RTO 9 Announces 9 Additional Partnership Proposal Recipients

We are pleased to announce that we have awarded over 45k from our Partnership Fund to support projects across the region as a result of our second intake of applications. Partnership Funds allow us to partner with tourism operators across the region to grow tourism receipts within South Eastern Ontario.

Over the years, the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture Industries has provided us with Partnership Funding that is used to leverage a variety of projects that support the growth of tourism within the region. Projects vary in scope from events to marketing initiatives to product development and training.

The following is the list of successful recipients and project descriptions:

Brockville

The Aquatarium – Family Day Mermaid Experience

The Aquatarium will be hiring mermaids to perform in the exhibit area on a weekend in March. Funding is for Mermaid performers who will interact with children, marketing, photographer, and more.

1000 Islands & Rideau Canal Waterways

Furnace Falls Farm – Music on the Farm Series

Furnace Falls Farm will expand on their warmer weather event offerings to include the winter months. They will host 3 events at their location. These events will feature two musical family bands, a farmhouse snack & juice bar, a photographer, and more. On March 5th they will host a special event to celebrate female Singer/Songwriters at and will include charcuterie, tapas, and cocktails prepared on-site by a local winery.

Kingston

Kingstonlicious Plus

Running simultaneously with Kingstonlicious, partners AquaTerra and Wharf & Feather commit to new programming for Kingstonlicious Plus. There will be a Maïtre Fromager culinary event at Wharf & Feather, which includes a talk by the guest maïtre on the farm-to-table connections of various cheeses, followed by a dinner incorporating cheeses as well as local produce. In late February, there will be an interactive fine dining and wine-pairing event at AquaTerra, featuring a guest chef and guest sommelier.

Kingston Canadian Film Festival

The Kingston Canadian Film Festival transforms traditional and unconventional venues across Kingston’s historic downtown into a dynamic festival setting from March 3 to 13, 2022. Did you know it’s the largest festival in the world devoted solely to Canadian film? It’s a yearly whirlwind of movies and events that spark curiosity, ignite discussion, and provide a fresh experience of Canadian film. This year, you can attend in-person, digitally – or both!

Kingston Writers Fest – Winter Writer’s Retreat

To mount an off-season, intensive writers’ master class program to aspiring writers in order to maintain a top-of-mind presence for Kingston WritersFest year-round. To entice out-of-town participants at what is traditionally a quiet time of year, to enjoy two to four days of inspiration and revitalization. To work on their craft, explore the city of Kingston, and enjoy an extended stay at a partner hotel.

Kingston Punk Productions – KPP at 20

The KPP AT 20 project is a celebration of their 20th anniversary and will host some of the backlogged tours and artists that are yearning to hit the road as venues have reopened. This final leg of KPP AT 20 project will run until the end of March and see four big-name artists playing intimate venues in Kingston.

Martello Alley – Froid’Art

Froid’Art is an enchanting, fun, family-friendly, free public art exhibit that embraces winter in a most unique manner. Local artists create pieces of artwork on 16” x 32” pieces of Plexiglas which are then frozen into 300-pound blocks of crystal clear ice. The goal is to make the downtown community more appealing during winter while encouraging consumerism and appreciation of downtown, its businesses, and architecture.

Prince Edward County

Rosehaven Yarn Shop – Knit Away Weekend

This Knit Retreat was started in 2014 at Jackson’s Falls with 20 people. It has now grown to 50 attendees over the years! The plan is to continue to grow this retreat so more people from the area can spend a relaxing weekend engaging in meditation and knitting.

Frontenac County

The Hotel on Wolfe Island – Winter Concert Series

The Hotel will be expanding from its extremely successful events to build a robust winterlong concert series featuring regional artists. Events will include album launches, livestreams, regular music series in our beautiful newly appointed live room for band events, in addition to a concert room for acoustic and jazz performances. Recent music events draw capacity crowds from both the island and mainland and as far away as Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

If you’re interested in learning more about how you can enhance or develop new tourism products in South Eastern Ontario, please contact Lori McIsaac, Director Experiential Tourism Development, at lmcIsaac@region9tourism.ca.

About RTO 9

RTO 9 is a regional tourism organization established in 2010 that is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture Industries. RTO 9 actively promotes tourism for the South Eastern Ontario region and works to support and grow the tourism industry through marketing, product development, investment attraction, and workforce development initiatives. The regions of South Eastern Ontario are 1000 Islands Gananoque, Bay of Quinte, Brockville, Cornwall and Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry Counties, Frontenac County, Kingston, Lennox and Addington, Prince Edward County, and the Rideau Canal Waterways.

