My Travel Journal - Elgin County & St. Thomas 2011

My Travel

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Elgin County & St. Thomas 2011

Table of Contents

Experience Elgin County & St. Thomas

3

Savour Elgin

5

Ports of Elgin

7

Summer in Elgin

8

Railway Capital of Canada

10

Tourism Partnerships

11

Elgin Arts Trail

13

Southwestern Ontario Tourism Corporation 15

A Journey Through Elgin-St. Thomas in 2011

My friend Carrie and I went to Sparta today.

We toured Steed & Company Lavender, purchased some sweet smelling candles from Anything Used, had lunch at the Sparta House Tearoom and shopped at Winter Wheat. To top the day off we enjoyed a wine tasting at Quai Du Vin and purchased a bottle of wine for tonight. What a great girl’s only day out!

ADVERTISING

Ads ran in Daytripping Magazine (40,000 circulation), Relish Elgin (5,000), The London Free Press Shunpiker Tour Insert (87,000) and Summer Destinations Guide (73,000), Lake Erie Living Travel Guide (100,000), Active Elgin Guide (39,000) and more.

The Weekly News (30,000) featured an “Experience Elgin County & St. Thomas” section in 7 editions in July and August highlighting area summer attractions. Ads complemented each edition, from Ports of Elgin to Railway Capital of Canada.

Experience Elgin County & St. Thomas

March 26, 2011

MEDIA Coverage

A full page “Experience Elgin County & St. Thomas” article was featured in the June 16, 2011 London Free Press Summer Destination Guide.

Trade shows & Events Promoting Elgin County & St. Thomas • • • • • •

Shunpiker Tour (3,500 cars travelled to Elgin & St. Thomas) Great Lakes International Air Show (Est. 20,000 visitors) Day Out With Thomas (Est. 20,000 visitors) Seniors Day in the Park Port Stanly CanFest (Est. 30,000 visitors) Railway Nostalgia Weekend (500 visitors)

Tour Guides

50,000 Tour Guides were printed and distributed at Ontario Travel Centres, trade shows, events, tourism kiosks, tourism brochure rack locations, and many other areas throughout the province.

My Travel Journal - Elgin County & St. Thomas 2011

3

Elgin-St. Thomas Tourism Membership

In the fall staff began a tourism membership drive; visiting and calling over 100 locations across the County and City of St. Thomas. Staff increased 2012 tourism membership by over 10%.

Tourism Member E-Blast

Elgin-St. Thomas Tourism Members learn about new tourism initiatives, educational opportunities, events, and government programs through a new monthly Experience Elgin County & St. Thomas Member E-Newsletter. On average the performance results are 38% opens and 21.5% clicks.

Social Media Work Shop

In October Elgin-St. Thomas Tourism held a social media workshop for Elgin-St. Thomas Tourism, Savour Elgin and Elgin Arts Trail members. The workshop was presented by Rebecca LeHeup, executive director of the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance. Participants learned how to set up a Twitter account, create a Facebook fan page, link their social media accounts to the online social media management service Hootsuite and how to build their own daily newsletter. Learning about social media will assist local tourism businesses with their marketing efforts.

Tourism Website

• The Elgin-St. Thomas Tourism website is now Mobile Ready!

• Over 20,000 unique visits from

January to December 2011.

• Search Engine Optimization Linking Strategy has been implemented to further increase website visits.

• Refreshed home page by adding new features including: Twitter feed, Flash animated graphics, weather feed, improved navigation, E-newsletter sign-up and social media icons.

Visitor E-Blast

A new Experience Elgin County & St. Thomas E-Newsletter was created and sent to a list of over 1,000 names from trade shows and events. The quarterly E-newsletter includes what’s happening in Elgin-St. Thomas, information on the latest festivals and events, package offers and promotions.

