County of Huron
Annual Tourism Report
• 2013 Season in Review
Report Highlights •
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internet inquiries provide the most travel information. Current, informative and easy to use websites are essential. Visits to the County Tourism website stayed strong. visitors continue to stop at all tourism information centres in the area. Even with preplanning of vacations online, they ask centre staff about attractions, special events and directions etc., once they are in the area. total box office sales for Huron County’s three theatres in 2013= $2,477,360 ; local economic spin-off = $17,341,520 the 2013 Huron County Vacation Guide had 1,093 listings of local tourism establishments and special events. We printed 35,000 copies of the Huron County
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• 2014 Tourism Marketing Strategy
Travel Guide in 2013. the membership in the Huron Tourism Association (HTA) continues to be around 170 members each year. the County and HTA, hosted the 24th annual Tourism Event and Brochure Swap in Exeter in April, 2013. special events build, sustain and enhance our tourism products and provide cultural opportunities for local residents. tourism often provides “the first look” at an area and influences future relocation, retirement and investment decisions. the HIKING, CYCLING and FISHING/PADDLING brochures are our most popular specialty brochures. Huron County and its tourism
partners are well positioned to meet the Trends for 2014: • Ontario people traveling closer to home and often ‘last minute’; • intergenerational travel and visiting friends and relatives; • popularity of ‘get-aways’ and day trippers to this area from nearby larger urban areas; • interest in genealogy and local food, culinary; • the large ‘baby-boomer’ population (50+) interested in: soft adventure trips (eg. hiking, bird watching or cycling); educational/ environmental/cultural interests; travel during the shoulder or bonus season.
Report prepared by: County of Huron Economic Development Services - June 2014
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Table of Contents A. B. C. D.
Introduction - The 2013 Tourism Season in Review Summary - Community Development Through Tourism 2014 Marketing Plan Highlights Tourism Stats 1. Tourism Info Centres 2. Attendance at County Attractions/Special Events 3. Economic Impact of Theatres
E. Marketing Tools 1. Promotional Tools a) Huron County Vacation Guide b) Specialty Brochures c) Vacation Guide Listings d) County Tourism Website and online e) Group Tour Development f ) Distribution Process g) Extra Projects 2. Partnerships a) Huron Tourism Association (HTA) b) Neighboring County Alliances and Regional Tourism Organization 4 (RTO 4) c) Huron Arts and Heritage Network (HAHN) d) Taste of Huron and Buy Local/Buy Fresh Huron Perth Brochure e) Shakespeare to the Shoreline f ) Lower Tier Municipal and Chamber/ BIA Initiatives g) Huron County Annual Tourism Event and Brochure Swap 3. Advertising - Marketing Efforts and Strategy 4. Travel Writers - Marketing Efforts and Strategy F. County Wide Events G. Departmental Resources for Tourism Back Cover - Online Marketing Samples
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3 3 3 5 5 6 8
9 9 10 11 12 12 12 13 14 14 15 15 15 16 17 18 19 19
A. Introduction - The 2013 Tourism Season Huron County, Ontario’s West Coast, is the place to be. Top Ten Reasons: • lakeshore • our theatres featuring excellent cultural events • our heritage attractions including museums, historic streetscapes and rural heritage • our varied and accessible natural areas • recreational opportunities – golf, hiking, cycling, fishing, paddling etc. • unique accommodations with country inns, B & B’s, resorts and motels/hotels • full range of restaurants with some promoting local products on their menus • our scenic rural vistas • shopping…shopping…shopping • our wide range of interesting and unique special events
Recent and current challenges to the tourism industry: • fluctuating and rising gasoline prices • ongoing decline in number of American visitors to Ontario due to: border crossing concerns with passport / card requirements; the moving American dollar exchange rate; economic anxiety and recession in Canada and USA; safety concerns • lingering travel anxiety with regard to health concerns (eg. West Nile and H1N1 viruses) and food safety issues (eg. BSE and bacteria) • tornado damages and ongoing recovery in Goderich, Benmiller and area in August 2011 • potential water quality issues at local beaches • the ever present ‘best weather when you need it’ challenge.
B. Summary - Community Development through • • • • •
tourism in Huron County is a significant and growing industry and represents an important component of our economic development. agri-tourism and rural tourism represents a growth area for Huron County and a positive partnership with our largest industry - agriculture. tourism services and attractions provide employment for young and older residents alike, both in summer employment and full time. many tourism establishments and attractions are enjoyed by our local residents and add greatly to our quality of life eg. restaurants, theatre, recreation. many residents of Huron County have relocated to this area after vacationing here in the past.
tourism
Trends 2014 • the trend of Ontario and US people traveling closer to home = Staycations. • significant decline in American visitors to Ontario will likely continue although they are still coming to their Huron County cottages and the American VFR (visiting friends and relatives) are our most realistic American demographic. Only 37% of Americans have current passports. • the consistent stream of VFR traffic to our local residents. ie. reunions, weddings etc. (represents 46% of our visitors) • increase in rural tourism appeal ie. finding your roots. • the large ‘baby-boomer’ population with its interests in soft adventure trips and experiences of local foods, local culture, heritage and a healthy environment.
C. 2014 Marketing Plan Highlights Positioning and Brand Strategies • Huron County is positioned as an excellent place to visit countryside and coastline in the minds of the target audience. • The assets that make Huron County an excellent place to visit are integral to the quality of life for Huron’s residents. The Ontario’s West Coast brand and secondary phrase “Countryside and Coastline” will be applied to all materials and promotions developed for residents, consumers and travel trade contacts. •
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Target Market and Audience - Geographic • The targeted geographic areas include nearby urban centres in SW Ontario: • Greater Toronto Area (In cooperation with RTO 4) • Kitchener/ Waterloo, London and the Golden Horseshoe area • Abutting counties
C. 2014 Marketing Plan Highlights Target Market and Audience Demographic • Marketing Ontario’s West Coast, begins with targeting three consumer groups : • Family Tourists - Middle aged adults, specifically female. We can reach this market through our social media, travel articles and our website. • Cultural Tourists - Active adults with time and money to travel and appealing to their desire to explore and learn about culture, history, architecture and natural landmarks through activities such as sight-seeing and visits to museums, galleries and historical sites. Tourism operators can reach this market on the Internet and through new technologies. • The Residents of Huron County – The local consumer groups, in addition to abutting counties, drive our VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives) group. This targeted demographic must be encouraged to become ambassadors for the county, supporting and attending local events and celebrations as well as sharing favourite experiences with their visitors. About our Visitors • Where they come from - Huron County has a visitation of almost 1 million visitors per year with 94% percent of the visitors coming from Ontario and out of these visitors 45% are overnight. 46% of the visitors the to the area are VFR, with the majority coming for pleasure. • When the above information is drilled down further we see that only 4% of our visitors are coming from the US. Out of our Ontario visitors the majority are coming from: 23% Toronto, 20% London, 17% Kitchener/Waterloo. We also have a large visitorship from abutting counties – 20% Middlesex, 13% Bruce, 6% Perth, 3% Lambton and 1% Wellington. • Accommodations - 68% of our visitors stay in private homes and cottages, with 6.5% staying in commercial roofed accommodations (Hotels, Motels, B&B’s, Inns) and 4% camping. Our visitors are coming to take part in outdoor/sports activities and cultural activities: 46% of our visitors come to Huron to take part in outdoor and sporting activities and 11% of visitors come for cultural activities. • Age - The age demographics of visitors to Huron County are fairly even through the different age groups: age 0 to 24 – 13%, age 24 to 34 -18%, age 35 to 45 – 13%, age 46 to 54 – 14%, age 55 to 64 – 18% and over 65 - %12 (the other 12%, age was not stated). The visitors that are coming are educated; 64% have college or university. 40% of these people have a household income of more than $75000.00.
