Jul 30, 2008
This special group was part of Tourism Day, an initiative by the Town, where travel writers and photographers were taken on a tour to promote Oakville as a tourist destination.
"Tourism Day is an opportunity for us to showcase Oakville to travel writers and convention planners," explained Dorothy St. George, director of economic development with the Town of Oakville. "We want to take the opportunity to give these people a snapshot of tourism sights around Oakville and then give them a nice day at the Open. Tourism is a great economic engine and we've got some beautiful places in Oakville and we want to open it up for everyone to enjoy."
Although the number of reporters covering Tourism Day was less than 10, turnout among councillors, members of the three Business Improvement Areas and local business people was high.
Travelling in an Oakville Transit bus, the group spent the morning sightseeing. Following a tour of development in the north part of a town, the bus travelled through Bronte Village.
Ann Sargent, executive director of the Bronte BIA, and Murray McDonald, volunteer chair of the Bronte BIA, served as guides for the area, discussing its history, development plans and health of local businesses.
Sargent said that Oakville is a hidden gem that has the potential to become a major tourist attraction.
"I think it is important to showcase all areas of Oakville, in that we are blessed with two harbours, a magnificent lakefront location and three diverse, vibrant areas we can welcome visitors to," Sargent said.
The next stop on the tour was Kerr Village. The area is special due to its unique combination of restaurants, shops and organic farmers' market, making it a potential tourist mecca, according to Richard Messer, executive director of Kerr Village BIA.
"As a BIA, we are trying to establish our own tourism brand through our arts and culture, music and entertainment, and restaurants," said Messer. "Most of the people that come to Oakville don't come off an airplane from London. We're trying to tell people who come to Ontario to visit that they can come to our community and have a great time."
A stop at Erchless Estate and a drive through the downtown core followed.
"Tourism is a significant industry for the businesses in downtown Oakville, so I think this event today is one way to tell people to come to Oakville," said Suzy Godefroy, manager of Downtown Oakville BIA. "I think we need to tell people what we are all about. We've got the product -- we've got culture, shopping, entertainment and great businesses. We just need to tell people more about it. Getting writers to put the word out like we are today is one way to do that."
The tour wrapped up at noon, with the entourage dropped off at the Canadian Open. The Town invited the guests to mingle in the posh VIP tent, although the enjoyment was short-lived as the play was called off just before 1 p.m. for the majority of the afternoon due to inclement weather.
A common idea expressed during the tour by several BIA members and local business people was the need for a full-time tourism staff members at Town Hall, as well as a public tourism office. Some people cited Burlington's busy visitor's centre located in a prime site downtown as something that could be used as a model for Oakville.
"Oakville currently does not have an individual dedicated to the promotion of tourism and this is something that we feel strongly about," said Sargent. "We're part of the Oakville Tourism Partnership and we all have been advocating for quite some time for a dedicated person on staff with the Town of Oakville. Until this is done, we feel that we're missing many opportunities."
Tourism injects about $85 million into the local economy annually, according to John Sawyer, executive director of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce. The spinoff created by a strong tourism sector can translate into big business, he said.
"Tourism is an important economic driver and is also something that attracts people to want to come and live in Oakville," he said. "One of the main determining factors in where companies locate is where its CEO is at. If we have a vibrant tourism industry, we're going to bring people to town who will want to live here, and then they potentially will bring their company here."
The tourism portfolio is currently the responsibility of the culture and recreation office. When asked if the Town is planning to put more emphasis on tourism, with the possibility of opening a visitor's tourism centre, Mary Chapin, Town councillor for Ward 3, said there are no such plans in the works.
"I think it isn't a bad idea, but I'm not sure we need that, yet," she said. "We're more focused on (tourism) activities and the people who are promoting them."
The travel journalists in attendance had mixed reactions about Oakville being a tourism destination.
David Bell, a freelance travel writer from Kitchener, admitted this was his first visit to Oakville. He said making Oakville a hotspot would take a concerted effort from the Town.
"I didn't really have a reason to come here until today," he said. "It certainly has potential to be a tourist destination. If you can identify half a dozen key attractions to visit, you could get groups of people coming here to visit if you marketed it that way."
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