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My Travel Journal - Elgin County & St. Thomas 2011

Savour Elgin was a fabulous culinary experience! I sampled wine at Quai Du Vin and Rush Creek, ate lunch at the Green Frog Tea Room at Pinecroft and purchased fresh meat and herbs to cook for dinner tomorrow. I am so excited to try out the Farmgate Market Slow-Cooked Oven-Braised Beef and Carrots recipe. I am off to dinner tonight at the Kettle Creek Inn; I hear they are famous for their chicken pot pie.

Savour Elgin

April 16, 2011

Membership

Membership for 2011 has increased 12.5%.

• Quai Du Vin • Railway City Brewing Company

• Rush Creek Wines • Green Frog Tea Room at Pinecroft

• Kettle Creek Inn

• • • • •

Killer Desserts Mad Hatters Tea Room Ruby’s Cookhouse Windjammer Inn Empire Valley Farm Market • Farmgate Market

• • • • •

Horton Farmer’s Market Arts & Cookery Bank Clovermead Bees & Honey Heritage Line Herbs Steed & Company Lavender • LAVENDER SENSE

Advertising

The year started off with a splash in the 2011 Travel Guide to Canada, with two pages of editorial and two pages of advertising featuring members of Savour Elgin. The book is distributed worldwide and sold at retail locations throughout Canada. Savour Elgin continues to be advertised monthly in eatdrink magazine, and quarterly in Relish Elgin. A successful radio campaign aired on EZ ROCK and BX 93 in the spring driving traffic to www.savourelgin.ca and member locations.

Media Coverage

Each month a different Savour Elgin member is featured in a full page article in Elgin This Month.

Awards were featured in a special article in OCTA’s newsletter and on their website.

Elgin-St. Thomas Tourism hosted two writers in July to take a Savour Elgin tour : one writer came from Canadian Living and the other posted stories to a blog, website and E-newsletter.

My Travel Journal - Elgin County & St. Thomas 2011

5

Awards

Won 2 EDCO (Economic Developers Council of Ontario) Awards for the Savour Elgin brand and website, as well as an honourable mention for the Culinary Guide. Savour Elgin was also a finalist for the Governor General’s Award.

Won 2 IEDC (International Economic Development Council) Awards for the Savour Elgin Culinary guide and website, www.savourelgin.ca.

Food Events

• Women’s Lifestyle Show London, ON - Sponsored the Cooking Stage.

• London Food and Wine Show - Key entrance to Elgin-St. Thomas area.

• Taste of Ontario Reception at EDCO Toronto, ON - guests

Women’s Lifestyle Show

to the EDCO Conference were able to sample Elgin County culinary delights created by Kim Saunders of the Windjammer, with Elgin cocktail plates.

• Taste It! Networking Event London, ON - Participated in networking event during the day connecting with large scale food buyers (hotels, institutions etc). Provided a display and cocktail plates for evening reception.

• FreshFest: A Local Taste Experience - Savour Elgin sponsored the event and also hosted the Savour Elgin tent.

• Culinary Camping, Aylmer, ON - had a display booth handing out cocktail plates and culinary guides.

FreshFest: A Local Taste Experience

Culinary Guide

2011 Culinary Guide print quantities were increased to 10,000 copies to meet demands.

Return on Investment

The Savour Elgin campaign leveraged approximately $20,000 into $75,000 worth of advertising, event promotion and exposure in 2011, almost quadrupling the return on investment.

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My Travel Journal - Elgin County & St. Thomas 2011

What a beautiful day on the beach! I played volleyball, went for a swim in the lake and made sandcastles with the kids. At night we went out for a fresh perch dinner and enjoyed a few drinks on the patio. I can’t wait to take the kids for a ride on the Port Stanley Terminal Rail tomorrow; they are going to love it!

Ports of Elgin

June 18, 2011

Advertising

• Ads were placed in Ontario Sailor Magazine (8,000

circulation) in June/July and Lake Erie Living Magazine (100,000) in July/August.

• Web banner ads were displayed on Lake Erie Living’s website directing visitors to www.elgintourist.com/ports.