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Visitor Spending - The total visitor spending in Huron County is almost $60 million with almost 70% of that spent through overnights. The average visitor spends $63.00 per day and $94.00 per overnight. These visitors are spending their money on: food and beverage - 33%, transportation (gas, rentals, cabs etc)- 24%, retail and shopping – 16%, recreation 14% and culture 3%, with the other 10% dispersed in other sectors. Overall Marketing Objectives • Brand Awareness – Increase brand awareness within our target market and geographic through overall marketing by 25% over the next three years. This will be measured through social media monitoring, website analytics, impressions and engagement. • Content - Increase content updating and creation by 10% over the next three years. This will be measured by blog story creation and number of stories added to the website and other media. • Connect - Increase connenctions with tourists by 10% over the next three years. This will be measured through the number of ambassadors who use our hashtags, news media stories and word of mouth response. Creative Brief and Themes • Ontario’s West Coast, Countryside and Coastline is the place to be. People visit this area to reconnect with nature, eat local food, attend events and relax. • Themes • Food – Culinary, producers, farmer’s, restaurants – Taste of Huron. • Heritage – Museums and Genealogoy, B&B’s, our culture, heritage buildings and events. • Lakeshore – Beaches and marinas, resorts and lakeside accommodation and experiences. • Outdoor – Hiking, cycling, paddling, fishing, camping, motorsports etc. • Theatre – Blyth, Huron Country Playhouse and the Livery. • Hashtag #ontarioswestcoast • Keywords and other Hashtags - Ontario Beach Vacation, Huron County, Huron Cty, Lake Huron, Countryside, Rural Vacation, Heritage, Ontario, Discover Ontario, Explore Canada, Ontario Vacation, Coastline. • Highlighting our themes and event attractions. The photos and video must show interaction or beauty. Through experimentation it has shown that photos with people in them and high level professional scenery have the best like/share/retweet/comment reaction.
D1.Tourism Information Centres Location
Operated by
Stats - # of visitors, calls, etc.
Origin of visitors 2013
Comments
Centre is staffed all summer season.
The number of visitors actually visiting Tourist Information Centres amounts to approx. 2% of the travelling population.
Millennium Park, Clinton
Municipality of Central Huron
2011 - 237 2012 – 254 2013 – 319
Kitchener, Toronto, Ottawa, London, Cambridge, Huron County, AB, BC, MB, Kansas, Netherlands, England, Australia
Hwy.21 on Hamilton St.
Town of Goderich with marketing support & partnership with HTA
2010 - 13,542 2011 - 10,350 2012 - 11,160 2013 – 9,516
91% - Ont 4% - USA 3% - Other Countries 2% - Other Provinces
Crescent St.
Grand Bend & Area C of C
2010 - 15,508 2011 - 13,450 2012 - 15,329 2013 – 6802
Lucknow Area, Cty. Rd. 6
Lucknow & District C of C
2010 - 230 2011 - 340 est. 2012 - 200 + 2013 – N/A
Seaforth
40 Main St. S.
Huron East EDC/ HBDC Huron Cty Youth Internship initiative.
North Huron
North Huron Museum Town Hall Blyth Festival
Township of North Huron
Main St.
Bayfield Historical Society
Central Huron Info Centre
Goderich
Grand Bend
Lucknow
Bayfield Historical Society & Archives
Bayfield Info Centre
South Huron Welcome
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Hwy 21 South
483 Main St. E, Exeter
Chamber of Commerce. Open wknds Mar., Apr., Sept., Oct. Open all day. May through Sept Exeter BIA South Huron Chamber of Commerce, Imagine South Huron, Art aRound Town & the Exeter & District Heritage Foundation
Emails and website visits n/a Phone 3,701 Office visits 3101 Mostly from nearby cities, Some from local area. Some as far as Germany
2010 - 1221 2011 - 1581 2012 - 1925 2013 - 1609 (approximate number) 2010 - 544 2011 - 768 2012 - n/a 2013 - 850
Manned in summer by summer student. Busiest weekends were Strawberry Summerfest, Fiddler’s Jamboree, Music in the Fields & long wknds Increased profile at the Walton Racetrack
Lobby displays in each of the venues, tracking not possible
2012 – 248 2013 - 600
Society also offers guided walking tours – 50% of attendees are from GTA
Open Wed & Sat afternoons, mid April to mid December
2012 – 5,965 2013 – 5000
London 27% GTA 23%. KW 12%, Huron 9%, USA/World wide 5%, Michigan 4%, Stratford 3%, Other ON. 3%
Phone calls, emails. Inquires about weddings,store hours, where groups can eat.
Exeter, London, Stratford, St. Marys, Goderich, Sarnia Guelph, Kincardine & some from as far away as Australia.
The Welcome Centre is a multi-use facility that acts as a resource for visitors & new residents as well as a cultural hub in South Huron.
