Body: Planning Committee Type: Document Meeting: Committee Date: 2023 Collection: Agenda Attachments Municipality: Frontenac County
[View Document (PDF)](/docs/frontenac-county/Item Attachments/Agenda Item/2023/August/Staff Briefing: Mr. Richard Allen will provide a briefing to the Planning and Economic Development Advisory Committee on the Destination Development P/Briefing Destination Development Plan.pdf)
Document Text
FRONTENAC COUNTY 5-YEAR DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT PLAN Approved April 2022
Planning & Economic Development Committee 5-Year Destination Development Plan Briefing August 16, 2023
Purpose The Frontenac County Destination Development Plan is a 5-year strategic road map that balances the needs of local residents and tourism businesses. The primary purpose of the Plan is to establish Frontenac County as a viable tourism destination by focusing on three key directives to inform all strategic decision-making: • Increase year-round revenue for small businesses involved in tourism • Identify high-level strategies for the County to lead tourism and destination development in collaboration with industry and community partners • Improve environmental sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion The plan builds on recommendations established in the 2017 Accommodation Review, as well as consistent feedback from the local business community around the need to strengthen tourism opportunities in Frontenac.
Process •
1 year process (March 2021 – April 2022)
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Engagement Targeted DestinationNEXT Survey to Tourism Partners 10 Workshops & Focus Groups 40 individual interviews Dedicated Steering Committee
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Funded in partnership with Regional Tourism Organizations (RTO9 & RTO11)
Principles
- Align the four Townships around common themes
- Every strategy should benefit all visitors and locals
- Optimize clusters of existing infrastructure and community networks
- Weave an Indigenous narrative throughout the Plan
- Maintain what makes Frontenac County’s quality of life special
- Define the Frontenac County brand narrative
Goal #1
Establish a dedicated tourism resource to promote local small businesses and optimize the visitor experience A. Hire personnel to steward all the
elements in the Frontenac County Destination Development Plan
B. Align tourism and event development
strategy with existing community and economic development initiatives
C. Establish a consumer-facing, visitor-
friendly tourism website as a central hub for promoting travel-related businesses, experiences and events
D. Enhance promotional partnerships
within Frontenac County and with domestic and international source
Goal #2
Develop and promote a trail-based, sustainable outdoor recreation ecosystem to help locals and visitors navigate the County A. Create dedicated industry content,
mapping and consumer storytelling to inventory and promote County trails network, events and experiences
B. Further develop and promote a branded
“Rail Trails” network to help locals and visitors navigate the County
C. Develop a public-private environmental
sustainability taskforce to help steward sustainable tourism development
Goal #3
Support local organizations communities that promote the County’s diverse identity, arts, culture and heritage A. Create dedicated industry content,
mapping and consumer storytelling to inventory and promote arts, culture and heritage-related businesses, experiences and events
B. Develop an Arts, Culture & Heritage
organization to pool the collective resources of the public, private and nonprofit sectors
C. Identify processes to engage with First
Nations and other Indigenous communities
Goal #4
Develop a County-wide culinary experience and educational road map that celebrates local producers and sustainable supply chains A. Create dedicated industry content,
mapping and consumer storytelling to inventory and promote culinary tourism businesses, experiences and related events
B. Support the growth of the existing farm-
to-table ecosystem to create new and innovative culinary tourism experiences
C. Collaborate with regional and Provincial
organizations leading the food and beverage tourism industry, including the Culinary Tourism Alliance
Implementation
Include Destination Development Initiatives in the 2024-2028 Budget and Business Plan, with a new staff resource to coordinate and drive progress Critical to implementation of the Destination Plan are the redevelopment of www.visitfrontenac.ca into a map-based online tourism guide, and the addition of a full-time resource to the Economic Development team provide project leadership. •
Goals 2,3,4 all include initiatives requiring a consumer friendly, map-based website to connect regional assets related to trails, culinary tourism, culture, arts and heritage. The website (as defined in Goal 1A) is a critical hub for collecting, managing, and promoting these assets.
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Goals 2,3,4 collectively recommend the creation and coordination of a sustainability taskforce, a cultural/heritage organization and participation in regional culinary networks. Goal 1D recommends collaboration with regional tourism organizations and other partners such as Tourism Kingston. These new groups and relationships require time and capacity to be of value to the County and tourism partners, as well as the residents and visitors who will benefit from them.
Progress to Date
Tourism Brand Standards Some progress has been made on Destination Development initiatives, primarily concerning the expansion of the Frontenac Brand to strengthen its position and narrative in the visitor marketplace. This effort is foundational to the redevelopment of www.visitfrontenac.ca and any subsequent marketing efforts around tourism. The committee reviewed and recommended the adoption of the Tourism Brand Standards at its meeting on March 29, 2023.