• A radio campaign aired from June to September on BX93, EZ ROCK, Country 107.3 and Easy 101, highlighting the Port attractions and directing traffic to the Ports of Elgin website at www.elgintourist.com/ports.

• Horizon Travel Magazine A Ports of Elgin ad ran in the July 21, 2011 insertion of Horizon Travel Magazine in The National Post and The Toronto Star (60,000 copies).

The ad was complemented by 29,400 - 5 second Horizon Travel Magazine commercials on 300 TTC screens and 3,024 - 5 second commercials on 6 Union Station Screens.

• Ads ran in Daytripping Magazine (40,000 circulation) and St. Thomas Weekly News (30,500) in July/August.

Media Coverage

A half page Ports of Elgin article was featured in Horizon Travel Magazine in July, as well as Ontario Sailor Magazine’s June/July issue.

Ontario Sailor Magazine “Port Stanley a little of everything” In early July Elgin-St. Thomas Tourism was contacted by travel writer George Bailey. He was planning a visit to Port Stanley and wanted suggestions on where to stay and what to see. Staff provided him with information about various accommodations and attractions he should visit. An article he wrote was featured in the Toronto Sun online travel section (www.torontosun.com / 2011 / 08 / 22/portstanley-a-little-of-everything). The story about Port Stanley also appeared on the Calgary Sun and London Free Press websites, 24 Hours Vancouver (125,000 free tabloid style newspapers) and Lower Peninsula Newspaper in Michigan.

My Travel Journal - Elgin County & St. Thomas 2011

7

Staff attended the London Boat, Fishing & Leisure Show (13,500), and the Cleveland MidAmerica Boat Show (45,000) to promote the Ports of Elgin campaign and distribute Elgin-St. Thomas attraction brochures.

Summer in Elgin

Trade shows

July 2, 2011

Summer time is my favourite season! We spent the weekend camping at Port Burwell Provincial Park. Skippy loved running and splashing in the water on the dog beach. We biked and hiked along the trails, took in some sun on the beach and caught our limit of pickerel. On our last day we decided to climb to the top of the Port Burwell Lighthouse, one of the oldest and most historic sites on Lake Erie - what an amazing view!

Advertising

Ports of Elgin Brochure

15,000 campaign brochures were printed and distributed to U.S. and Canada marinas, yacht clubs and tourism locations, as well as Ontario Travel Centres and local tourism brochure rack locations.

Website Continuous updating of events and information on the micro-site.

8

Ads ran in Relish Elgin (5,000 circulation) and The Aylmer Express Backyard Vacations Guide (5,500).

A radio campaign ran from June to September on BX93, EZ ROCK, Country 107.3 and Easy 101, highlighting summer attractions and directing traffic to the tourism website at www.elgintourist.com.

Tourism Kiosks

Four summer students worked at the local tourism kiosks, including The Jumbo Caboose, Lakeview Gardens, The Stork Club and The Lighthouse & Marine Museum.

My Travel Journal - Elgin County & St. Thomas 2011

MEDIA Coverage

A double page spread “Summer in Elgin County & St. Thomas” article was featured in The Aylmer Express Backyard Vacations Guide.

Visitor Stats

• 8,338 adults and children visited the tourism kiosks from May 20, 2011 to September 6, 2011

• 240 Visitor Surveys were completed during the summer season • 33% of respondents said this was their first time visiting Elgin-St. Thomas

• 45% of respondents visited Elgin-St. Thomas for day trips • 43% of respondents primary purpose of visit is Vacation/Recreation

• 39% of respondents intend to spend $0-$49 while visiting • 41% of respondents primary destination is St. Thomas, followed by 34% Port Stanley

Community Festival & Event Partnership Program (CFEPP) 13 applications were submitted for the 2011 CFEPP. The following Elgin and St. Thomas Festivals and Events were chosen to receive $2,000 each: Port Stanley CanFest 2011 - Port Stanley Canada Day Committee, The Bank’s Culture Days - The Arts & Cookery Bank, and Railway Nostalgia Weekend - Elgin County Railway Museum.