2012 – Opened in December 2013 - 1809
A look at the numbers from the Ministry of Tourism: • in 2013, almost one million total visits to Huron County (45% were overnight visits) • 94% were Ontarians. Visits from London and K/W totalled 37% of our visitors.isits from abbutting counties totalled 43% • GTA visits have increased to 23% since 2010
D2. County and Area - Special Events & Attractions * Special events and attractions continue to build, sustain and enhance our tourism product. Event and Attendance Alice Munro Writers and Readers Festival All T-Birds Get Together, Bayfield Annual Rainbow Trout Derby, Benmiller Antiques Collectibles Show and Sale, Bayfield Aqua Fest, Grand Bend Auburn Garden Tour Audrey’s Dinner, Exeter Bach Music Festival, (South Huron) Exeter excl. artitsts - 285) Bannockburn Fall Hike Bayfield All Canadian Breakfast Bayfield Collector Exhibition Bayfield Fall Fair Bayfield Home and Garden Show Bayfield Vettefest (252 cars) Bayfield Walking Tour Bayfield Water, Art and Fitness Festival Bayfield Writers Festival Belmore Maple Syrup Festival (inclement weather eve. prior) Bluewater Kennel Club–All Breeds Show/Obedience Trials Blyth Festival Theatre Book Sale Brussels 140th Campers Handcrafted Model Boat Race (30 entries) Campout Jamboree Show, Blyth Celebration of First Nations Celtic College, Goderich Children’s Festival, Goderich Christmas in Bayfield Ciderfest, Egmondville Classic Car, & Motorcycle show, Benmiller Clinton Flower Show Clinton Pluckinfest Clinton Spring Fair Collectible, Craft and Keepsake Show and Sale - Seaforth Commenoration of the 10th Anniverary of the Great Storm 1913 Communitrees (HAHN) Country Breakfast, Egmondville Crafting Connections, Goderich Doors Open - Defending a Nation Dungannon Tractor Pull & Dance Earth, Air, Fire & Water - Celtic Roots Festival Enjoy “Fall” at the Falls Conservation Area Exeter Harvest Celebrations Exeter Rodeo Exeter Tree Lighting Fall Colour Tour, Wawanosh Nature Centre Family Day Winterfest South Huron Family Fun Day, Falls Reserve Feathered Friends event, Fall Conservation Area Fiddling at The Falls Jamboree (91 fiddlers), Benmiller Fishing Derby, Exeter Fishing Festival, Falls Reserve, Benmiller Goderich Art Club Annual Exhibition and Sale Goderich Festival of Arts & Crafts Goderich Home and Cottage Show Goderich IODE Christmas House Tour Goderich Triathlon (Inc. participants, spectators & volunteers) Grand Bend Canada Day Celebrations Grand Bend Road Race Great Storm 100th Year Commemoration Harleys by the Beach, Grand Bend
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2013
230 300 280 1200 2600 20 120 3066 120 400 725 n/a 3600 1,000 120 320 100 5694 n/a 1000 n/a 150 3140 n/a 232 2000 3,900 725 n/a 45 2750 2,400 2,000 25,000 n/a 625 n/a n/a 5,500 6435 100 1500 5200 200 250 2100 350 250 26 280 79 600 6000 1400 900 500 23,000 600 15,500 3,200
2012 169 740 275 980 1,000 n/a 260 375 750 n/a 4,000 1000 140 n/a 80 5970 350 1,000 4,000 3,137 n/a 340 950 4,500 n/a 390 50 2,800 1,500 1,500 100 n/A n/a 2,070 4770 5,850 1,550 4,000 195 500 300 156 250 57 610 8,000 2,200 820 200 23,000 3,000
953 395 1116 1,000 2312 100 340 700 1200 2500 600 350 75 6,371 350 2980 275 300 950 4,000 750 397 2,700 3,800 2,200 650 240 4574 6,500 1500 4,800 210 225 1,000 171 66 600 10,000 2400 725 560 20,000
2011
2010 1,675 426 1,500 200 400 800 1,800 4,000 1500 n/a 125 6,570 475 1000 3175 225 298 1000 2,000 700 470 2,500 3,900 2,500 700 2,368 3,400 6,400 1,500 5,000 200 400 143 63 575 9,000 970 101 2,368
D2. County and Area - Special Events & Attractions cont’d Event and Attendance Hensall Community Yard Sale Home for the Holidays, Bayfield (held every second year) Home Tour Bayfield Huron Perth Garden Tour Huron Pioneer Threshers & Hobby Show, Blyth Huron Tract Spinners & Weavers Ann. Sale & Exhibition, Goderich Ice Culture (Nov. Tour) It’s the Berries Quilt show( every 3 years) Kinsmen’s Summerfest, Goderich Lakeshoreline Festival (HAHN) Lambton Fall Colour Craft Festival Lucknow Fall Fair Lucknow Music in the Fields Lucknow Olde Tyme Fiddlers Jamboree (not happening) Lucknow Strawberry Summerfest Mopar Canadian Nationals (Grand Bend Motorplex) MS Bike Ride Multicultural Festival Murder at the Albion Hotel, Bayfield Narcisse Play, St. Joseph Naval Ship - Goderich Night Hike & Owl Prowl, MVCA North Lambton Quilters’ Guild Show Out of the Storm, Goderich Owl Prowl (ABCA) (two nights) Pioneer Park Rummage Sale, Bayfield Pointsetta Celebration, Zurich Pollinators workshop (MVCA) Quilt Show, Goderich (takes place every 3 years) RC Jets Rally, Wingham Reptile Roundup, Falls Reserve Conservation Area Richard W. LeVan Airport BBQ, Wingham Rural Roots (Celtic county wide event) Clinton Sail and Canvas Seaforth Community Yard Sale & Sidewalk Sale Seaforth Country Classic Seaforth Doors Open Seaforth Fall Fair Snowfest (MVCA) South Huron & Area Home Show South Huron Children’s Festival South Huron Juried Art Show and Sale South Huron Mud- Bogg’n South Huron Trail Run Spring Breakfast, Egmondville Spring Hike (MVCA) St. Joseph & Area Historical Society Breakfast in the Park Stocked Trout Pond Derby, Benmiller Sunset Arts Opening Gala, Grand Bend Sunset Christmas Open House, Grand Bend Taste of Huron Thanksgiving Market and Sidwalk Sale, Grand Bend. Thunder by the Beach Trout Derby, Falls Reserve Walton Transcan National Motocross (950 entries) Westcoast Bluesfest, Goderich Wingham and Area Horticultural Society Christmas Tea & Bake Sale Wingham Muskrat Festival Zurich Bean Festival Zurich Fall Fair Zurich Fish Fry and Silent Auction Total
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2013 5,000 n/a n/a 90 9,000 209 94 n/a 3000 n/a 4,874 1030 6,500 n/a 5,500 21,000 1,000 900 n/a n/a n/a 120 579 n/a 150 500 1400 15 n/a 400 175 79 65 1100 950 4,700 n/a 3000 400 750 n/a 121 n/a 217 350 30 350 75 238 n/a n/a 4500 8000 85 33,000 2000 110 3,400 14,000 600 540 278,028
2012 5,000 535 523 70 12,000 241 500 3,000 980 3,952 1,050 8,000 300 5,800 22,000 400 n/a n/a n/a 86 n/a 900 255 850 825 500 n/a 1,200 1,000 4,500 n/a 1,800 90 n/a 172 237 600 n/a 25 220 70 300 150 1,600 9,500 70 33,000 1,450 3,200 13,000 600 520 234,955
