently in the plans by the RTO to share them back.
RTO 3’s advertising agency is a great asset. They are doing great work.
Ad agency is called “Loud and Clear”
Appendix D Six Nations Consultation Summary SIX NATIONS CONSULTATION WEDNESDAY APRIL 2nd 2014
Key Messages
Original strategy had only three or four mentions of First Nations. Consultation group were not involved in the development of the original strategy. Action Items How can the RTO 3 work with Six Nations?
Six Nations need administrative support in making funding applications RTO 3 to help with roadside signage. TOD from the Highway. Itinerary development e.g. two day experience, bring Six Nations assets together. Grand River – other RTOs have capacity to link into First Nations experience. RTO 1, 3 and 4 are all investing $s.
Advocacy for Ministry support. Ministry should take into account that RTO3 has the largest First Nations reservation in the country but no overnight facilities. The Ministry is pushing to educate Canadians about First Nations history to there has to be help to the Six Nations to achieve this. This would fit in with the RTO3 Investment Attraction actions.
Notes from the consultation Where are you now? Current Assets:
Largest First Nations community in the country and its history is connected to crown loyalty.
Tourism is evolving; it is in the early stages. Tourism and Culture master plan is being developed. Must have buy-in from the traditional community.
Local arts community are developing an artist’s market once a month. This is new and motivated by the artists
Woodlands Cultural Centre is a stellar facility. They have a residential school and have day tours for schools, mainly High School. Reflects a change in the Ontario curriculum to focus on aboriginal culture and history. They don’t need the help of the RTO but as they attract 100s of visitors could help promote other attractions and give support back to the Six Nations. Overnight stays are not their focus as accommodation in Six Nations is limited. Bear Inn has only 12 rooms and is often fully booked.
Legacy Consortium is trying to bring everyone together. This is the only way that the Six Nations can work with the RTO. Six Nations conditioned to be fragmented and to fight. Partnerships outside the community are important as they want to reach that audience.
Chiefswood Museum. People usually have a specific interest in coming to Chiefswood and an interest in Pauline Johnston. They need to connect with other sites to create a fuller program for the tourist. They are organizing a Woman’s Literature Conference.
Paddlesong – one woman show Pageant is outdoor theatre set in an amphitheatre at the end of July and August. It has been going for 65 years and now only attracts the diehards.
Speedway/Raceway
Smokes and gas
Library has a good collection Tourism Centre with the hiking trail behind. Community Farmer’s Market has a local education program. Pow Wow, one off annual event. RTO 3 participated last year to promote the region and double check marketing statistics. The biggest potential at the Pow Wow is the international audience, particularly Germany, France and England. The Germans want an authentic experience. With the European audience there is the opportunity to dispel the myth.
Sports Facilities Grand River e.g. Day of 1000 canoes Fall Fair 15 churches, some have historical interest Iroqcrafts
Who are the target audience?
Families Couples (arts and culture) People who go to sporting events also visit museums. (Doers and watchers) Pow Wow is a huge draw to attract people. How can we build on what is already there? Example: James Bay which offers the complete experience.
Experience
History
Culture
Education ‘Authenticity’
Where do we go from here?
Need to build on outreach e.g. singer at RBG, people going outside the community to attract visitors, promote Six Nations Tourism. This is a focus for the consortium to draw people.
Continue promotional efforts. There is room to grow in the summer. Need to build on the assets we already have, market them and make them tourism ready e.g. add facilities. It is all about experiences but not ‘Disneyland’, must be authentic. E.g. Long houses are not authentic.
Six Nations has its own branding, not Canadian so can’t buy in to Red, White and True campaign.
Assets need to be self-sustaining. External Opportunity There is a site, cultural house, at Fort George in Niagara on the Lake that represents a lot about the Six Nations. They want to create a structure there and export programming to that site. There are six or eight partners also involved promoting their sites. The project is due to start this summer. This will be aimed at a niche market aimed at people who are interested in culture and history. The problem is that opportunities are in different RTO areas. The RTO areas are artificial boundaries that do not line up with e.g. War of 1812. Strategy being developed
Appendix E DMO INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FIGURE 26 – DMO INTERVIEWEES LIST
Name
Position
Organization
Rebecca Edgar
Executive Director
Oakville Tourism Partnership
Susan Monarch Anna Bradford Nicole Drake John Davidson Pam Belgrade
Manager - Tourism Hamilton Director – Tourism & Culture Acting Manager – Tourism & Marketing Director – Economic Development Executive Director
Tourism & Culture Division – Planning and Economic Development Department, City of Hamilton Economic Development & Tourism, City of Brantford Regional Municipality of Halton Tourism Burlington
1. Were you involved in the development of the initial RTO 3 Strategy? Every interviewee indicated that they were involved in the development of the initial RTO 3 strategy. This involvement in each case was through participation in the original RTO 3 Board of Directors. Some interviewees indicated they played a lead role in the Board, and were a large part in forming the Board in the first place.