Using the Province’s Tourism Regional Economic Impact Model, the County’s Economic Development Department determined that the supported events had a total economic impact of $595,677 for the Elgin and St. Thomas economy.

(Photo: Michael Adams, Railway Nostalgia Weekend; Alan Smith, General Manager Elgin County Economic Development; Carol Gates, Port Stanley CanFest; Sarah VanEngelen, Culture Days at The Arts & Cookery Bank; St. Thomas Mayor Heather Jackson-Chapman)

My Travel Journal - Elgin County & St. Thomas 2011

9

Railway Capital of Canada

August 28, 2011

Today I took a trip back in time at the railway attractions and museums in St. Thomas that pay tribute to the railway heritage of the area. I learned how the rail industry played such an important role in creating this vibrant community. Taking a family photo at Jumbo the elephant was definitely a highlight for the kids!

Trade showS

Staff attended the Christmas Train Show in Toronto, Day Out With Thomas (20,000 visitors), and Railway Nostalgia Weekend (500 visitors) to promote the Railway Capital of Canada campaign and distribute Elgin-St. Thomas attraction brochures. Staff also partnered with CASO Station during the Shunpiker Tour (5,000 visitors).

Trade show & Event Support

Railway Capital of Canada banner stand and brochures promoted at train shows in London, Woodstock, Paris, Ancaster, Essex, Burlington and Kitchener in partnership with the Elgin County Railway Museum.

Advertising

• myFM St. Thomas - 30 second radio spots aired for two

weeks in September. The spots were complemented by web ads and on-air giveaways from Railway Capital of Canada partners.

• A radio campaign ran from June to September on BX93, EZ ROCK, Country 107.3 and Easy 101, highlighting railway attractions and directing traffic to the Railway website at www.elgintourist.com/railways.

• Ads ran in Daytripping Magazine (40,000 circulation) and St. Thomas Weekly News (30,500) in July/August.

• Ads were also placed to support local events, such as Iron Horse Festival.

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My Travel Journal - Elgin County & St. Thomas 2011

I definitely “cruised the coast” today! My husband and I went for a motorcycle ride from Elgin County to Port Dover, touring along the Lake Erie shoreline. What a scenic ride with some great motorcycle friendly stops along the way.

Brochure

15,000 campaign brochures were printed and distributed to U.S. and Canada railway museums, tourism locations, as well as Ontario Travel Centres and local tourist brochure rack locations.

The Jumbo Story

Partnered with the St. Thomas Chamber of Commerce on updating and reprinting 10,000 “The Jumbo Story” cards.

Website

Continuous updating of events and information on the micro-site.

Lake Erie Cycle Route

Tourism Partnerships

September 10, 2011

Elgin-St. Thomas Tourism in partnership with other lakefront Counties, Waterfront Regeneration Trust, and the Carolinian Canada Coalition are creating a Lake Erie Cycle Route that stretches from Windsor through to Niagara Falls. The route will connect with the Lake Ontario Cycle Route to create a trail that is 1500 km from Windsor to Quebec.

The Lake Erie Cycle Route has been finalized, spanning from Windsor to Niagara. A pilot ride of the route took place in September 2011. Elgin County hosted a breakfast for riders at the Kettle Creek Inn. Warden Dave Mennill was present to give a warm welcome to the cyclists.

The project is now moving into stage two, including the development of signage and other promotional materials. When complete the Lake Erie Cycle Route project will include a map, signage, website, and an annual cycling event that is to attract hundreds of participants. The Lake Erie Cycle Route is expected to launch in Spring 2013.

My Travel Journal - Elgin County & St. Thomas 2011

11

Ontario’s South Coast Alliance

Ontario’s South Coast is a regional tourism marketing and destination development alliance including Elgin-St. Thomas, Norfolk County and Haldimand County. In partnership, the alliance has created the award winning “Cruise the Coast” map to help motorcycle enthusiasts navigate along windswept country roads. In January, representatives from the alliance successfully promoted the motorcycle program at The North American International Motorcycle Super Show in Toronto.