2011 5,000 n/a n/a 15,000 162 3,000 4,000 1,100 4,500 275 5,200 28,000 320 2,870 1,000 60 225 4,500 500 800 n/a 410 1,000 1,000 4,500 n/a 1,500 120 600 800 500 275 200 80 375 175 n/a 5,000 155 28,000 n/a 3,500 12,500 600 500 231,623
2010 5,000 486 325 13,000 175 2,900 5,100 1,000 4,000 300 4,500 20,000 130 1,250 700 n/a 585 1,200 1000 4,000 1,850 1500 150 500 500 400 200 n/a 300 150 1,500 140 31,150 2,075 2,500 16,000 600 500 195,428
D2. County and Area - Special Events & Attractions Attraction and Attendance Huron County Museum, Goderich Huron County Marine Museum, Goderich Huron County Historic Goal, Goderich Sky Harbour Gallery, Goderich Airport (estimate) Huron Country Playhouse (June – Sept.) Blyth Festival The Livery / GTL The Sallows Gallery Laithwaite Apple Park, near Goderich School on Wheels, Clinton Clinton Raceway (est.) Clinton Racetrack Slots (April 2012 to Mar. 2013) Seaforth & Area Museum The North Huron Museum, Wingham Barn Dance Hall of Fame (mostly group buses), Wingham Grand Bend Motorplex St. Joseph Archives Iceculture Tour Experience Bayfield Archives Point Farms Provincial Park, near Goderich (Incl. day use visitors) Pinery Provincial Park, near Grand Bend (Incl. day use visitors) Lambton Heritage Museum, near Grand Bend
2013 13,262 1,479 8,173 n/a 56,903 20,643 7,300 1450 250 1,248 18,000 162,698 50 425 425 55,000 280 1900 600 70,161 543,755 12,314
Attendance (avg. overall) of above events and attractions (except the Pinery)
698,255
2012 10,823 2,655 7,158 n/a 57,061 20,570 4,593 1,333 310 1,487 19,000 172,568 40 475 440 70,000 275 227 75,107 607,454 11,843
693,209
2011 9,928 1,377 5,959 0 42,309 19,453 5,056 1,476 300 1,607 19,600 180,217 62 458 425 65,000 500 n/a 75,107 606,477 10,000
2010 12,695 1,769 6,693 900 49,884 20,823 4,890 2,305 310 1,300 19,400 180,000 300 544 376 65,000 275 n/a 76,128 610,577 13,073
673,446
610,577
D3. Economic Impact of Theatres Blyth Festival Box office Sales 2013 Special Events (co-
productions of concerts, childrens shows etc.)
Total Sales 2013 Associated sales 2013 Attendance 2013
Audience
2013 Season
Comments
$424, 792
Huron Country Playhouse
Goderich Little Theatre
Totals
$1,888,800
$80,428
$2,394,020 ($2,090,365- 2012)
$4,000
$83,340
$79,340 – 6208 attended $504,132
$1,888,800
$84,428
$3,528,924
$13,221,600
$590,996
20,643 (20,570 – 2012) 47% local (less than 40 minute drive) 38% intermediate (40 minutes to 2 hr drive) 15% distant (more than 2 hrs away)
56,903, (57,061 - 2012) 60% coming from London; 40% coming from Sarnia, SW Ontario, Toronto and Northern Michigan
7,300 (4,593 - 2012)
39th summer season
42nd Anniversary:
6 productions in 2013. 2014 is the 40th season celebration for Blyth Festival!
8 productions
$2,477,360 ($2,151,891- 2012) $ 17,341,520 ($15,126,237 – 2012) 84,846 (82,224-2012)
Mainly Goderich & area patrons 65th 4 Theatre Productions, 3 Film series (11 films), 7 Concert series.
2013 saw increases in total sales and attendance in our three theatres
* - Associated Sales = multiplier economic spin off in area (7:1) Our link to The Stratford Festival: Huron County is “within an hour of Stratford”. • • • • • •
The Festival’s first performance was July 1953. Number of visitors to Stratford Tourism Alliance Information centres in 2013 - approximately 70,549 (Down from 76,900 in 2012) visitors at their two locations: Information Centre (May to Thanksgiving) and 47 Downie Street (Open year round) Stratford’s theatre patrons (480, 000-2013; 432,240 -2012; 455,044 in 2011) are our theatre patrons – we advertise in the Stratford Festival guide. These patrons often come west through our County to Lake Huron for daytrips and then return to the evening performances at the Stratford Festival. Approximately 20% of the visitors are American patrons and this numberwas up 8% for the first times since 2003. Our partnership with Perth County in “Shakespeare to the Shoreline” creates a reason for Stratford visitors to stay in the area longer and venture west. our accommodations also indicate that they have overnight guests who are Stratford Theatre patrons during the day and choose to stay in Huron County because of proximity to the lake.
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E. Marketing Tools
1. Promotional Tools
a) Huron County Vacation Guide Marketing Efforts: • It is an effective and cost-efficient way to promote all of the attractions and services available in the County, thereby encouraging them to lengthen their stay. • Local tourism establishments indicate that they receive direct business from being listed in the guide. • Travel centres say that our guide is popular, visitorfriendly and created for the user, not the advertiser; local residents also use it and promote it for visiting friends and relatives. • It is also a useful tool for job fairs, doctor recruitment events and quality of life promotions. • The guide is sponsored by:- the County of Huron, Huron Tourism Association (HTA), marketing projects (eg. Shakespeare to the Shoreline, Taste of Huron and Huron Arts and Heritage Network) and individual business sponsorships. • Any Lambton, Bruce and Perth County tourism establishments listed in our guide must be both a current paid member of the HTA and a paid sponsor of the Huron County travel guide.
b) Specialty Brochures Marketing Efforts: • Cycling (2013), Fishing/Paddling (2011), Hiking (2012) • 40,000 of the above brochures are printed on a three year rotation. • Marketed through online and social media along with distribution channels. • Addition of the Creative Countryside brochure in 2014. It is a HAHN initiative with support from the County
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Strategy: • continue full color and full bleed design; • members of HTA will continue to receive a symbol beside their listing, in addition to a colored and expanded listing; this has been very well received and has encouraged new members to join the Association; • Print 35,000 Vacation guides and monitor demand.
ontarioswestcoast.ca Countryside and Coastline
Strategy: • continue to publish the three brochures to meet market demand in key demographics and niche markets. • continue to seek out and partner with funding sources • establish/maintain contact with travel writers who focus on outdoor activities. • Promote in the Vacation Guide and also on the website as downloads.
