Ontario Ministry of Tourism – Attraction Investment Strategy (2008)

HLT provided clarity around the decision-making process employed by tourism investors of all sizes and identified barriers to tourism investment in Ontario, including identification of mitigating strategies with respect to such barriers.

Ontario continues to transition from a manufacturing to a service-based economy with tourism becoming an increasingly important component of the economic development of the province and many of its communities. The Government of Ontario initiated a process to establish a clearer path for tourism in the province by

• Engaging Ontario as a whole — not just the tourism industry — in a process to consider the future of tourism in Ontario.
• Raising the tourism industry’s profile and creating a platform for new initiatives.
• Delivering a focused agenda — for the public and private sectors — to support the growth and long-term viability of tourism in Ontario as an important element of Ontario’s economic development.

As part of this broader initiative, Ontario’s Ministry of Tourism engaged HLT to identify the tourism investment climate and trends within Ontario, Canada and North America, analyze best practices in attracting tourism investment, and assess Ontario’s performance and potential with respect to identified best practices.

In addition, HLT provided clarity around the decision-making process employed by tourism investors of all sizes and identified barriers to tourism investment in Ontario, including identification of mitigating strategies with respect to such barriers.

The resulting report detailed potential sources of tourism investment (domestic and international) as well as channels to be considered by Ontario to attract tourism investment. A detailed set of recommendations set out methods to realize tourism growth opportunities.