Partnership Success Story: Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour

Each year, RTO 9 works with a selected group of tourism operators in a Partnership Funding program. These partnerships further our collective success in attracting tourists, (visitors that are travelling more than 40 km) to the South Eastern Ontario region, growing revenue for businesses, and fostering strategic alliances.

One of our partners for 2020/2021 was the Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour for their Cataraqui Boatyard project. The overall goal of the Cataraqui Boatyard Project (sub-group of the Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour) was to educate and excite the public about Canada’s oldest continuous boat building location – Kingston Inner Harbour. In 2020, a replica was made of one of Canada’s historic boats, an authentic Algonquin Birch Bark Canoe, by canoe builder Chuck Commanda, Algonquin Traditional Knowledge Keeper.

Here is our post partnership interview with Mary Farrar, President at Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour, on their experience with the RTO 9 Partnership Fund.

You were awarded Partnership Funding last year. Can you tell us a little about your project and what your goals were?

Mary: Our project was the community build of a traditional Algonquin birch bark canoe. We paid Chuck Commanda, Algonquin’s traditional knowledge keeper, to collect the materials and lead the build. It was an amazing experience with 2/3 Indigenous participants and 1/3 non-Indigenous. A real exercise in Truth and Reconciliation. It took place in Kingston’s Inner Harbour. We rented a large tent. It was easily accessible from the waterfront path. Parking was available. We had volunteers to answer questions from the public. COVID protocols were in place. Many visitors were completely blown away by the art and skill involved. A wonderful opportunity for local citizens and tourists to learn more about Indigenous culture.

What changes did you need to make when the pandemic arrived?

Mary: The pandemic had arrived before we started. COVID protocols were in place: masks, hand sanitizing, signing in for contact tracing. However, at the last minute, the plans we had for feeding 200 people a feast that was to occur along with the official launch day, as well as a large event in the park including displays and workshops, had to be cancelled and replaced with a small 25 person event.

How important was the partnership with RTO 9 in the overall success of your project?

Mary: Extremely important! The RTO9 grant helped pay for tent rentals, birch bark canoe creator Chuck Commanda’s fee, social media advertising, local Indigenous drummers and singers, a photographer, and a videographer. Given that we had to cancel the final large event weekend, instead, we paid a local Indigenous consultant to create a special 3 hour nationwide TV broadcast publicizing both our 3-week canoe build and also Algonquin Culture.

What, if any, plans do you have for the future regarding your project?

Mary: Our canoe has already featured in a waterfront sail-past event featuring 5 “floats” In addition, it was featured in a Marine Museum of the Great Lakes event welcoming Theodore Too the tugboat. It is currently on display in an exhibit at the Marine Museum and we were part of an online Zoom presentation about the build.Its home is with the Limestone Board’s alternative Indigenous school where Indigenous students have adopted the canoe as a fellow classmate. Plans are afoot for public access for rides in traditional birch bark canoes this coming season. Plans are afoot for participation in a “Canoe Stories” event taking place in Ottawa, Kingston, and Peterborough. When COVID is over, we plan on more Inner Harbour builds including a voyageur canoe, a batteau, and ultimately a replica of the Frontenac, the first European-style boat built in Kingston’s Inner Harbour. We are currently creating a series of film shorts for promotion at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival.

Are you a tourism operator interested in learning more about our Partnership Fund? Connect with our Director Experiential Tourism Development, Lori McIsaac at lmcisaac@region9tourism.ca to learn more about this opportunity!

Q3 Marketing Highlights

We are excited to share the collective accomplishments we have made for Q3 (October 1st – December 31st, 2021).

Campaigns

Earned & Paid Media

RTO 9’s Digital Marketing Support Program provided six Digital Marketing members (from Destination Marketing Organizations & Tourism Offices in South Eastern Ontario) the opportunity to partner with RTO 9 on digital marketing tactics such as Facebook Ads, Blog creation, and Giveaways. This content was managed and paid for by RTO 9.

On our Facebook channel, we featured Facebook Ads for Prince Edward County’s newest Experiences page, SDG Counties Paranormal Investigation promotion, and Rideau Waterways Festival of Small Halls Christmas Event.
Our ‘Storytelling Campaign’ featured Prince Edward County and included a blog, Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels, and a giveaway.

Rail + Roam

RTO 9, in partnership with VIA Rail and Landsby.ca, launched a winter Campaign – Rail + Roam. The goal of this campaign is to drive interest in winter getaway travel to South Eastern Ontario city destinations such as Cornwall, Brockville, Kingston, and Belleville. This campaign will promote unique hub and spoke winter experiences and stays through packaging created by Landsby.ca. The campaign promotes safe, local travel by train from key Canadian markets and will provide a VIA fare discount from November 1, 2021- March 31, 2022 (some blackout dates will apply) when experiences are booked through Landsby.ca.