1. Promotional Tools - cont’d These are the listings in the 2010- 2013 Vacation Guides, by type: Listings • Accommodations - motels/hotels/inns/cottage resorts • Adventure Tours • Antique, Gift & Specialty Shops • Artisans & Art Studios • Attractions - Activities • Attractions - Museums & Heritage • Bed & Breakfasts • Bowling Centres • Campgrounds • Conservation Areas • Consignment Stores • Cottage Rental Service • Cross Country Ski Areas • Curling Clubs • Cycling Pump Track • Cycling Tours • Flea & Farmers’ Markets • Golf Courses • Horseback Riding • Lawn Bowling • Marinas • Mini Golf Courses • Movie Theatres • Municipalities • Other HTA members • Nearby Attractions and Historical Contacts • Nurseries and Garden Fare • Permanent & Seasonal Accomm. • Public Beaches • Public Fee fishing/Fly fishing • Recreation Centres • Real Estate • Rentals – cottages, apartment suites & houses • Restaurants • Reuben R. Sallows Gallery - special exhibits • Sailing Excursion • Spas • Special Events • Re-occurring Special Events • Special Events - Huron County Museum Exhibitions • Tastes of Huron • Theatres • Visitor Information • Yoga/Dance Studio Total listings
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2010 27 3 121 42 6 20 47 4 25 33
2011 27 3 113 40 6 21 45 4 24 33
1 20
1 21
1 12 10 3
1 12 10 4
7 2 2 9 17 14 21 7 16 5 3 4 38 118 3 3 11 175 7 7 76 4 22 1 947
6 2 2 9 16 14 22 7 17 4 4 4 39 113 2 1 10 170 7 3 85 4 22 1 936
2012 27 4 137 44 6 21 43 4 26 33 17 1 21 3 15 10 4 4 6 2 2 9 15 14 23 7 17 4 4 4 38 129 2 1 12 169 10 3 91 4 23 1 1,011
2013 26 3 145 45 6 21 44 3 26 34 18 1 19 5 1 1 15 10 4 4 6 2 2 9 12 14 20 7 18 4 4 4 43 123 1 1 14 238 7 4 102 3 23 1 1093
1. Promotional Tools - cont’d d) County Tourism Website and Online Marketing Efforts • To maximize internet accessibility, 4 domain names are registered as: www.ontarioswestcoast.ca, www. ontarioswestcoast.com, www.hurontourism.com and www.hurontourism.on.ca. All domains lead to same site. • Various sites have been used for specific projects to measure and track visitation (eg. hikehuron.ca, tasteofhuron.ca and visithuron.ca). Year Page Views Visits 2011 96,843 33,899 2012 108,799 36,563 2013 111,459 39,634 • email address is: tourism@huroncounty.ca • 79% of users are new visitors, and the average time spent on the site is 3:00 mins (double the average) • maintained direct links to the web sites of participating tourism establishments and other municipal sites; • continued to provide downloadable guide and specialty brochures; updated and redesigned home page; • increased reciprocal links with other tourism websites. • Ontario’s West Coast now has pages located on Facebook (4 different pages), YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Vimeo, Foodspotting and Wordpress. • The tourism database was updated in 2013. • In 2013, the County contracted a social awareness coordinator to facilitate the planned postings and conversations with social media and online web postings to all of the sites. • In 2013, volunteer divas continued to write the Ontario Travel Divas blog, enhancing links and search engine optimization. Since 2011 there have been over 50,000 page views and 315 post have been written.
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Strategy: • continue to update the tourism database to improve searchability and accessibility; in coordination with updated website. • an increased budget for a keyword campaign will help to increase traffic flow to the website; • Brittany Fry is hired to increase social media networking through additional sites; • internet advertising through key targeted websites usuing google adwords; • work with new Huron County online tourism business ventures such as Hitchedinhuron.com and the ruralist. ca to further promote Huron in niche markets; • work on plan to create, promote and enhance the new online prjects. • Karen Stewart is hired as a consultant to coordinate and maximize the impact of the Ontario Travel Divas and Ontario Travel Adventurers initiatives and target new demographics;
1. Promotional Tools - cont’d e) Group Tour Development • •
Existing Group Tour activity is taking place with Theatres, Museums and large accommodators. Due to staff resources and priority planning, additional Group Tour Development has not been included in the 2013 - 2016 plan.
f) Distribution Process The Huron County Vacation Guide and specialty brochures were distributed to the following locations: 1. Ontario Travel Centres (11 in total); with an annual total of 825, 000 visitors 2. Area Tourist Info centres and Chambers of Commerce - egs. Goderich, Bayfield, Grand Bend, Clinton, Seaforth 3. Local, regional and USA tourist info centres (over 80) 4. 9 Municipal Offices in Huron County & Huron County Planning & Development Dept. Office 5. Ontario Travel Shows (through partnerships), conferences and special events 6. All Huron County Library Branches g) Extra Projects County tourism staff are often asked to help with local and county wide events and Many of these projects were one time only. Due to staff resources and priority planning, County tourism staff is required to carefully assess involvement in these requests. • Guelph to Goderich Rail Trail Proposal (G2G) County Ec. Dev. staff is involved in the research and assesment of the potential for the establishment of this trail and Huron County’s possible lease of the trail from the Province. The economic return and attraction of outdoor tourism activities, eg. hiking and cycling, is significant. • South West Economic Assembly (SWEA) - Huron County hosted the 2013 SWEA Assembly in different locations around the Goderich area on June 13 / 14. The themed event, Rural Intelligence, attracted over 150 from across southern Ontario. Huron County staff helped to plan and facilitate the event. • Alice Munro - In October 2013 it was announced that our Alice Munro was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Munro’s short stories are known around the world and her “sense of place” reflects
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7. Travel Agencies; CAA/AAA offices 8. Individual Phone, E-mail and Mail Requests in Response to Advertisements 9. Summer students delivered over 30 000 guides plus specialty brochures to 250 area tourism establishments. This is greatly appreciated by the tourism businesses and allows for interaction and updating of information also. A number of gas stations now have the guides available. 10. A database tracked the location and quantity of publications being distributed or mailed; this helps to determine the popularity of each brochure, and the effectiveness of specific distribution points and ads.
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many Huron County locations. This may be the most significant international exposure that Huron county has received in recent history. The local Alice Munro Writers and Readers Festival, in it’s third year, has and will continue to attract international fans. International Plowing Match and Rural Expo (IPM) - Held in Mitchell, Sept.17 - 21, 2013. Economic Development Services hosted a display in the rural living tent; 20 volunteers staffed the display and distubuted promotional literature. Over 67,000 people attended the event and 1,830 people entered the Ontario’s West Coast contest. Canada Blooms - In fall of 2013, Huron County tourism staff were asked to help with the creation of an Ontario’s West Coast feature garden at 2014 Canada Blooms show. A committee was formed and County tourism staff worked with the committee to create “Countryside and Coastline” which was on display from March 13 - 22 at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto. County staff were in charge of volunteer training, multi-media along with video creation.
