RTO 9 | South Eastern Ontario

⭐Important funding announcement- The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming has extended the application deadline for the Experience Ontario 2025 program, due to technical issues accessing the Transfer Payment Ontario portal to complete the online application. The ministry apologizes for these issues and has extended the deadline to ensure applicants have sufficient time to complete their applications. Applications will now be accepted until December 30, 2024, at 4 p.m. (EST). The Experience Ontario 2025 program provides support for festivals and events with a tourism economic impact to motivate visitors to rediscover Ontario, reconnect people with local experiences, and increase tourism spending. The program aims to support festivals or events in Ontario that will: ✅Offer programming encouraging people to travel, experience events in person and celebrate Ontario ✅Draw tourists and increase visitor spending through innovative programming in partnership with businesses and community partners ✅Provide job opportunities for Ontarians in the tourism, culture and entertainment sectors ✅Increase Ontario’s profile through media, social media or broadcast exposure Your festival or event must meet all the following requirements: 🎆 take place between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026, over a minimum of two consecutive days* and consist of a minimum of five hours of programming each day. 🎆Occur in the province of Ontario. Be open to the public at large without membership in a club or group. 🎆Previous year's attendance must include tourist attendance at 30% of overall attendance or 5,000 tourists. 🎆Have been held at least once in the previous three-year period. Follow all municipal and provincial guidelines, including health and safety guidelines. 🎆Submit expenses for your festival or event that are not solely related to marketing or media buys. 🍁*One-day tourism festivals or events held on Canada Day are eligible for funding. Important Links🔗 Download the Experience Ontario 2025 Guide: https://lnkd.in/gWVB-PKb Book a session with your Regional Development Advisor—Tourism, Ministry of Tourism Culture & Gaming, to review guidelines or discuss your event in the RTO 9 region. Find your advisor here: https://lnkd.in/eEZqWnvN

📣Don’t Miss Out! Secure Your Spot in the Sustainable & Regenerative Tourism Workshop Series This is your moment to lead the way in sustainability! 🌍 Sustainable and Regenerative Tourism: A Series for Businesses and Destinations Discover the tools to thrive in the growing market of sustainability-conscious travellers with the Sustainable and Regenerative Tourism Workshop Series 🫱🏼🫲🏽 Hosted by GreenStep Solutions and supported by RTO9. This engaging four-part virtual series empowers tourism professionals to create a customized sustainability action plan aligned with global standards. Through interactive sessions, you’ll: *Please note these dates have been modified from the original post. 👍🏼What you will learn By the end of the series, you’ll walk away with a tangible plan, practical insights into sustainability challenges and solutions, and a Certificate of Completion. Plus, you’ll gain access to optional one-on-one consulting to further refine and implement your strategy. ✅Master key sustainability criteria and assessment techniques. ✅Set actionable, impactful goals. ✅Learn to effectively showcase your progress to customers and industry partners. 👍🏼Why Join? This is your chance to future-proof your business, boost its resilience, and elevate its appeal in a competitive market. Make sustainability your strength and stand out to today’s discerning travellers. 👍🏼Who Should Attend? This workshop is designed for tourism business owners, operators, and destination managers dedicated to integrating sustainable practices. Full participation in all virtual sessions and completion of assigned exercises are required to earn the certificate. Dates & Times: Bi-weekly on Wednesdays - Jan & Feb 2025 - Registrants MUST attend all sessions. 📆 January 15, January 29, February 12, February 26, 2025 🕐 1pm - 3pm EST Don’t miss this opportunity to transform your business and shape a sustainable future. 📝Register now to secure your spot! https://lnkd.in/emnd587g Optional 1:1 Support Following the Sessions: Workshop participants can book optional paid consulting sessions with a GreenStep advisor.

RTO 9 office ✨Upcoming Holiday Hours & Closures✨ Closed noon Dec 20th- Dec 29 Open 8am - 4pm Dec 30/31 (reduced staff) Closed New Year's Day, Jan 1, 2025 Re-open for regular business hours Jan 2, 2025, 8am - 4pm We look forward continued relationships and tourism growth in 2025!