2. How do you work with the RTO 3? Do you collaborate on Strategy development, product development or marketing? The majority of interviewees are involved with RTO 3 through participation on the current Board of Directors. Interviewees also participate in various RTO 3 committees, such as the product development committee, the marketing committee, and the governance committee, as well as through other channels such as the Pan Am group and involvement in different RTO 3 campaigns.
Interviewees see collaboration with RTO 3 as a large priority in creating a vibrant tourism sector for the region.
3. What do you think has worked well and been accomplished? Interviewees think that a number of projects with RTO 3 have worked well: War of 1812 campaign worked well RTO can put together a major campaign and has the partners to boot RTO 3 is a strong leader on social media and outreach capabilities Anti-spam legislation an example of where RTO 3 could take the lead more RTO marketing pillars (consumer side of things) gave the DMO something to align itself with DMO’s can leverage dollars through RTO 3 to improve exposure in areas that the DMO’s are weak in Outdoor adventure campaign was a good example of being able to do a lot more with the RTO that the DMO’s couldn’t do on their own (i.e. packaging, online promotion, Sportsmen’s Show) The networking function of RTO 3 is important RTO 3 free training sessions hosting international visitors, customer service, packaging DMO’s don’t have to worry about taking on these sessions and can focus on encouraging partners to participate. Red, White, and True campaign is expanding and is doing well Great job on Pan Am taking the lead action plan, symposium, tool kit RTO is always very responsive and supportive if a DMO presents an opportunity, RTO wants to make it happen
4. In what other areas do you think you could work together? Interviewees see a number of other areas they would like to work more with the RTO on: Major events like the Juno’s Centralized booking make things easier for the consumer Put the booking engine idea to bed once and for all. Put the time in to do research and see if this is actually a good thing to do, and make a decision one way or the other.
Group tour packaging is really helpful bring leads to the DMO’s. Many DMO’s
stepping away from this because the RTO is moving into this realm. DMO should inform the RTO of events more in advance More frequent and easy communication from the RTO fill in the blanks and check boxes for quick responses Awareness of RTO staff and the BOD in the region Should make a point to visit the various regions in the RTO and learn what is out there like a FAM tour of the region for RTO staff RTO should leverage DMO staff relationships and knowledge. It is ok to ask for help. Need to understand what the strengths of the DMO’s are and figure out how to best incorporate them into what the RTO is doing. Ask for DMO contacts Support pieces for the DMO’s RTO could purchase the Smith reports on behalf of the DMO’s and allow access to make sure there is accurate, up-to-date information being shared Regional database that could be used to help populate the DMO websites. Would help partners to have to only update in one place, rather than 4 or 5 Database that partners could report their statistics (i.e. visitation #’s, occupancy, etc.). Would allow funders to have consistent information and only need to be done once. This is always a challenge getting this information from the partners. Information now is hit and miss depending on the partners. Verified system would be helpful.
5. What challenges have you experienced working with RTO 3? Interviewees have experienced a variety of challenges working with RTO 3: Feels like decisions have already been made by the RTO when bringing ideas to committee would like the process to be more collaborative for DMO’s to bring their input into the workings of the RTO DMO staff can help the RTO leverage local partners if they need something from them. Can raise the awareness of the value of the RTO. Need everyone to understand what their role is RTO staff are not supervisors for DMO staff. More focus on partnership Issues with the brand, “Hamilton, Halton, Brant” and the “Heart of Ontario”. Negative perception of Hamilton leading the brand. People don’t know what Brant is. Worthy of more discussion on ways forward.
