Tourism Gravenhurst, the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce, and Explorers’ Edge are partnering to support regional tourism development with a $45,000 investment.
According to officials, the partnership includes Tourism Gravenhurst contributing $25,000, Explorers’ Edge contributing $20,000, and the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce helping with tourism research, analytics, and communications.
“Gravenhurst has incredible tourism assets, businesses, and experiences, and this partnership is about bringing those strengths together in a more coordinated and strategic way,” said Amy Taylor, Manager of Economic Development, Gravenhurst. “This work will help us not only strengthen what Gravenhurst already offers, but also better connect those experiences to changing traveller needs, including how visitors access and move through our community.”
Officials said the partnership is designed to increase overnight visitation, visitor spending, and year-round tourism activity while helping local businesses create compelling experiences that respond to changing traveller expectations.
According to officials, the initiative will focus on developing market-ready tourism products and packages, delivering business co-creation opportunities, and aligning funding and marketing efforts. It will also measure results using tools such as visitor exit surveys, occupancy insights, geofencing-based travel behaviour data, sales outcomes, and website analytics.
Officials said a key part of the partnership is the role of the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce in supporting the collection and interpretation of visitor data, as well as helping share tourism updates and insights with front-line workers and business owners.
“By playing a lead role in areas such as visitor research, analytics, and business-facing communication, the Chamber can help ensure Gravenhurst has a clearer picture of visitor activity and tourism performance,” said Meghan Pratt, Executive Director of the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce. “This partnership creates an opportunity to better connect data, local business needs, and destination development in a way that supports informed decision-making and a stronger visitor economy.”
Tourism officials said the initiative is going to start to roll out in phases through 2026, beginning with spring co-creation and research setup, followed by summer marketing and sales activity, and concluding with fall reconciliation and outcomes reporting.
As part of the project rollout, Gravenhurst tourism stakeholders are invited to attend one of two information sessions on June 4 at Taboo Resort. For more information, click here.
