The New Greenbelt Route: Partnerships to Wayfinding to Promotion - By Susan Murray

Greenbelt Route

A cycle tourist’s guide to the beauty of our protected and connected countryside

From Partnerships to Wayfinding to Promotion

Susan Murray VP Communications and Operations Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation

What is the Greenbelt?

At almost 2 million acres, it’s the world’s largest permanently protected greenbelt, keeping our farmlands, forests and wetlands safe and sustainable.

For fresh air, clean water, healthy local food, active outdoor recreation and a thriving economy Ontario’s Greenbelt is the solution.

The Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation works to help keep farmers successful, strengthen local economies, and protect and grow natural features.

2

What is the Greenbelt Route?

The Greenbelt Route is a substantial, new, permanent cycle tourism product in Ontario • 475 km signed cycling route including a network of north south trails across a high-value tourism area connecting with the Waterfront Trail • Supporting rural vitality, active healthy choices, local agriculture, natural heritage and economic activity • Functioning as a unifier and a differentiator The Greenbelt Route could not have been created or promoted without the Waterfront Regeneration Trust and the ongoing involvement and advice of cycling, tourism and municipal partners

3

The Greenbelt Route Story Partnership Wayfinding Promotion

•

475 km cycling route across 7 regions and 23 municipalities, from Northumberland to Niagara

•

Beta tested by cycling clubs & advocates, tourism stakeholders, municipal and regional staff, media

•

1,100 signs in the ground, including junction signs with intersecting routes

•

6 newly signed routes connect the Greenbelt Route and GL Waterfront Trail

•

250,000 folding maps telling story of the Greenbelt and Greenbelt Route

•

27 branded, downloadable PDF maps

•

22,000,000 impressions in 65 media outlets in 2015

•

67,000 visitors to www.greenbelt.ca/route in first 3 months

•

The Greenbelt Route was launched at GWTA 2015

•

Map and decal packages to 400+ businesses

•

Telling the Greenbelt story by telling the regional story

4

Promotion: 22,000,000 Impressions in 2015 New Greenbelt Route boasts nearly 500km of cycling trail in Ontario [Global News] Over 1,000 new road signs pop up in Ontario, here's why [theweathernetwork.com] The Greenbelt Route a path to discovering Ontario [Toronto Star] Ontario’s Greenbelt Route Officially Launches–New 475km Cycling Trail [Pedal Magazine] The 2015 Great Waterfront Trail Adventure rolls in [Canadian Cycling Magazine] Cobourg joins province-wide cycling route [northumberlandnews.com] Sign touts Northumberland tourism spots [The Peterborough Examiner] Greenbelt Route sign assists cyclists in Northumberland (video) [CHEXTV] Sign touts Northumberland tourism spots [Northumberland Today] Ontario’s Greatest Cycling Adventure Heads to the Greenbelt [Northumberland Review] Cycling tour makes stop in Georgetown this week [the IFP.ca] Cyclists make Hamilton stop on inaugural Greenbelt Route tour [Hamilton News] Great Waterfront Trail Adventure rolls through Uxbridge [durhamregion.com] Greenbelt route trailhead sign unveiled in Queenston [Niagara this Week] Greenbelt Route for cyclists includes Queenston [Niagaraadvance.ca] Cyclists complete new Greenbelt Route [Niagara Falls Review] Cycling event closes in Niagara [bullet news Niagara]

5

Promotion and Wayfinding: Invested in 1100+ Signs •

18” x 18” directional signs installed along the Greenbelt Route (Book 18)

•

Signed junction points on 6 trails connecting the Greenbelt Route and the Waterfront Trail

•

Signage delivering branding, directional and tourism/economic benefits

•

Developed in partnership, building off OBB and other cycling research insights/models

6

Promotion and Wayfinding: We Learned A lot

Partnerships!

7

Promotion and Wayfinding 250,000 Folding Maps

8

Wayfinding : 27 PDF Maps

9

Promotion and Wayfinding: Mobile-Friendly Website •

www.greenbelt.ca/route is a mobile-friendly website that tracks your location – 1,100 Points of Interest (POI) curated to showcase environmental and agricultural/local food experiences first, with links back to partners or local businesses B2C sites – Mobile functionality lets riders track their location on their phone – A simplified data sharing model to work with partners to add itineraries and POI with automatic updates – Badging and promoting POI (i.e. Ontario By Bike, FeastON, etc.)

•

Opportunity to promote existing & future cycling (and hiking) products and partners – Google mapping platform is easy to use for partners – Share your route geodata with us to be included on the map!

AKA I love KML

10

Telling an Integrated Tourism Story Together •

The Greenbelt Route, which crosses seven regions, 22 municipalities, four RTOs and dozens of DMOs from Northumberland to Niagara is starting to function as a “unifier”

•

By connecting the provincially significant Greenbelt Route and Waterfront Trail as well as Rice Lake Ramble, Niagara Circle Route, HamBur Loop and other major cycling infrastructure/itineraries we can showcase an integrated and differentiated offering –

•

Connected, protected, world-class cycling

RTO’s, DMO’s and cycling partners connected to the Greenbelt Route have expressed strong interests in working collaboratively to tell an integrated cycle tourism story across the Greater Golden Horseshoe in 2016 - 2017

11

Telling an Integrated Tourism Story Together

12

Telling an Integrated Tourism Story Together

13

Greenbelt Priorities in 2016 – 17 Partnership Wayfinding Promotion Measurement

•

Continuing to build partnerships and promote regional cycling loops/POI

•

Investing in ongoing media relations, social media, and collaborative marketing

•

Distributing another 30,000 maps in Ontario

•

Bringing together informal working groups – tourism, data, measurement

•

Enhancing our interactive map functionality and mobile offering

•

Designing and installing new Trailhead signs

•

Developing cycle tourism products/itineraries (in collaboration with OBB)

•

Delivering the “State of the Route” report

•

Managing the partnership PORTAL and continuing to build partnership

•

Gathering economic impact data on the Greenbelt Route (TBD)

•

Deepening awareness and understanding of the Greenbelt by encouraging partners to embed Greenbelt AND Greenbelt Route messaging in their marketing materials to share the story of this protected landscape

14

Thank You

15