Building a Tourism Industry Community

When it comes to tourism, OHTO’s mandate is simple – to support a competitive tourism region through marketing, product and destination development. That may be a mouthful, but in reality, we are doing much more than that.

We are building a tourism industry community, one where we can all rely on one another to promote our mutual agenda: to create the very best, most successful, and vibrant tourism region in Ontario (yes, we are ambitious!).

When you become a member of OHTO there are many ways you can benefit – access to timely, relevant information on grants and changes to industry guidelines for example, but there is so much more! When you are a member of the OHTO Industry Community you may also benefit by being featured in the content on the website or on social media and connect with like-minded stakeholders. Need we say more?

OHTO is here to help foster tourism in our region, and support you in your own efforts. If you are not already a member, please consider joining. If you are a member, read on to see how you can get the most out of your membership.

Who Can Be a Member

This is an easy answer! If you are involved in the tourism industry in the Ontario’s Highlands region, you are eligible for OHTO membership. If you serve customers directly, through food and drink, retail, accommodations, or experiences, you are a tourism operator. It’s that simple.

Benefits of Membership

The benefits of membership are plentiful, but we’ll run down a list of the most important just to give you an idea of why you should join today.

  1. You’ll be among the first to hear of tourism related news, tips, and opportunities. That means you don’t have to stress about when a provincial or federal grant opens, we will do the stressing for you and then share the info with you (and then remind you about it later).
  2. You will have the opportunity to expand your skills in your industry, to create product and experiences with knowledge gained from OHTO.
  3. You will be able to vote at the annual OHTO AGM to ensure your voice is heard.
  4. You will be able to forge new partnerships and connections with other operators, and take advantage of OHTO partnership development projects.

As if that list isn’t enough, we have one more for you: it’s FREE!

Plus, as a member you will also be on the cutting edge of trends in tourism as OHTO continues its journey of a more responsible tourism approach to tourism in the region and shares resources and opportunities that can help your business be more responsible too

This means we will be working collaboratively with our partners in tourism to support an approach that will actively engage our thriving industry and build a stronger, resilient future for our communities.

How to Become a Member

To become a member, simply subscribe to the OHTO emailing list for our Highlands Highlight newsletter. You can do that right now, here.

We told you it would be easy!

Okay, I’m a Member, Now What?

If you’re a member, congratulations, you’ve taken the first step in connecting with the tourism community and growing your business. Now let’s make sure you are getting the most out of your membership with us. You do your part, and we will do ours (promise).

New (or existing) member to-do list:

  • Pick a time and date for a one-on-one Discovery Call with the OHTO Member Relations Team so we can learn more about you, and vice-versa!
  • Read the monthly Highlands Highlight newsletter, sent on the third Thursday of every month (add info@ohto.ca as a Safe Sender so we don't land in your spam folder to be informed on what’s happening in the region, including funding opportunities and fun, new experiences.
  • Join the private OHTO Industry Members Community - Facebook Group to get information about tourism, fast – and also just to chat with other operators and hear their stories.
  • Respond to the Monthly Guiding Question (which is distributed in the newsletter and posted on the Industry Members Community - Facebook Group).
  • Use the hashtag #ComeWander on Instagram and Twitter so that we can see your posts, this makes it easier for us to stay up to date on all the fantastic things you are doing  - and share your content from our accounts!
  • Like and follow our visitor-focused social media pages, including the industry Twitter account (@ohtoinsider).
  • Accept the invitation to attend the annual OH! Tourism Summit with other passionate stakeholders in tourism, and catch up on all the awesome things have been happening in our region over the past year. - 2022 virtual event details are coming soon!
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