OHTO - Ontario's Highlands Tourism Organization RTO11

11/02/2025

🔥 Firecircle's fully funded, Transition to Tourism Entrepreneurship program is now accepting 100 NEW MEMBERS!

For a limited time, Firecircle’s, award winning programs, resources, and one to one mentorship are available to help you turn your great business idea into a great business.

Landing page for all applicants to the TTE program. Non-Indigenous entrepreneurs who live in communities of less than 250,000 as well as Indigenous entrepreneurs anywhere in Canada can see if they qualify for the TTE program

07/02/2025

🌏 Gain the tools to thrive with sustainability-conscious travellers through this four-part virtual series hosted by GreenStep, supported by RTO 9 and RTO 3. Tourism professionals will create a customized sustainability action plan aligned with global standards, gain practical insights, and earn a Certificate of Completion.

Date: February 12 & 26, March 12 & 26
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Location: Virtual

This workshop is designed for tourism business owners, operators, and destination managers dedicated to integrating sustainable practices.

Discover the tools to thrive in the growing market of sustainability-conscious travellers with the Sustainable...

05/02/2025

If and when the snow gets deep in Lennox & Addington this winter, the trails in the L&A Forest will be groomed and ready for exploration! The 2.4km Pines Loop around the perimeter of the property will be groomed, along with Southern Dip, Church Pass and Cut Through trails. They will be ideal for cross-country skiing, hiking and fat biking opportunities. The remaining trails within the 10km system will remain ungroomed for snowshoeing and rough hiking.

The L&A Forest Trails are one of the only publicly accessible groomed trail systems in the region. They’re located at 100 John Street in Flinton.

Click here for more information or to download the winter map 👇
https://naturallyla.ca/explore/forest-trails/

04/02/2025

Interested in having your region, business or experience featured on our social media channels or on our website? Answer our monthly guiding question!

Family Day is a chance to spend quality time with family in your community or beyond.

What activities or events in your region are ideal for families looking for a way to celebrate the holiday?

Family Day is a chance to spend quality time with family in your community or beyond. What activities or events in your region are ideal for families looking for a way to celebrate the holiday?

03/02/2025

✨ Success story of a volunteer run museum

The Cloyne Pioneer Museum & Archives is a volunteer-run treasure dedicated to preserving local history in Ontario’s Highlands. From its beginnings in the 1970s, it has grown into a vital hub for celebrating the region’s heritage.

Discover how this community effort keeps the past alive for future generations 👇

Supporting tourism businesses and stakeholders in Ontario's Highlands (RTO11).

29/01/2025

🔔 LAST CHANCE to register OHTO's Unlocking Tourism Trends webinar TOMORROW

Join OHTO's Marketing Director, Luisa Sorrentino, and Director of Industry Development, Kasey Rogerson, as they share the latest tourism data and trends that can help you prepare for the 2025 tourism season. AND receive the 2025 Unlocking Tourism Trends Insights Report in the post-session email.

Register now! 👇

Join OHTO's Marketing Director, Luisa Sorrentino, and Director of Industry Development, Kasey Rogerson, as they share the latest tourism data and trends that can help you prepare for the 2025 tourism season. In this webinar, we'll: - Highlight the provincial and regional performance industry data an...

28/01/2025

✨ Unlocking Tourism Trends 2025 Insights Webinar ✨

Have you registered for OHTO's Unlocking Tourism Trends 2025 Insights Webinar on Thursday, January 30 at 10:00 a.m.?

Join OHTO's Marketing Director, Luisa Sorrentino, and Director of Industry Development, Kasey Rogerson, as they share the latest tourism data and trends that can help you prepare for the 2025 tourism season.

In this webinar, we'll:
📈 Highlight the provincial and regional performance industry data and the latest tourism industry and consumer trends to keep top of mind,
🗂️ Share the results from OHTO's 2024 Annual Tourism Stakeholder Business Performance & Sustainability Survey,
❓Offer guiding questions and Wander Sustainably best practices to help leverage these trends and data for your own business planning.

PLUS, you'll receive the 2025 Unlocking Tourism Trends Insights Report in the post-session email, which is the presentation slide deck enhanced with additional source information and hyperlinks.

Join OHTO's Marketing Director, Luisa Sorrentino, and Director of Industry Development, Kasey Rogerson, as they share the latest tourism data and trends that can help you prepare for the 2025 tourism season. In this webinar, we'll: - Highlight the provincial and regional performance industry data an...

23/01/2025

Tourism's labour force saw an uptick in October, and employment in the sector grew by about 18,000 people from the previous month (+0.9%).