Rail + Roam results ending as of December 2021

The Rail + Roam campaign ad units ran on Sharethrough, Facebook/Instagram, Search and YouTube in December 2021. However, the ad units on Facebook, Search and Sharethrough were paused on December 24 in response to the rising case of COVID. Before pausing in December, the campaign generated 1.3M impressions and 8,735 clicks in total. On social, Facebook/Instagram generated 398,969 impressions with 7,879 clicks at a CTR of 1.97%, which is well above the industry benchmark of 0.9%. An unskippable video ad ran from Dec 6 to Dec 24 on YouTube which generated 573K views in total with a high completion rate of 83.82% meaning that viewers are highly interested in our content. On the programmatic end, our campaign generated 256K impressions and 238 clicks at a CTR of 0.09%, which is above the platform benchmark of 0.08%. We have gone back into market with this campaign as of Jan 27, 2022.

Here’s a look at just some of the media our operators and destinations in South Eastern Ontario gained in Q3.

Article: Hotels and resorts across Canada are offering a wide range of festive packages to fully vaccinated guests

Outlet: Globe and Mail

Date: December 9, 2021

About the Article: A new partnership between Via Rail, Toronto’s Landsby travel agency, and the regional tourism organization for Southeastern Ontario has produced “Rail & Roam” packages that combine and discount train tickets, accommodations, meals, tours, car rentals, and more. From the Via station in Cornwall, for instance, guests can travel west along the scenic St. Lawrence River until they reach Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, which until Jan. 1 is draping the recreated 19th-century settlement in more than a million coloured lights. From there, the historic village of Winchester, and a suite in the country-cozy Terrace Green B&B, is less than 30 minutes away by rental car. From $399 a night, landsby.ca/rail-and-roam

Reach: 6,618,420 UVM (Unique Visitors per Month)

Article: Six great day-trip ideas to keep you active

Outlet: Toronto Star

Date: December 18, 2021

About the Article: The article notes various day trip activities to keep readers active over the winter, including ice fishing in P.E.C. and the ice fishing hut options available at Merland Park Cottages.

Reach: 5,689,932 UVM

The same article also appeared in the following outlets:

Toronto Star (print) – 242,300 Circulation

Welland Tribune – 125,940 UVM

Waterloo Record – 467,741 UVM

Niagara Falls Review – 94,084 UVM

Article: 9 Small Towns In Ontario That Are Even More Magical To Visit In The Winter

Outlet: Narcity

Date: December 13, 2021

About the Article: The article highlights various places in Ontario to visit during the winter and highlights Kingston as one of the province’s top destinations. Madeline Forsyth selected Kingston for its small-town vibes, tons of downtown shops and cafes, and an enchanting ice skating rink in the square.

Reach: 3,129,248 UVM

Article: North Grenville Community Theater still going strong

Outlet: Toronto Star

Date: December 10, 2021

About the Article: The article notes that the North Grenville Community Theatre has requested $5,000 in funding with the goal of making some needed repairs to the old Oxford Mills Town Hall. The building is being used primarily for the storage of costumes and equipment by three local performing arts groups. The article notes that the theatre group is bouncing back with a planned production of “Ripcord,” planned for the Spring of 2022 at the North Grenville Municipal Centre.

Reach: 5,689,932 UVM

The same article also appeared in the following outlets:

Hamilton Spectator – 804,908 UVM

St. Catharines Standard – 396,138 UVM

Welland Tribune – 86,138 UVM

Article: Brockville Has A Free Holiday Trail Of Lights Where The Trees Dance To Music (VIDEOS)

Outlet: Narcity

Date: December 6, 2021

About the Article: The article highlights Brockville’s River Of Lights is happening at Blockhouse Island, where guests will be able to see thousands of twinkling lights. The piece notes that the event is happening seven days a week until January 2, 2022, and no admission tickets are required.