#Insights Tourism HR Canada has released a new report featuring insights from 350 tourism businesses across Canada, providing a detailed snapshot of current operating conditions and challenges related to recruitment and retention. This report builds on over three years of data, offering a critical benchmark to track the sector’s recovery from the pandemic, its future trajectory, and strategies to foster growth. Supported by funding from Economic and Social Development Canada (ESDC), Tourism HR Canada has been conducting a series of business intelligence surveys to monitor labour market trends and business conditions as the tourism sector transitions into a post-pandemic era. The latest report, the final installment in this series, reflects feedback collected through telephone interviews with 350 businesses between July 18 and August 13, 2024. Discover key findings and access the full report here👇🏼 https://bit.ly/3Bd2kQ5

Deadline approaching! Canada Summer Jobs 2025- Closing soon- December 19, 2024. The Government of Canada is currently accepting applications for the 2025 Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program. This initiative offers wage subsidies to support not-for-profits, public-sector organizations, and private-sector businesses with 50 or fewer full-time employees in creating meaningful summer work opportunities for youth aged 15 to 30. Link to apply and learn more👇🏼 https://lnkd.in/ge_MJrRz Part of the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS), the CSJ program focuses on providing youth with paid work experience to help them build skills and successfully transition into the labour market. The program’s objectives include: ✅Delivering high-quality work experiences for youth. ✅Offering opportunities to develop and enhance skills. ✅Addressing national and local priorities to improve access to the labour market for youth facing unique barriers.

Regenerative Tourism: A New Era for Canadian Travellers As the tourism industry continues to recover from the pandemic, sustainability remains a top priority. Yet, regenerative tourism is pushing the boundaries further, transforming travel into a force for positive environmental and community impact. Regenerative tourism asks: how can travel not just minimize harm but actively improve the places we visit? This shift stems from pre-pandemic concerns about over-tourism and its ecological and cultural damage. Today, regenerative tourism focuses on creating harmony between travel, local communities, and ecosystems. https://lnkd.in/gEsyae-G

Advocating for a Stronger Future for Ontario’s Tourism Industry This week, the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) led a series of advocacy meetings with MPPs and government officials from all parties during Tourism Day at Queen’s Park. This pivotal event united tourism leaders from across Ontario to spotlight key challenges, share forward-thinking solutions, and strengthen connections with policymakers. The discussions centred around driving economic growth, workforce development, and infrastructure investment in Ontario’s tourism sector. Key recommendations included boosting provincial marketing investment, supporting Indigenous tourism, and strengthening event bid funding. On workforce development, TIAO advocated for addressing labour shortages by expanding immigration pathways and connecting Ontarians with tourism job opportunities. Infrastructure investment priorities focused on restoring regional air service and enhancing ground transportation for greater connectivity. TIAO President & CEO Andrew Siegwart highlighted the value of these discussions, stating: “The tourism industry is a key economic driver in Ontario, contributing billions of dollars and providing hundreds of thousands of jobs. Bringing a range of members with us to Queen’s Park is an invaluable opportunity to highlight the economic importance and opportunities in our sector, and a way to ensure that we are collaborating and supporting government initiatives.” With a focus on collaboration, innovation, and growth, TIAO is committed to advancing solutions that support tourism businesses, create jobs, and strengthen Ontario’s position as a leading destination. https://bit.ly/3ZNnVrz #Tourismstrong #OntarioTourism #Advocacy #EconomicGrowth #WorkforceDevelopment

This is excellent news for those in the agritourism sector. The Growing Agritourism Act has passed. A private member’s bill from Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae will help promote agricultural tourism in Ontario. The act is to protect farmers from liability associated with hosting visitors on their farms. Read the act here👇 https://lnkd.in/g2A_5ASc.

#insights 📣Just launched: Traveller Segmentation Program⭐ Discover what motivates, inspires, and drives travellers with the Traveller Segmentation Program, a powerful NEW tool from Destination Canada, designed to empower and unite Canada's tourism industry. By unlocking deeper insights into visitor behaviours and preferences, this program enables more meaningful, targeted, and impactful marketing and destination management strategies. Explore the tool👇🏼 https://lnkd.in/gKjRHYBP

The fifth round of the Skode Program, hosted by Indigenous Tourism Ontario (ITO) and the Tourism Innovation Lab, is currently open, with a focus on Indigenous Culinary Tourism. ✨Online Session coming up tomorrow Dec 12 at 11:30 am EST Register to learn about this innovative opportunity. https://lnkd.in/eVqvZ3Va Indigenous entrepreneurs, businesses, non-profits, and community groups are encouraged to submit new culinary tourism ideas that authentically celebrate Indigenous food traditions in Ontario. Applications will be accepted through January 15, 2025. This initiative aims to inspire innovative Indigenous culinary experiences and strengthen the representation of Indigenous food culture in Ontario’s tourism landscape. For more details and to apply, follow the provided link or register for the online information session.