For Immediate Release
Media Release - Town of Lincoln Approves Five-year Tourism Action Plan and Receives Relief funding for Tourism Sector
Lincoln, ON - (Aug. 6, 2020) - The Town of Lincoln is working toward becoming a leading tourist destination in Ontario. In the last few weeks, the Town has taken three important steps toward this exciting goal, including:
- Approving a five-year tourism action plan
- Securing funding from the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario
Working with the Twenty Valley Tourism Association (TVTA) to re-envision the destination marketing organization
At their June 29 meeting, Town of Lincoln councillors approved the Lincoln Destination Tourism Strategy and Action Plan 2020-2025. The strategy includes improving marketing, increasing collaboration among local tourism stakeholders, attracting private investment and addressing infrastructure priorities.
“We believe tourism is a key pillar to drive sustainable growth that serves the long-term interest of our economy, businesses, environment and our citizens,”says Town of Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton. “This plan lays the groundwork for making Lincoln a leading tourist destination in Ontario.”
$146,000 in Relief Funding
The Town of Lincoln and the TVTA also learned they will receive $146,000 from the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, through the Government of Canada’s Regional Relief and Recovery Fund, aimed at helping the tourism industry recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are grateful for this support at this critically important time,” said Councillor Paul MacPherson, chair of the Planning & Economic Development Committee. “This funding will help us create a recovery plan to attract visitors to Lincoln and help us reboot our tourism industry.”
A Re-envisioned Tourism Organization
The Town of Lincoln and the TVTA are also preparing to sign a memorandum of understanding to re-envision the destination marketing organization, which is a key part of the new tourism strategy. The Town and TVTA will work together to maintain membership and rebuild the tourism economy, before transitioning to a new tourism organization in 2021.
For two decades, the Town has outsourced tourism management to the TVTA. The Town will now play a larger role in managing the destination, while allowing a partnership between the Town and private industry stakeholders to implement the tourism strategy and market the Lincoln-centred destination.
“The TVTA is excited to work with the Town of Lincoln to prepare and implement a plan to launch a refreshed and refocused tourism organization,”said Justin Downes, chair of the board of the TVTA. “This will help us move into the future stronger than ever.”
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For more information, please contact:
Paul Di Ianni
Economic Development Officer
Town of Lincoln
pdiianni@lincoln.ca
289-407-1402