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Tourism is an important industry in Hastings County. Stretching from the beautiful Bay of Quinte up north to Algonquin Park, Hastings County offers a vast array of attractions with an abundance of lakes and rivers, main street shopping, live theatre and seemingly endless outdoor trails. This industry has strong potential for growth across the County. A 2009 Statistics Canada Canadian Travel and International Travel Survey showed that Hastings County had over 1.6 million visitors and received $178 million in visitor spending - an average of $110 per visitor. It has been listed as one of the top 15 Ontario places to visit among a list of 49 communities.
  
Hastings County Opportunities in Tourism - Working Group Meetings
As a result of Hastings County Tourism Master Plan (PRTD) a group of volunteers representing tourism stakeholders throughout Hastings County formed the Hastings Opportunities in Tourism (HOT) Working Group. Together the team focuses on developing tourism assets, collaborating on tourism marketing and promotion, and coordinating ways to enhance and improve the tourism appeal for all communities in our County.
Each month the HOT Working Group meeting is held on third Monday for the 2013 year.
The next meeting will be:
Monday, March 18th from 10am until noon
at the Centre Hastings Municipal Office in Madoc, ON
Learn more about the HOT Working Group by visiting our Hastings County blog.
If interested in attending the next Working Group meeting or have any questions about the meetings, please contact:
Kasey Pollard
Tourism Development Coordinator
Hastings County
613.966.6712 ext. 4012
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Keep up to date with what's happening in Hastings County Tourism and other economic development through our blog: Communities With Opportunities. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@HastingsCounty) to find out what events and activities are taking place each week throughout the County.
What is the Hastings County Tourism project, Premier Ranked Tourist Destinations (PRTD), about?
The Premier-ranked Tourist Destinations Framework (PRTDF) was designed by the Province of Ontario in 2001 to help communities inventory and analyze their local tourism amenities and attractions while helping to identify opportunities for tourism investment and development. It leads to a strategic action plan for tourism with recommendations on how to improve local tourism performance.
In 2010, Hastings County completed the province's Premier-ranked Tourist Destinations Framework, and as a result, the County's Tourism Industry now has a series of actionable recommendations to grow tourism locally.
Hastings County's PRTD project will assist in recognizing the underdeveloped and underperforming tourism assets across the County and determine ways to improve and revitalize these assets. The project can help find answers to the following questions:
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What attracts visitors to our destination?
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What are our strengths to build on?
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What are the priorities for investment?
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What economic benefits can we capitalize on?
The primary PRTD goals include: 1) developing an inventory of tourism assets, 2) provide a basis for tourism planning, and 3) identify investment opportunities.
The tourism industry and individual stakeholders in Hastings County will benefit from the PRTD project as it will:
- increase awareness of rich possibilities
- improve networking among stakeholders
- facilitate the development of marketing and product packages
- plan for sustainable competitive tourism
- provide strategic direction for improved products
- foster a strong, coordinated tourism industry
To help implement the recommendations set out in the PRTD Final Report and Action Plan, Hastings County has created:
Download a copy of our Executive Summary here
September 30, 2010 - Final Report of the Hastings County Premier-ranked Tourist Destinations Framework Project (zipped file)
Hastings County's new Economic Development Action Plan: 2009-2012 identifies completion of the PRTDF as a priority. As well, both the City of Belleville and City of Quinte West have made completion of Premier-ranked a priority.
More information about the PRTDF can be obtained by clicking here.
- July 27, 2010 - Slide presentation used at our Destination Development Task Team Meeting in Madoc
- June 24, 2010 - Final presentation to Hastings County Council
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