Lanark County Tourism Association (LCTA) is pleased to announce the receipt of funding from Ontario’s Highlands Tourism Organization (OHTO), as part of OHTO’s Tourism Development Partnership Program (TDPP).
The funding will allow LCTA to embark on a project to create marketing content highlighting the many assets in Lanark County, while promoting OHTO’s Come Wander tourism brand.
“The TDPP program is designed to encourage and support collaborative tourism development initiatives that reflect the Come Wander regional brand platform, that align with strategic objectives and that can demonstrate long-term benefits to the region,” stated Stephanie Hessel, tourism development industry relations co-ordinator for OHTO. “We are excited to support this LCTA initiative and looking forward to seeing its potential to support the Come Wander brand.”
Over the next several months, LCTA will be gathering content for the creation of an image database, co-ordinating the production of two 30-second tourism videos highlighting tourism assets in Lanark County, as well as the creation of copyrighting content. The image and video database will be accessible by tourism operators and stakeholders in Lanark County, at no cost.
“Our goal is to assist our membership to promote themselves and their business as a tourism destination in Lanark County,” LCTA president Bob Mingie said. “Having the tools available to market your business, and the region, is a good way for LCTA to support our businesses.”
This summer, LCTA will be reaching out to community members and organizations for contributions of photographs to be included in the image database, as well as contracting with a local photographer for more targeted shots. A videographer will be working in the area over a two-day period in August.
The second phase of the project will involve the marketing component of the content and distribution through online and digital media. This phase of the project is expected to begin in 2017.
In June 2016, LCTA received funding to support the project from Lanark County council, in the amount of $3,500, which LCTA is matching for an additional $3,500, bringing total available funds for the project up to $7,000. OHTO will provide matching funding for LCTA’s tourism projects in the amount of 50 per cent of project costs.
Lanark County Tourism Association is a membership-based tourism organization committee to supporting tourism operators in Lanark County and providing a collective voice for stakeholder feedback at the local, regional and provincial levels. LCTA’s mission is to support tourism operators and the growth of the tourism industry in Lanark County. LCTA provides networking and professional development information and opportunities for members and takes on larger tourism projects in response to the needs expressed by the membership.
In 2015, LCTA partnered with OHTO for the completion, printing and distribution of the Lanark County Cycling Map, a publication which is in high demand throughout the region and in Ottawa, and is also available online at the LCTA website, the Lanark County Tourism website and various other relevant cycling sites. Each year, LCTA sponsors a booth at the Ottawa Tourism and Travel Show to distribute information about visiting Lanark County and marketing materials for the varying municipalities and tourism operators.
The LCTA currently has more than 70 members, including five municipalities, and is actively recruiting new members.
For more information about the LCTA, please visit www.lcta.ca or for more about OHTO and funding opportunities, go to www.ohto.ca.
Submitted by the Lanark County Tourism Association