RTO 9, Regional Tourism Organization for South Eastern Ontario, is proud to announce the recipients of its 2024 Partnership Fund Program funding from round #2 intake. This intake round will support 16 exciting projects that promote tourism and economic growth in the region.
Each of these initiatives has been carefully selected for their potential to enhance the visitor experience and drive economic benefits for the region.
Through the Partnership Fund Program, RTO 9 aims to foster collaboration and innovation in the tourism industry, ensuring that South Eastern Ontario remains a top destination for visitors. We are committed to working with our partners to promote initiatives that positively impact the local community and the tourism industry as a whole.
We want to congratulate the recipients of this year’s Partnership Fund Program funding and thank them for their dedication to promoting tourism and economic growth in the region. We can’t wait to see the impact these initiatives will have on the visitor experience in South Eastern Ontario!
NEW EVENTS
Brockville
1000 Islands Wine & Food Festival – SEPTEMBER 21, 2024: The 1000 Islands Wine and Food Festival is a new and dynamic event featuring 30+ food and drinks vendors. Imagine; a sizzling celebration of wine, beer, cocktails, and gourmet delights, amplified by electrifying live music! Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy live music all day, delicious onsite and takeaway food options, sip beer and cocktails, and browse food-related vendors.
Prince Edward County
The Ontario Cheese Festival – SEPTEMBER 28, 2024: Prince Edward County Markets Inc. is hosting a one-day food & drink festival at The Cape in Picton, Ontario on September 28th, 2024 called the ‘Ontario Cheese Festival’. This food & drink festival will showcase the best of Ontario cheese as well as all other supporting vendors from Ontario. The objective of this festival is to provide a biennial food festival in Eastern Ontario, increase visitation to Prince Edward County in a traditionally lower tourist time, encourage overnight stays for one of our partners Stay PEC, introduce new tourists to PEC Wines, Sandbanks Provincial Park and align with many of Visit the County’s 2024 objectives.
Barn Exhibitions – SEPTEMBER – DECEMBER, 2024: Curating artist exhibitions in their newly renovated barn, the space gives visiting artists an exhibition space that showcases and financially supports
their undertakings in the County and provides a backdrop for more visitors staying longer to see the work on exhibit. The expansion of their current offering on the farm will allow guests to liaise with local artists and arts organizations and will create a destination within the area for high-value visitors who will also support local wineries, restaurants, accommodations, and retail/galleries.
Kingston
Great Lakes Ghosts Aboard the SS Keewatin – OCTOBER 4 – NOVEMBER 2, 2024: A new storytelling adventure and partnership with the Great Lakes Museum! This tour from Haunted Walks of Kingston features ghost stories from around the Great Lakes as well as a few stories from the ship itself, the SS Keewatin. The tours are 75 minutes in length and there will be several departures available each evening.
Save the Titanic on the SS Keewatin – SEPTEMBER 3 – NOVEMBER 30, 2024: The Save the Titanic program on the SS Keewatin will offer a unique experience for groups to experience the magic of the Titanic on the last Edwardian/Titanic-era ship. This initiative is designed to encourage international and national groups to consider bringing their groups to Kingston in a unique historical setting. The program itself is an immersive leadership development and team building experience where your team is immersed as the Senior Officers aboard the Titanic to tackle the impending disaster. Think fast. Think smart. Your decisions mean the difference between the life and death of your passengers — and metaphorically for your business.
Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry
The Lost & Sound Festival – AUGUST 24, 2024: The Lost and Sound Festival is a one-day music festival held on the grounds of the Lost Villages Brewery on August 24th, 2024. The festival features two stages and ten bands who will perform back-to-back throughout the day. The stages will be under tents so that the event is rain or shine. The festival also will have a vendor village which features 20 local businesses that will be onsite selling their products, six local food vendors, and the Lost Villages Brewery will be selling draft beer, seltzers, wine, and spirits.
Lennox & Addington
Cinderella-A Merry Magical Pantomime – DECEMBER 19 – 26, 2024: Cinderella – a Merry Magical Pantomime wishes to establish an annual theatrical Holiday Pantomime to help drive tourism during the off-season months in Odessa, Ontario in Lennox and Addington County. Pantomime is a one-of-a-kind interactive theatrical experience, which encompasses a wide variety of entertainment formats that
appeal to all ages and demographics. The interactivity, flexibility, and occasional improvisation in Pantomime scripts provide a unique opportunity to re-purpose well-trodden fairytale stories for the specific audiences in the theatre. Coupling that interactive nature with the lack of off-season theatre in the region creates a desirable product that is attractive to locals and tourists alike.
INDIGENOUS TOURISM
Frontenac
National Indigenous Presenters Gathering – OCTOBER 7 – 10, 2024: The inaugural National Indigenous Presenters Gathering will be held from October 7th to 10th, 2024, bringing together Indigenous arts and culture presenters from across Canada. The event will take place on Wolfe Island and in Katarokwi/Kingston, Ontario, featuring performances, discussions, meals, land-based activities, and networking opportunities. The event will provide a platform for Indigenous presenters to connect, exchange ideas, and discuss best practices for building touring networks within and between their communities. This event will increase the visibility of Indigenous arts and culture, foster collaboration among presenters, and strengthen the relationships and solidarity within the Indigenous arts community. The event will serve as a platform to showcase the richness of Indigenous arts, enhance the professional development of presenters, and promote the cultural knowledge and principles that guide Indigenous art.
Prince Edward County
A Path Forward – SEPTEMBER, 2024 – FEBRUARY, 2025: “A Path Forward” is a permanent and evolving exhibit co-curated by Tsi Tyónnheht Onkwawén:na (TTO), the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF), and the County Museums. The exhibit explores Truth & Reconciliation efforts in Prince Edward County and through history, heritage, and Indigenous works of art and stories acts as a space for contemplation and conversation as we travel down our shared path together. TTO will be completing an artistic timeline of the Mohawk presence in the region with support from their school groups and Artists, and the partners want to host several events with Artists and Speakers, including author James Daschuk who wrote the Governed General’s History Award-winning work “Clearing the Plains: Disease, Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Indigenous Life”.
SIGNAGE
Prince Edward County
Dunes Boat Tours – Directional signage and building identification signage to assist visitors with finding the location and visibility of their business.
Lennox & Addington
Napanee River Tours – Marquee signage on-site for their boat tour excursions, as well as wayfinding signage to help visitors find their location from the 401 corridor.
1000 Islands Rideau Waterways
Kemptville Brewing Company – On-site wayfinding signage and building signage to identify their new business and attract visitors travelling along the
Kingston
The Belvedere Hotel – Installation of on-site wayfinding signage, as well as wayfinding signage to direct visitors from the 401 corridor.
Prescott-Russell
Ferme Butte & Bine Farm – Marquee signage for their newest project adding a café for visitors to the region, as well as on-site wayfinding signage to direct visitors around the property.
Cornwall
Diversity Cornwall Diversité – Reusable wayfinding signage for Pride events in the Cornwall area.
Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry
The Butterfly Barn – Marquee signage, road signage, and on-property directional signage for their event venue, butterfly attraction, and retail space.
Our next application window for Partnership Funding will open in February 2025. Learn more about our Partnership Funding Program here.
If you have further questions, you are encouraged to contact Meg Dabros, Operations Manager mdabros@region9tourism.ca
About RTO 9
RTO 9 is a regional tourism organization established in 2010 that is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming. 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, Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry Counties, Frontenac County, Kingston, Lennox and Addington, Prince Edward County, Prescott-Russell, and 1000 Islands and Rideau Canal Waterways.