Active Elgin

Active Elgin is a coalition of community organizations, led by Elgin St. Thomas Public Health that is dedicated to promoting sport, recreation and leisure in our community. Elgin-St. Thomas Tourism is a partner in the development of the Active Elgin Guide, events and website.

NEW Elgin-St. Thomas Cycling & Hiking Trail Map

The development of the new Elgin-St. Thomas Cycling and Hiking Trail Map, was led by Elgin St. Thomas Public Health, and made possible through the support of many community partners. Elgin-St. Thomas Tourism was one of these community partners. The map encourages residents and visitors to walk, hike, jog, cross country ski, and cycle on the beautiful trails and parks throughout Elgin and St. Thomas.

CEEDTAC Tourism Sub-Committee The CEEDTAC Tourism Sub-Committee met three times in 2011 to review and discuss tourism initiatives, including the Elgin Arts Trail. The Tourism Sub-Committee provided guidance on the development of the Elgin Arts Trail Business Plan, logo/branding, membership criteria and best practices for the program as a whole. Committee members include: Bill Walters (Elgin County Council), Lori Baldwin-Sands (alderman, City of St. Thomas), Laura Woermke (STEPAC), Paul Corriveau (Railway City Brewing Company), Kim Saunders (The Windjammer Inn), Jesper Andersen (LAVENDER SENSE), and Chair Rob Quai (Quai du Vin Winery).

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My Travel Journal - Elgin County & St. Thomas 2011

Today I followed the Elgin Arts Trail and experienced the unique art and artists that Elgin County & St. Thomas have to offer. I couldn’t believe the original paintings, sculptures, photography, pottery, and other hand crafted items created by the talented artists on the trail.

Elgin Arts Trail

October 22, 2011

ELGIN ARTS TRAIL BUSINESS PLAN

The Business Plan details and identifies what an arts trail is, goals, target audience, marketing initiatives and more. It provides a clear plan to follow for 2011 and 2012.

2011 ELGIN ARTS TRAIL MEMBERS

The twelve locations on the trail were carefully selected based on criteria designed to ensure superior quality and a memorable experience.

• • • •

Village Crier Gallery Sparta Country Candles Peter Robson Studios Minerva Art Gallery

• • • •

Little Red Mitten Jennifer M. Designs Portside Gallery Clayworks Studio

• • • •

Shelley McVittie’s Gallery The Arts & Cookery Bank St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre Pinecroft Ceramic Art Studio

RESOURCES

Discovery Guide

www.elginartstrail.ca

Member Signage

ELGIN ARTS TRAIL LAUNCH EVENT

In September 2011, Elgin-St. Thomas Tourism launched the Elgin Arts Trail. The kick-off was held at the Public Art Centre where Elgin County Warden Dave Mennill, St. Thomas Mayor Heather Jackson-Chapman and Elgin Business Resource Centre General Manager John Regan were on hand to support the program partnership. Visitors to the launch toured a miniature replica of the trail that included displays from all twelve Elgin Arts Trail members.

My Travel Journal - Elgin County & St. Thomas 2011

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ADVERTISING Advertising placed in popular art guides and publications in Southwestern Ontario has heightened the profile of the new Elgin Arts Trail.

• Relish Elgin

• The Lake Erie Beacon

• The Beat Magazine • Daytripping Magazine

myFM St. Thomas - 30 second radio spots aired for two weeks in October, complemented by web ads and on-air giveaways from Elgin Arts Trail members.