However, the 2019 pre-pandemic number we keep chasing remained slightly out of reach, with employment at 99.1% of that baseline.

Explore how each of tourism's five industry groups is faring, as some are in a much stronger position than others.

Tourism labour and employment rose from September to October 2024, but remained slightly below 2019 levels.

20/01/2025

Insights from 350 tourism businesses across Canada are now available through Tourism HR Canada, providing a detailed look at current operating conditions and recruitment and retention challenges.

These answers build on over three years of feedback, offering a unique opportunity to measure and monitor the sector's recovery from the pandemic, plus gauge where it is headed and what can help it thrive.

Business Intelligence Survey Reports presenting the state of Canada's tourism business conditions and the workforce.

17/01/2025

The results are now in from an international follow-up to our survey on travellers' service quality expectations, carried out by Skift Advisory. Over 2,500 people from five key markets shared their views, which fed into a deeper look at the skill levels of Canada's tourism workforce.

We asked over 2,500 people from five countries about their service expectations and how they impact their international travel decisions.

14/01/2025

The Ontario Quad Safety Council, in partnership with industry leaders like Bombardier Recreational Products and Yamaha Motor Canada, has launched Ready to RideON, an online 2-hour training program designed to enhance ATV safety for young riders in Ontario.

This program is designed for 12 to 15-year-olds in Ontario, or new riders.

This program provides a solid foundation in all aspects of ATV operation, from understanding the parts and functions of a machine to riding responsibility on Ontario's trails.

Anyone who enrolls in the Ready to RideON youth ATV course by June 30, 2025 has a chance to win a Can-Am Renegade EFI Youth ATV!

An interactive online course, designed for youth, to learn about ATV driving safety in a fun and engaging way.

10/01/2025

Discover what motivates, inspires and drives travellers with Destination Canada's powerful, NEW tool, the Traveller Segmentation Program, designed to empower and unite Canada's tourism industry.

By unlocking deeper insights into visitor behaviours and preferences, this program enables more meaningful, targeted and impactful marketing and destination management strategies.

Please note: For an optimal experience, dashboard data is best viewed on a laptop or desktop computer, due to the complexity of the data presented.

08/01/2025

Join Tourism HR Canada for their FREE webinar on January 22 at 1:00 p.m. - Losing Ground: The Definitive Workforce Update, designed to provide critical labour market insights for Canada's tourism sector.

Whether you're an employer, educator, or government representative, this session provides valuable insights to shape your strategies and drive change.

Join Tourism HR Canada for a can't-miss webinar designed to provide critical labour market insights for Canada’s tourism sector. This “state of the union”-style presentation will explore pressing workforce challenges, including persistent labour shortages, declining competitiveness, and the sh...

06/01/2025

October was busy for OHTO, with the Annual General Meeting and a presentation at Crowdriff’s SEE 2024 conference in Austin!

Luisa Sorrentino and Finn Hogue shared OHTO’s use of UGC, Crowdriff, and short videos in destination marketing, highlighting their sustainable tourism strategies.

Supporting tourism businesses and stakeholders in Ontario's Highlands (RTO11).

03/01/2025

Discover the tools to thrive in the growing market of sustainability-conscious travellers with the Sustainable and Regenerative Tourism Workshop series, which is hosted by GreenStep bi-weekly on Wednesdays starting January 15 and running until February 26, 2025.

This engaging four-part virtual series empowers tourism professionals to create a customized sustainability action plan aligned with global standards.

Discover the tools to thrive in the growing market of sustainability-conscious travellers with the Sustainable...

30/12/2024

Interested in having your region, business or experience featured on our social media channels or on our website? Answer our monthly guiding question!

In spite of the cold, there is a lot to appreciate about hiking in winter, like the beauty of a wooded trail covered in snow, the wonder of a frosty sunset, and the breathtaking stillness you often encounter while out in the wild.

What trails do you like to explore on foot or by snowshoe in winter?

A winter hike (on foot or by snowshoe) is a chance to get moving during the months when we can often be forced indoors to avoid winter's fury. In spite of the cold there is a lot to appreciate about hiking in winter, like the beauty of a wooded trail covered in snow, the wonder of a frosty sunset, a...

27/12/2024

This year has been full of highs, with our communities benefiting from the return of tourism and fostering growth that enhances both the visitor experience and the community.

At OHTO, we've celebrated these positive changes. The board has focused on showcasing the value of tourism within our region and communities.

Supporting tourism businesses and stakeholders in Ontario's Highlands (RTO11).