RTO social media directs back to the RTO website, not the partner website. Better from
a consumer perspective to have it go direct to partners. Get to the RTO site and then have to dig through the site to find what looking for. DMO’s have to retweet and add information, which is time consuming. Would like to have a social media plan and discussion that the RTO’s and DMO’s have discussed and agreed upon. Trying to attract more private investment for the region that could offer product that would improve visitation in the area (i.e. a suspension bridge to connect the day-use and camping area of Bronte Creek Provincial Park could add a lot). Could be operated by a third-party. CN Tower Skywalk a good example of something to strive for. Sub-brands within the RTO 3 region are confusing and uneven Sometimes it’s a scramble to support campaigns, whereas bigger DMO’s don’t have this problem Would like to see the haves and the have-nots in terms of amount of tourism budget to be equalized more Close relationship of RTO with government representative in the area is difficult. Government rep. says “no” to new ideas a lot makes it challenging to talk with the RTO
6. What is the greatest benefit that you have had from working with RTO 3? Interviewees identified a number of benefits from working with RTO 3: Increased marketing and exposure DMO marketing budget isn’t there anymore, so the RTO is really helping with that Increased visibility of the region (especially in Tier 1 U.S. markets) RTO 3 is more nimble with social media Workforce development and training Opened up more networking opportunities Creates a connection back to the Ontario ministry plugged into a larger network of municipalities Involvement has created awareness of all the different initiatives in the region Increased the quality and imagery of the offerings for the region Strong RTO brand is good for the area by uniting the DMO’s together, rather than have them compete with each other
7. What ideas do you think should be considered in the revised Strategy? New ideas for the revised Strategy include: Sport tourism Lots of good facilities hockey, soccer, tournaments and annual events Customer service Group travel Agri-tourism Arts & Culture Cycling development is important more cycling packages and routes developed going throughout the whole region. Fishing and boating and birding are areas that could be pursued a bit more in the future. Lake Ontario has trophy sized salmon, and other good opportunities with creeks and rivers in the region. Product development and marketing needed. Culinary could be expanded. Some work on this happening already. Expand it across the entire region. Doors open events across the region could be good. Aboriginal product development. Focus could move away from Six Nations only to some of the other areas in the region (i.e. Crawford Lake, Brant County). Develop more signature experiences, and product development. 2017 is Canada’s 150th birthday RTO has a role in that through marketing, packages, promotions in the region. Ways to involve the accommodations sector more (centralized bookings would help) Our True Nature help with more products and packages
8. How do you think that the DMOs in general can work most successfully with the RTO 3? Some ideas on how the DMO’s can work most successfully with the RTO include: Focus on more communication Return on investment and other performance metrics, what the RTO is doing for the region, win-win relationships Work collaboratively to get the message across that it’s not an either or situation with the DMO and RTO. They need to both exist. Create clear boundaries between the DMO and RTO and build on each other (staffing & resources)
Demonstrate more wins back to partners Get RTO folks at different DMO meetings Have DMO staff sit on various RTO Committees High level of engagement from both sides It sometimes feels like the RTO is talking to the DMO’s, not partnering with them Help the DMO’s get a DMF Have more call-in options for meetings Give more time to getting industry to the table an outreach campaign is needed The RTO needs to engage the DMO more at the initial stages. Often information is presented to DMO’s after the fact (i.e. “Oh, by the way, we have a travel blogger coming to the region”). Engage the DMO’s in a timely way. Align major deadlines for RTO and DMO’s (i.e. Marketing plan for DMO has to be finalized by Sept, RTO finalizes it by January or so). Make sure the DMO’s feel part of the partnership (i.e. RTO would set up training sessions without asking the DMO what the best training sessions would be, or what the best dates would be). Share expertise more Drive traffic between the DMO and RTO more Ensure an equal representation of DMO’s in social media
9. Do you feel that a more formal communications strategy aimed at DMOs would be helpful? Every interviewee identified that it would be helpful for RTO 3 to have a formal communications strategy aimed at the DMO’s. In this way, DMO’s could stay knowledgeable and informed and help the DMO’s know what is expected of them. This communications plan would help the DMO’s align their budgets with the RTO. It is recognized, however, that it can be difficult to pin down dates far in advance for the RTO. A few communications ideas emerged from interviewees, including: Have a “In the next 60 days” type newsletter showing what is coming up for the RTO Create more peer-to-peer networking opportunities Round table or network Online communications exchange Not just managers, but connect all the various staff to each other (i.e. visitor center staff from one region can learn and share info with their peers in other regions)