Experience Elgin’s Fines t Visual Arts Attractions on the

From original paintings to pottery, the twelve studio s and galleries that comp rise the arts trail are ready to take visitors on an imaginative and unforgettable journey.

www.elginartstrail.ca

Horizon Travel Magazine - An Elgin Arts Trail ad and editorial ran in the November/December 2011 insertion of Horizon Travel Magazine in The National Post and The Toronto Star (60,000 copies). The ad was complemented by 29,400 - 5 second commercials on 300 TTC screens and 1,008 - 5 second commercials on 12 screens in food courts at Eaton Centre, Sherway Gardens and Square One Mall.

MEDIA COVERAGE The new Elgin Arts Trail has received a great deal of attention in local and regional publications.

Daytripping Aylmer Express Relish Elgin Magazine

Weekly News

Times-Journal

Ontario Farmer

ARTS COUNTRY Arts Country, the first regional studio tour website (www.artscountry.ca) and catalogue documents the cultural wealth of five distinct southern Ontario regions: Brant, Elgin, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Oxford. Both the Elgin Arts Trail and Elgin-Middlesex Fall Colours Studio Tour are featured in the Arts Country catalogue and website. This initiative was funded by the Sand Plains Community Development Fund.

Elgin Arts Trail Program Developed in partnership with:

www.twitter.com/elginartstrail • www.facebook.com/elginartstrail

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My Travel Journal - Elgin County & St. Thomas 2011

I didn’t know that I could eat my way across the region! I was out today running some errands and discovered the Ontario’s Southwest Culinary Guide. It is so convenient to have found a guide with such a variety of culinary options and valuable information to plan my next road trip. My taste buds are already thanking me!

SWOTC

Elgin-St. Thomas in partnership with eight other communities across South Western Ontario has formed the South Western Ontario Tourism Corporation (SWOTC).

On February 24, 2011, the Transition Network Team (TNT) for Regional Tourism Organization #1(RTO #1) disbanded. It had completed its goal of establishing the Southwest Ontario Tourism Corporation. The newly incorporated non-profit organization is now lead by a Board of Directors and Executive Director. Two members of the Board are from the Elgin-St. Thomas area: Grace McGartland and Wendie Dupuis. The work undertaken by SWOTC will complement the initiatives undertaken by each of the Destination Marketing Organizations with the region. Seven priority projects that were identified by the TNT are now being implemented as follows:

South Western Ontario Tourism Corporation

November 19, 2011

Ontario’s Southwest 2011 Culinary Guide

A Culinary Guide & website has been produced showcasing all 9 SWOTC destinations.

Motorcycle Tourism

A Motorcycle Tourism Report was completed. Year two will bring the implementation of the plan.

My Travel Journal - Elgin County & St. Thomas 2011

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Agritourism Strategy

The purpose of this strategy is to understand the opportunities provided by agritourism operations to the tourism sector in the SWOTC region. An online toolkit is available for those in the agricultural community wishing to diversify their incomes by transforming their current farming operation to include a tourism component, thus increasing business revenue.

Port Coastal Riverfront Communities Development Plan & Investment Strategy

This strategy involved the analysis of 36 nodes within the region resulting in recommendations for 7 port/coastal communities that have the greatest potential for economic growth and diversification.

Birding Assessment & Strategy

A Birding Marketing Plan has been created for the region to attract birding enthusiasts. Year two will bring the implementation of the plan.

Recreation Experience Assessment A Recreation Study was conducted to identify the different recreational activities as well as a needs analysis for the area.

Market Development Strategy

This project involved developing a brand, and a marketing strategy including tactics to attract tourists to the region.

What ’s New?

• Executive Director Jim Hudson was hired in October 2011.

• Surge Communications is the Agency of Record for SWOTC.

• Blackstone Consultants is preparing a Strategic and Operational Plan.

• A new Ontario’s Southwest logo and website was launched in December 2011.

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My Travel Journal - Elgin County & St. Thomas 2011

WHAT AN

EXPERIENCE! aroom At e T g o r F n e Gre Pinecroft

The Arts & Cookery Bank

Ice Fishing!

Wind Farm o utside Port Bruce Port Stanley Terminal Rail