Celebrating Success in 2025: Building What Comes Next, Together
Momentum doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built through collaboration, trust, and a shared belief in where a region can go next. Over the past year, Ontario’s Highlands Tourism Organization (OHTO) has prioritized focusing on working alongside our members to strengthen tourism across the region and support the businesses that bring it to life.
At OHTO, we see the greatest impact when many pieces come together with a shared purpose that lead to supporting operators, strengthening our regional identity, and helping tourism businesses succeed. From trail development and sustainable storytelling to new tools and deeper partnerships, this year was about building what comes next, together.
Creating Experiences That Last
An important project in terms of forward momentum for the region in 2025 was hands down the progress made in the development of the Eastern Ontario Rail Trail Loop (EORTL).
When fully developed, the EORTL is projected to generate an estimated $65 million in direct annual economic impact and more than $100 million in total economic impact. This tourism product development initiative brings together the counties of Lanark, Renfrew, Frontenac, and the Township of Rideau Lakes to build an exciting signature cycling experience in Ontario’s Highlands.
In 2025, the EORTL project partnership launched a suite of practical tools to support businesses as the trail network evolves to support the cycling market, including an industry information page, an integrated trail map, and strategic guiding documents designed to help operators understand visitor needs and product opportunities tied to trail use. These resources are there to help operators and partners understand where they fit into the larger experience and how they can benefit from buying into the rail trail loop experience.
Telling a Different Kind of Story
We have never been afraid to take chances when it comes to forging new ground in consumer marketing! This past summer OHTO took a bold step with the launch of If Nature Had a Voice, one of the only sustainability-focused consumer campaigns in Ontario.
The campaign invited visitors to experience Ontario’s Highlands through the lens of the land itself, celebrating the air, water, food, people and landscapes that define the region.
Rather than asking people to travel more, the campaign invited them to travel better. Through short-form video, themed itineraries and digital storytelling, If Nature Had a Voice highlighted operators who align with responsible travel values and positioned Ontario’s Highlands as a leader in thoughtful, nature-first tourism. The campaign reinforced what many operators already know: protecting what makes this region special is key to its future success.
Turning Attention Into Action
OHTO’s storytelling translated into measurable results later in the year through a fall consumer marketing partnership campaign with Destination Ontario. By combining strong regional narratives with provincial reach, the partnership delivered 4,400 clicks directly to operator listings, connecting travelers who were ready to plan with operators ready to welcome them.
Partnering for the Future
Collaboration was a defining theme of 2025, particularly through a regional digital asset acquisition project launched in September. OHTO partnered with Haliburton Highlands, Frontenac County, Lanark County, Ottawa Valley and Lennox & Addington to create a shared library of high-quality visual content showcasing and celebrating the small town experience in Ontario’s Highlands.
The project produced one consumer marketing video for each county, more than 100 new photos, and five industry-focused videos that will be used in digital content marketing campaigns in 2026.
Showing Up Where It Matters
Sometimes sitting down for an hour-long in person talk can achieve what six hours online can’t. Over the past year, the OHTO team spoke at six community networking and business events, meeting operators in person to introduce programs, share tools and listen. These conversations helped build trust, generate buy-in and ensure we are all on the same page when it comes to promoting the region and elevating the available offerings.
Giving Operators More Visibility
Supporting businesses also meant creating better tools. In 2025, OHTO upgraded its Member Portal to allow operators to build and manage profile pages featured on content distributed through OHTO’s consumer marketing engine, ComeWander.ca. These profiles give the visitor an easy way to discover tourism experiences and operators through storytelling.
For any business owners or partners who have not yet created a membership account and profile page, please click here to get started!
Looking Ahead With Confidence
The successes of 2025 weren’t accidental: they were the result of comprehensive strategic planning that has led to the development of shared goals, strong partnerships and a commitment to supporting tourism operators in practical, meaningful ways.
Together, we built stronger stories, better tools and deeper connections that will carry Ontario’s Highlands forward.
Thank you for being part of this work. We’re excited to keep building with you in 2026 and beyond.