Building a sustainable, resilient future for Ottawa
OTTAWA, December 1, 2022—At an event at the Canada Science and Technology Museum attended by more than 200 members of the local tourism industry yesterday, Ottawa Tourism launched a Destination Stewardship Plan to guide the development of the region from a tourism perspective over the next decade.
Beginning in 2021, the Stewardship Plan was developed with Resonance Consultancy simultaneously with a new five-year strategic plan for Ottawa Tourism, which was also launched at yesterday’s event. The Stewardship Plan consulted more than 100 stakeholders and surveyed local residents with the goal of balancing quality of life and quality of the visitor experience, to the benefit of the greater community.
As such, the Destination Stewardship Plan is a plan for everyone, as everyone has a role to play in helping to create long-term prosperity through tourism. The Stewardship Plan identifies four target audiences—local residents, active adventurers, sophisticated explorers, and business travellers—and eight experience principles, each with their own strategies and actions for implementation:
- We bring Canadians and visitors together
- We honour our heritage
- We voice reconciliation
- We live for the great outdoors
- We host sports
- We celebrate community
- We love our terroir
- We value sustainability
“After months of work, I could feel the momentum for the Stewardship Plan among the local tourism community yesterday,” said Michael Crockatt, President and CEO of Ottawa Tourism. “We are a united group pushing for sustainable improvements to the tourism contribution within the local economy and residents’ quality of life. Residents can participate by reading the plan, amplifying our messages especially on social media, and inviting friends, relatives, and business associates to visit.”
Meanwhile, Ottawa Tourism also announced it would take the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge, committing to measuring and improving the progress of becoming a more sustainable destination by 2030. The pledge encompasses not just environmental sustainability but also social, cultural, and economic sustainability in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
About Ottawa Tourism
Through its values of inclusivity, trust, collaboration, and innovation, Ottawa Tourism pursues its vision to be one of Canada’s most visited, sustainable, vibrant, and appealing urban destinations, as well as the tourism authority for key economic development and city-building decisions in Ottawa. Before the pandemic, the industry welcomed an estimated 11 million visitors annually and generated $3 billion in economic output.
For more information, please contact:
Jantine Van Kregten
Director of Communications, Ottawa Tourism
613-866-4955
press@ottawatourism.ca
