RTO 9 Announces 30 Partnership Fund Proposal Recipients

South Eastern Ontario’s RTO 9 awards $215k to local tourism businesses in the region in three categories: Digitizing Your Business, Itinerary Development and New or Enhanced Product Development

Kingston, ON – (July 15, 2021) – The Regional Tourism Organization for South Eastern Ontario (RTO 9) is pleased to announce they have awarded over $215k from the Partnership Fund to support projects across the region during the 2021/2022 fiscal year. Partnership Funds allow RTO 9 to partner with tourism operators across the region to grow tourism receipts for South Eastern Ontario.

The following is the list of successful recipients in the Digitizing Your Business category:

The following is the list of successful recipients in the Itinerary Development category (including a brief project description):

Double Concept Productions –Brockville Christmas Market
Landsby.ca – SEO Stay and Experience Initiative – Online promotion of SEO itineraries including wellness, culinary, soft adventure and the arts with overnight getaways. Landsby is a new Canadian Stays & Experience travel company launched in May 2021.
Signal Brewing Co. – Signal Experiential Golf Tourism Packages – Partnered with Trillium Wood GC & Black Bear Ridge GC, Signal is offering full day packages including dinner.

The following is the list of successful recipients in the New or Enhanced Product Development category (including a brief project description):

Springfield Farms – Field & Feast Event – An evening of food, friendship and culture. Indigenous Chef Joseph Shawana, Akwasasne Artists, Music

Family Earth Inc. – Family Earth – Agritourism: Family friendly outdoor experiences

Furnace Falls Farm – Taste of Nature at Furnace Falls Farm – Programs include: Daytrippers Hike, Nature Hikes, Foraging & Campfire Meal; Social Circle Overnight Guided Kayaking & Hiking Adventure with Overnight Stay.

3 Little Birds Farmhouse – Curated Experiences – Addition of curated on the farm experiences and packages incorporating local farmers, wellness experts, activities & workshops.

Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises – Island Queen Live Hosted Entertainment – Introduction of an onboard live host (not pretaped) and live musical entertainment on every 3-hr cruise.

Kingston Canadian Film Festival – 2022 Kingston Canadian Film Festival: Feb. 2022 – Winter season event that is the largest Canadian Film Festival in existence.

Kingston Theatre Alliance – Kick & Push Festival 2021 – Extended from 3 to 6 weeks, which will double the number of performances including 3 Indigenous plays, virtual reality programming, venues across the city, not just downtown.

Spitfire Café Inc – Brockville Holiday Market – Socially distanced with a larger site.
Signal Brewing Co. – Corbyville Supper Market – Wednesday night events offering a variety of outdoor friendly foods, artisan wine, craft beer, live music, conversation circles, outdoor Yoga, vendors and farmers market.

The Military Communications & Electronic Foundation -Improbable Escape At The Museum – Creation of a new curated Improbable Escapes Game at the Museum.

Thousand Islands Boat Museum – River Exploration Adventure – Outdoor experiential exhibit featuring live historical interpretation, multi-sensory impact, interaction and hands-on learning opportunities. On site building of authentic birch-bark canoe by Indigenous artist Chuck Commanda.

Thousand Islands Fdn. for the Performing Arts – Socially Distanced Outdoor Lobby – Rental of tent, heaters, seating to introduce an outdoor lobby, which addresses social distancing guidelines and allows for theatre seating by designated rows.

Topsy Farm – Headlands Experiences – “Book Your Bubble” experiences at the farm including Children’s Scavenger Hunts, Kayaking Afternoons with Kristin, Forest Therapy Workshops and Wild Wellness Multi-day Experiences including stay in Mongolian Yurt.

Transit Capital Corp – Brockville Experience Incubator – Feasibility Study to explore a multi-use family/sports/entertainment concept for the Brockville Plaza property including pop-up drive in movies, rooftop garden, shared commercial kitchen for curated cultural events, sports and recreation centre.

Visible Talent Inc./Escape Bicycle Tours and Rentals – Cornwall Day & Multi-day Bike Tours – Upper Canada Village – Cornwall 1-2 day guided and self-guided biking trip. Participants will be transported from Ottawa to UPV where the trip begins.

Wolfe Island Commons – The Wolfe Island Experience – Creation of a community space for farmer’s market, boat docking, social gathering, cultural event, farm to table community meals, local arts and musician events, Indigenous garden and winter fireplace socializing.

For the past 8 years, the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture Industries has provided RTO 9 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.

“We’re thankful for the opportunity to partner with our tourism operators to see these great projects succeed,” said Bonnie Ruddock, Executive Director, RTO 9.

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 1000 Islands and Rideau Canal Waterways.