2. Partnerships Huron County is fortunate to participate in many government and industry partnerships including: Huron Tourism Association, Huron Business Development Corporation, area Chambers of Commerce and BIAs and Ministry of Tourism representatives (eg. Nancy Fallis). a) Huron Tourism Association (HTA) History/Background of the Huron Tourism Association • formed on September 7, 1993; 20th Anniversary in 2013! • Mandate to develop and target cost effective and results oriented tourism strategies within Huron County - Ontario’s West Coast, on a shared cost basis among its members. Huron Tourism is a membership based “action organization.” Many hours of volunteer effort are contributed by HTA members. • The membership for HTA ranges from 170 - 200 members per year • HTA is updating it’s strategic plan in 2014-2015 Industry and Government Partnership: • The County of Huron Economic Development Services continues to be closely involved in the activities of the Huron Tourism Association as a resource/support body and partner. • Our cost sharing promotions are very cost-effective for the County’s tourism mandate. • The HTA’s link to the County is modelled in other Ontario municipalities. With our partnership, we accomplish more tourism initiatives, share industry knowledge and avoid duplication of efforts and funds. • County staff members, Cindy Fisher and Jenna Ujiye are members of the 12 member HTA Board of Directors Membership Advantages: • HTA members receive a window decal indicating a membership in the ‘H T A -Ontario’s West Coast’. • A highlighted feature and enhanced listing in both the County Travel Guide and corresponding website attracts most members. • see membership/information brochure for a more complete list of membership advantages. Highway Signage: • A County Wide signage policy for tourism directional signage was approved in 2009; since then 27 welcome signs were located at all county road entrances into the county, in partnership with County Public Works Dept. • striving to obtain provincial approval to have the same signage located at county entrances on Provincial Highways (#4, 8 & 21) • Directional/way finding signage was launched in 2010; to date over 70 tourism businesses and attractions have purchased branded directional signs under contract, for their businesses. Page 13
Logo/Branding • The County of Huron’s tourism logo (revised in 2008) continues to be well received by the local tourism industry. Video: • Over 50 Huron County tourism videos have been created and are available online at Huron.TV • They have been produced using County staff skills and also with assistance from co-op students. • 5 - 10 more tourism videos will be produced in 2014. Banners: • Several promotional banners are readily available for shows and displays. Their themes range from beach stories, to countryside and coastline, to culinary tourism, to four season experiences to geographical location banners. Committees: • The Association’s committees are involved in such activities as: advertising/marketing; fundraising; education; membership ; Shakespeare to the Shoreline; brochure swap/tourism event and Best Host West Coast • HTA, and the County also offer a one time per year customer Service training; the fourth “Best Host West Coast” FAM tour is scheduled for May 26, 2014. • County Tourism staff are often asked to be on a variety of other special event committees ; they will not be able to attend or organize from now on due to staff resources. Support can be provided through provision of brochures and banners HTA Association Meetings/Events: • These meetings/events create networking opportunities; allow the host to promote their tourism business (i.e. a mini –FAM tour); provide education through guest speakers and the sharing of member information, ideas and issues. • A tourism event and brochure swap, and fall dinner meeting are both held annually in an effort to attract additional tourism establishments. Regular Tourism Newsletters: • Since 2011, a weekly events and specials newsletter is created to get information out to members and other businesses in a timely manner; it includes e-mail reminders of events to all tourism-related businesses in Huron County. • Starting in 2014 a digital quartely industry newsletter will be circulated to all HTA members.
2. Partnerships - Cont’d
HTA Board Composition goals: geographic representation; sector variety; urban/rural mix ; male / female members and experienced / new members. HTA Board of Directors 2014: President - Kim Burgsma, Samuels Hotel Vice-President - Lynne Gravett, Sunset Golf Club Secretary - Liz Ihrig, Hessenland Country Inn, Zurich Treasurer - John McHenry, Blyth Festival Additional Members • Darren Erb - Little Inn of Bayfield • Cindy Fisher - Huron County Economic Development Services • Stephen Karcher, Drayton Entertainment/ Huron Country Playhouse • Susan Mills, Grand Bend & Area Chamber of Commerce • Jenna Ujiye, Huron County Economic Development Services • Spencer Vail, Benmiller Inn and Spa Newsletter Editors: Rachel Lynn & Jenna Ujiye HTA Coordinator: Cindy Fisher b) Neighbouring County Alliances and Regional Tourism Organization (RTO) 4: • HTA encourages partnerships with neighboring areas such as Lambton, Bruce, Grey and Perth Counties. Two significant programs have been continued with Perth County: Shakespeare to the Shoreline and Buy Local/ Buy Fresh; in 2013, a new garden tour brochure for Huron/Perth was launched by a group of businesses and private gardens; a 2014 edition has since been launched. • The theme, Ontario’s West Coast, can be used for the entire area when we are in joint marketing ventures. • in 2010 the Province created 13 new RTO’s (Regional Tourism Organizations). • Huron County is in RTO 4 (in partnership with Perth,
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Waterloo and Wellington Counties/Regions); in 2014 Huron is represented on the RTO board by Kathy Nichol, James Eddington, Chris Lee and Joan Karstens. Jenna Ujiye is the partnership committee rep. • These RTO4 dollars market our region in targeted Toronto areas with campaigns and websites such as: ONtravel.ca • In 2012, the regional reservation system was launched. Businesses in Huron can now sign up and receive bookings through the system for no cost; Huron has over 40 businesses signed up. The system was temporarily removed from the County site in 2013 with a resolution expected in 2014. c) Huron Arts and Heritage Network (HAHN) • HAHN works with groups and individual businesses including: museums, theatres, antique stores, art studios, bed and breakfasts in heritage homes, artists, artisans, studios, municipal and heritage organizations etc. Jenna Ujiye sits on this board as a representative of Tourism in Huron. • HAHN will continue with the annual Culture Awards and support other groups in their events, along with 3 new arts, culture and heritage networking events called the Last Friday. • Since 2013, Rick Sickinger, Cultural Development Officer for the County of Huron, dedicates many hours to support HAHN initiatives. • In 2012, the County of Huron Cultural Services completed Cultural Mapping under the leasership of Rick Sickinger. Over 1700 cultural resources. In 2014 the Huron County Cultural plan was completed and the initiatives in that plan will be priority. • In 2013/2014 HAHN along with the Cultural Services and County Tourism staff support, created the Creative Countryside guide, highlighting market ready cultural businesses and events. d) Taste of Huron and Buy Local/Buy Fresh Huron Perth Brochure • Trends continue to indicate that agri-tourism and rural tourism have potential for growth in Huron County; interest in local foods is the predominant culinary trend of the new century. • Success in this area means full time, seasonal and part time jobs for our youth and mature work force. • Agriculture is the foundation of Huron County and the industry’s establishment of farm tour days, special events, fairs and farm gate sales establishments show promise for more activity in this area. • The lead up to our County’s 2017 hosting of the International Plowing Match (IPM) will be full of great
2. Partnerships - cont’d • • • •
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opportunities. Each participant has a TofH symbol beside its guide and website listing; this enhancement is a pay to play marketing initiative. Media travel articles about local foods are also being coordinated by Laurel Armstrong and Jenna Ujiye. 102 Huron County food producers are featured in the Tastes of Huron section of the County travel guide In 2013 The Taste of Huron was the kitchen sponsor at the London Women’s Lifestyle Show. Four local chefs created local food dishes and gave out samples for the audiences. In 2014 Taste of Huron will bring Chefs to Farmer’s Markets and Fairs along with continuing the summer food for thought dinners. They also started the first Winterlicious event where 9 restaurants offered three course local food meals for $29.00 for 4 weeks in February and March. The development of a culinary tourism trail has been in development since late 2013 and is pending due to provincial funding.