Reach: 941,190 UVM

Earned Media Snapshot

Total Stories: 80
Print: 11
TV Segments: 1
Online: 69
Newsletter: 1
Radio: 0

Total Media Impressions for Q3: 64,050,638
Total Cumulative Impressions Since the Beginning of the Campaign: 8,229,322,601

Owned & Paid Media for South Eastern Ontario

Total Reach: 2,140,707 (+102% YoY)
Total Engagement: 36,816 (-58% YoY)
Total User Visits: 107,267 (-15% YoY)
Total Page Views: 155,088 (-17% YoY)
Total Events 55,624 (direct links to tourism operators’ websites):

Top Website Content
Bucket List: 25 Restaurants You Need To Try In Prince Edward County (10,352 Page Views)
16 Paranormal Locations In South Eastern Ontario We Dare You To Visit (8,381 Page Views)
22 Of The Best Ontario Holiday Markets You Have to Visit (8,184 Page Views)
Bucket List: 24 Restaurants You Need To Try In Kingston (7,731 Page Views)
Home Page (6,300 Page Views)

Future Initiatives

Winter Campaign – Rail + Roam (Continued)

South Eastern Ontario Cruise Campaign, Theatre Pitch to Media, planning, and implementation of both

Fam Trips to South Eastern Ontario

Updating SEO Maps and Cycle Maps

Working alongside our DMO’s, we will be launching blogs and itineraries that will highlight experiences and operators in the region.

Promotion of awarded Winter Partnership Funding recipients.

RTO 9 provides regional leadership and coordination for tourism in South Eastern Ontario. We are fiercely working on your behalf to grow all aspects of tourism to attract more visitors, increase revenues, and generate economic activity such as investment and job creation. Connect with a team member who can assist you in your tourism initiatives.

No Place Like Roam: RTO 9 Partners with VIA Rail and Landsby For Exclusive New ‘Rail + Roam’ Campaign

Initiative encourages locals and visitors alike to explore all that South Eastern Ontario has to offer through an array of exclusive getaway and stay-and-play packages

Kingston, ON – November 16, 2021 – RTO 9 is teaming up with VIA Rail and Canadian travel company Landsby to heat up the winter season by offering exclusive new Rail + Roam packages that encourage travellers to ride the rails and safely explore well-known gems, best-kept secrets and off-the-beaten-path adventures across the region. From now until March 15, 2022, Rail + Roam allows locals and visitors alike to indulge in a wide array of culinary, adventure and wellness-themed experiences that can be booked through landsby.ca/rail-and-roam/. These experiences offer unique ways to get out and soak in the small-city warmth and hospitality of places such as Kingston, Brockville, Gananoque, Cornwall, Belleville and more. Stretching from Lake Ontario all the way to the Quebec border, South Eastern Ontario follows along the northern shore of the St. Lawrence River and encompasses the laid back charm of Prince Edward County, the historic architecture of Kingston, stunning views of the 1000 Islands and the UNESCO-designated Rideau Canal. The region also backs up its claims as a true culinary hub, offering food lovers and wine aficionados alike a myriad of opportunities to sip, sample and savour their way through award-winning wineries, craft breweries and restaurants serving locally sourced, farm-fresh fare.

“We’ve seen a lot of people — including Snowbirds — who are planning on staying closer to home this winter, so it’s the perfect time for people to book an escape and explore smaller towns across the region,” says Bonnie Ruddock, executive director for the Regional Tourism Organization of South Eastern Ontario (RTO 9). “South Eastern Ontario is Ours to Re-discover again, and Rail + Roam offers so many ways to relax, recharge and get rejuvenated by taking part in unforgettable experiences while also supporting local businesses in our own backyard.”

Among others, examples of the exclusive getaway and stay-and-play packages available through the Rail + Roam promotion include:A two-night ‘Glamping’ experience‘ inside a Mongolian-style yurt at Apple Hill’s Springfield Farm, including transfers from either the Cornwall or Alexandria VIA stations from $399 CAD for two nights plus taxA two-night ‘Seaway and Cider Experience’ in Kingston that includes suite accommodations at the Residence Inn by Marriott, a private Seaway and Helicopter tour of the 1000 Islands archipelago and lunch at the region’s newest cider mill for $969 CAD per couple plus tax A two-night culinary experience in the village of Morrisburg including a stay at the historic Russell Manor B&B and a gourmet three-course meal at its bistro for $620 CAD per couple plus tax A two-night stay at the Victorian-style Secret Garden Inn in Kingston that includes a gourmet private chef-curated three-course meal for two with wine pairings and breakfast service for $439 CAD per couple plus tax A three-night stay at the historic Cove Country Inn in the village of Westport on the banks of Rideau Canal with passes to nearby Foley Mountain for $299 CAD per couple plus tax A luxurious two-night ‘Modern Lakeside Retreat’ where guests are welcomed as friends at Prince Edward County’s stunning new Mirazule Inn set high on a cliff overlooking Lake Ontario for a 3-day/2-night luxurious stay with delicious breakfast and all beverages included for $1,380 CAD per couple plus taxLandsby has developed a series of unique, exclusive packages that combine accommodations and local experiences unique to this region. Packages are available for all ages, interests and price points. Train travel by VIA Rail to and from Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and the surrounding region can be added on to all packages (for an additional fee) to add an extra element of ease to travellers’ visits.

“The travel industry, and the people we serve, are in a phase of recovery. To that end, Canadians are yearning for authentic travel experiences that satisfy a need for both adventure and comfort, that support our local businesses and aid in our collective growth,” said Jason Sarracini, founder of Landsby. “The Rail + Roam packages in South Eastern Ontario embrace this trifecta, providing Canadians with opportunities to explore the beauty and wonder of their own country.”

The Rail + Roam campaign is a collaboration between the provincially funded tourism organization RTO 9, which works to support and grow tourism across 10 destinations in South Eastern Ontario; VIA Rail, Canada’s national rail passenger service; and Landsby, a Canadian travel company that launched in May 2021. The initiative is part of an ongoing recovery campaign built to support the local tourism economy while driving visits to the South Eastern Ontario region during the upcoming winter months. This is the first partnership of its kind between South Eastern Ontario, VIA Rail and Landsby.

HOW TO BOOK Travellers can explore and choose from a wide array of Rail + Roam packages by visiting landsby.ca/rail-and-roam/ until March 15, 2022. For more information about travel to South Eastern Ontario, visit www.southeasternontario.ca

About RTO 9

About Landsby

Landsby – a name derived from the Nordic word for ‘village’ — is a new Canadian tourism company with one driving principle: we are stronger when we work together. Landsby partners with large and small Canadian tourism partners to create unique and authentic experiences that not only provide travellers with authentic, immersive trips but positively impact the communities being explored. Landsby is helping to support and rebuild Canada’s tourism sector through innovative collaborations, storytelling and a soon-to-launch online community marketplace program.

About VIA Rail

As Canada’s national rail passenger service, VIA Rail and all its employees are mandated to provide safe, efficient and economical passenger transportation service, in both official languages of our country. VIA Rail operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking over 400 communities across Canada, and about 180 more communities through intermodal partnerships, and safely transported more than five million passengers in 2019. The Corporation has been awarded nine Safety Awards and three Environment Awards by the Railway Association of Canada since 2005.

Media Contact

Erin O’Driscoll
Account Manager
tartanbond
Direct: 416-319-8296 / M: 647-232-6924

Nicole Amiel
Director – Eastern Canada
tartanbond
Direct: 416-436-5185 / M: 514-983-3959

2024 Ontario Tourism Awards of Excellence

On October 23, 2024, the Ontario Tourism Awards of Excellence were hosted at the Convention Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, to celebrate the achievements and recognize the outstanding contributions to Ontario’s tourism sector. These awards honour excellence and innovation by individuals and organizations that contribute to the growth of Ontario’s tourism industry through strategic tourism partnerships, impactful marketing initiatives, and media outreach at the provincial, national, and international levels.

A range of categories were recognized at the awards. Below is a summary of winners and nominees from South Eastern Ontario:

Tourism Marketing & Travel Media Awards of Excellence

Tourism Digital Marketing Award
Winner: Tourism Kingston – Social Media and Influencer Marketing
Nominee: Visit the County – Countylicious

Tourism Marketing Campaign Award – Under $50K
Nominee: Visit the County

Culinary Tourism Awards of Excellence

Culinary Tourism Alliance Leadership Award
Winner: Tourism Kingston – Growing Culinary Tourism in Kingston

Culinary Tourism Alliance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award
Winner: Tourism Kingston – Call to Action 83: What Does Reconciliation Taste Like?

Tourism Innovator Award of Excellence

Nominee: Base 31 (Prince Edward County)

Bonnie Ruddock, Executive Director of RTO 9 Regional Tourism Organization, stated, “We work with amazing organizations and individuals in our region that are truly dedicated to advancing the tourism industry. The people leading these organizations are true innovators and are passionate about their communities. It’s wonderful to see these accomplishments recognized in South Eastern Ontario.”

Congratulations to Tourism Kingston on its triple win and to Visit the County and Base31 on their well-deserved nominations. Your commitment to excellence makes South Eastern Ontario a remarkable destination to explore. Thank you for your significant and diverse contributions to Ontario’s tourism landscape.

About RTO 9

RTO 9 is a regional tourism organization established in 2010 that is funded by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Gaming. RTO 9 actively promotes tourism in the South Eastern Ontario region and works to support and grow the tourism industry through marketing, product development, investment attraction, and workforce development initiatives.