Buy Local / Buy Fresh Huron Perth • Since 2008, in partnership with the provincial Buy Local Buy Fresh marketing initiative which includes partner signage, this brochure features ‘pay to play’ producers of food products from Huron and Perth Counties and also receives sponsorship from several organizations. • Products ranging from honey to fruits to vegetables to chocolate to meat to fish are featured. • The Huron Perth Farm to Table Committee guides the production of this brochure. • The fourth edition Buy Local / Buy Fresh Huron Perth brochure was released in summer 2012 with 111 producers (55 from Huron and 56 from Perth). • In addition to the standard distribution avenues, the brochure was widely distrubuted at events such as the Taste of Huron and Savour Stratford Perth. e) Shakespeare to the Shoreline • 2013 is the 10th year! • Since 2004, this program has featured more than 110 sample stops in Huron and Perth Counties, along an area surrounding the Highway #8 corridor. The seven themes are: Antiques and Collectibles, Artisans and Art Galleries, Farm Markets, Gardens and Gardeners Dreams, Historic Stops and Attractions, Live Theatre and
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Performances and Nature Walks. • In addition to these themes participating accommodations and dining partners are included; packages are also featured. • Five additional routes were launched in 2007, taking travellers north and south of this travel corridor, keeping them in the area longer • The season launch occurs at the Stratford Garden Festival in
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March of each year. Two specialty tours (“Taste Trek” and “Style Trek” have been designed to target the female demographic. The travel routes and experiences included in the Shakespeare to the Shoreline travel program are also designed to invite Stratford visitors to ‘get out of town’! By providing easy-to-follow routes, visitors to the region, can find their way cross ‘county’, experiencing the real and rural vistas and villages, slowing the pace of their travel to ‘tour, taste and linger’ in our area. Shakespeare to the Shoreline bookmarks are sent to libraries and bookstores. Each year Shakespeare to the Shoreline attends the Stratford Garden Show; visitors look for the booth; one attendee from Kitchener said “Last summer I discovered Goderich and Bayfield for the first time.” New in 2013 a user friendly postcard was lunched and circulated to
f) Lower Tier Municipal and Chamber/BIA Initiatives County staff are often asked to have input into or feedback on local tourism economic development initiatives. Some examples of various lower tier projects include: trail proposals, tourist-driven events, customer service training, tourism gateways (example South Huron 2013), signage and banner programs and presentations.
2. Partnerships - cont’d
g) Huron County Annual Tourism Day and Brochure Swap • April 2013 marked the 24th annual Huron County Tourism Day and Brochure Swap. It was held in Exeter and attracted approx 100 registrants with 50 business/ organizational brochure displays. The majority of participants were from Huron County with several registrants from the Counties of Grey, Bruce, Perth, Lambton, Wellington and Middlesex. • Participants gather for morning FAM tours, speakers, lunch and award presentations; the event ends with the popular brochure swap which is open to the public, as part of HTA’s and the County’s mandate to inform the public about tourism and what we have to offer. • The 2014 event was in Goderich on April 8, 2014. Over 90 people attended and enjoyed the speaker, morning FAM tours, lunch, awards and brochure swapping. • The 25th anniversary of this event was also celebrated Recipients of the Annual Tourism Champion Award
2011 Joan Karstens 2012 James Eddington 2013 Liz and Frank Ihrig 2014 Cinammon Jim Lee The annual Tourism Champion Award, initiated in 2011 is also presented at the Brochure Swap and Tourism event each year.
Recipients of the annual Tourism Development Award 1993 County of Huron Planning & Development Dept. 1994 Benmiller Inn 1995 Huron Country Playhouse, Grand Bend & Maple Leaf Motel,Goderich 1996 Huron Community Futures Corporation 1997 The Maitland Mill Association, Gorrie 1998 Town Hall Heritage Theatre, Wingham 1999 Shayrina Sheep Farm, near Bluevale 2000 Brentwood on the Beach B & B, St. Joseph 2001 Huron County Museum 2002 Tourism Goderich 2003 Heritage and Culture Partnership 2004 Viewpoint B & B, Goderich 2005 H.O. Jerry (1983) Ltd., Goderich 2006 Armstrong Tourism & Marketing Services 2007 Hessenland Country Inn, St. Joseph 2008 Huron Ridge Acres, Zurich 2009 Blyth Festival 2010 Colborne Bed and Breakfast, Goderich 2011 Walton Motocross Raceway and Event 2012 The Little Inn of Bayfield 2013 Iceculture Inc. 2014 Samuels Hotel Inc. The annual Tourism Development Award, initiated by The Blyth Festival in 1993, is a special part of the day.
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Locations of the Annual Event 1990-91 Goderich 1992 Benmiller 1993 Blyth 1994 Grand Bend 1995 Goderich 1996 Exeter 1997 Wingham 1998 Hensall 1999 Seaforth 2000 Lucknow 2001 Goderich 2002 Zurich 2003 Holmesville 2004 Wingham 2005 Exeter 2006 Seaforth 2007 Blyth 2008 Zurich 2009 Goderich 2010 Clinton 2011 Seaforth 2012 Wingham 2013 Exeter 2014 Goderich
Huron County Museum Benmiller Inn Blyth Festival Huron Country Playhouse Knox Presbyterian Church Exeter Pentecostal Church Wingham Town Hall Heritage Theatre/ Sacred Heart Catholic Church United Church in Hensall Seaforth and District Community Centre Lucknow Community Centre Knights of Columbus Hall Zurich Mennonite Church Holmesville Community Hall & the White Carnation North Huron Wescast Community Complex South Huron Recreation Centre Seaforth Community Centre and Agriplex Blyth and District Community Centre and Arena Zurich Arena and Community Centre Columbus Centre REACH Centre Seaforth & District Community Centre North Huron Wescast Community Complex South Huron Recreation Centre Trinity Christian Reformed Church
3. Advertising •
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Our tourism website continues to be enhanced and updated as the main source/advertisement for travel information. It is important to stay attractive, current and searchable on the website; in addition to our own website, links and buttons help to increase our online visibilty. contest specific advertising assists in tracking and measuring the effectiveness of campaigns. Significant efforts continue to be in the realm of social networking. (eg. facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Foodspotting and Ontario Travel Divas and Instagram. A new 2014- 2016 marketing plan has been created with marketing initiatives and themes focused on the RTO themes and demand generators. Print editorial and advertisements are still an effective means of promoting Huron County to certain targets in the tourism marketplace. Advertisements are placed, with a 50/50 shared cost partnership between HTA and the County, into several tourism publications (approximately $50,000 total). The publications have different distribution ranges and target markets; some publications reach all over Ontario, while others target Southwestern Ontario. A list is available upon request. The County also benefits from the advertising and promotional events of its two partnership marketing
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programs - Huron Arts and Heritage Network and Shakespeare to the Shoreline. A range of advertising for RTO 4 continues to significantly enhance our presence in wider Ontario markets, such as Toronto. Opportunities for co-operative advertising with active tourism advertising partners, such as the Town of Goderich, continue to occur and be explored. Research has shown that the majority of visitors to Huron County are within a two hour drive in southwestern Ontario; as a result, targeted advertisements are placed in these areas, on a co-operative basis with members of the Huron Tourism Association. While no advertising dollars are currently spent in the American market, some efforts continue towards editorial coverage there. Part of the joint 2014 advertising efforts will continue to be toward securing editorial about Huron County; editorial, when combined with paid advertising, is 8:1 more effective for influencing buyer decisions. Current copies of the advertising strategy are available from the Planning & Development Dept.
Shown above are ads from the Horizon Travel Magazine, Blyth Festival Guide and the London Free Press *Additional, advertising and social networking promotions on back outside cover of this report.
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4. Travel Writers •
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The Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC)and Individual travel writers continue to be courted and offered personalized and supported FAM trips to the area. Examples of key successful ventures from 2013 include: blog about historic sites featuring Huron Historic Gaol; Eat and Drink regular features of Taste of Huron restaurants; London Free Press Home Section feature on Bayfield; 100 things to see and do LFPress; Toronto Star Wheels feature cruising Ontario’s West Coast; 10 page article in Lifestyle magazine May 2103 touring Ontario’s West Coast; 7 page article in Grand magazine July 2013 featuring HC Beyond the Beach focusing on outdoor recreation, historic sites and shopping. Huron County has hosted TMAC Munch and Mingle events in Toronto; to replace the Toronto events, since 2012, the County hosts individual travel writers, for personalized and focused FAM tours. The County continues to receive editorial in various publications and online sites as a result of the relationship which has been nurtured with our writers; for example, an article by Jim Fox would appear in the London Free Press (paper and online) and also in all Sunmedia papers
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and on-line nationally. Since building relationships is the key to success in the industry, the County will maintain its contract with Laurel Armstrong in 2014 to nurture and enhance the continued interest with the travel writers. The industry standards indicate that editorials are eight times more effective and credible than paid advertisements, therefore influencing consumer travel. The County’s tourism communications strategy includes a healthy mix of both paid advertising and media relations for editorial support. 2014 also featured Huron County as the destination for the popular 45th Mother’s Day Shunpiker Tour with the London Free Press; thousands of our key target Londoners toured the area on Mother’s Day.
Lifestyle Magazine Summer 2013
100 Things June 2013
Toronto Star August 2013
Ontario Travel Blog Summer 2013 London Free Pr ess August, 2012
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Grand Magazin May 2013
d lobe an G , io r a t On 13 Explore May 20
F. County Wide Events
Taste of Huron Culinary event • The Huron Tourism Association and The County of Huron partner to create a county-wide culinary festival to celebrate our agricultural excellence and culinary experiences. • the event website is: www. tasteofhuron.ca • The event started in 2010 with member restaurants and producers; it attracts 1500 participants: 40% local community members and 60% tourists from Ontario, USA and beyond. • In 2013 Taste of Huron events were be held year round starting in May. Food For Thought dinners were held and four existing local food events were co-sponsored. Winterlicious was also introduced. • In 2014 Taste of Huron events will include: Food For Thought dinners, Chefs at area Farmers Markets and more.
Doors Open Huron (bi-annual event) • “Step into our Stories” will take place Sept. 13 - 14, 2014 • the event will combine the best of the County’s local heritage and arts. Each of the Doors Open Huron County sites this year will feature arts programming with music concerts, visual arts and crafts exhibits, or theatre performances while touring the heritage sites. • More programming will occur over the two-day event, including: a stained-glass window tour, architectural walking tours of designated heritage properties, and a speakers’ series featuring local historians. • Doors Open is a provincial program that Huron County participates in biennially. Storm of 1913 Remembered - 2013 event • A local committee formed to create 100 year commemoration of the Great Storm of 1913, the worst maritime disaster on the Great Lakes. • The official event was held November 8, 9 and 10. Over 50 events were held in both Ontario and Michigan throughout the year including two plays, a speaker series, trade show and job fair, concerts, readings and displays. • Over 15,000 people attended.
G. Department Resources for Tourism •
The Huron County Planning and Development Department plans to continue to have staff involved in tourism promotion. • As part of the department’s economic development mandate, Cindy Fisher, will continue as Tourism Coordinator (half time) and develop the County’s tourism promotion and activities; Jenna Ujiye, full time tourism marketer, will continue to concentrate on design of publications, signature events, advertisements, regional partnerships and website design and updates. • Other Department staff involvement includes Economic Development Services staff: continuing access to the expertise and co-operative programming of Mike Pullen Senior Economic Development Officer; connection to Business Development Co-ordinator (position currently not filled), and the programs and delivery of downtown economic development and local first initiatives; access to web design, multi-media and data services of Mark Hussey. • The Department’s secretarial and support staff, including Rachel Lynn (replacing Marie McGuire who retired after 25 years in 2014) and Nina Reynolds, will continue to be involved in data base management, brochure distribution, information collection, administration and responses to inquiries; 50 % of Rachels time is spent on Page 19
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tourism-related administration. Mike Burroughs and the assistance of summer students will also be involved in brochure distribution and preparation for the annual tourism event and brochure swap. The County’s relationship with the Huron Tourism Association continues to be a beneficial, creative and productive one. Brittany Fry (EMPIRE Consulting, contract) provides social media assistance and creation. Karen Stewart provides event coordination and Ontario Travel Diva assistance. Project specific consulting will continue for media/travel work with consultant Laurel Armstrong. The members of the HTA, in particular the Board members, provide significant hours of volunteer time to promote the County and Ontario’s West Coast and their efforts, feedback and insight are sincerely appreciated. The County will continue to partner with the externally and partner-funded tourism initiatives launched by the HTA (such as (HAHN) and Shakespeare to the Shoreline), since they enhance our limited promotions budget and speak to the special market segments of the tourism industry. These programs offer the ‘experience’ which is essential to entice the visitor to explore the area.
Vimeo Screen Shot, 2014
Twitter Feed
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Instagram Screen Shot, 2014
Facebook Screen Shot, May, 2014
Facebook Ad
ontarioswestcoast.ca