Sarah Fox is just four months into her new role as Visit the County’s Executive Director, but she is making her “community-first” approach clear.

VTC’s primary goal for 2025 is ”sustainable tourism growth with a strong emphasis on community alignment and economic impact,” said Ms. Fox. She presented VTC’s 2024 annual report and the 2025 activity plan at the April 8th Council meeting.

Created in 2022, VTC aims to make PEC a “year-round, world-class destination.” It emphasizes sustainable tourism amidst sometimes fickle visitor cycles. 

It receives close to half of the Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) for its operations. Last year, that meant about $550,000. 

 Ms. Fox’s presentation took a by-the-numbers approach to show “2024 was a great year for Visit the County; we were able to record new heights of achievement in marketing reach.”

A big part of that reach was the result of a carefully redesigned website. The $80,000 project was spearheaded by former ED Eleanor Cook, who stepped down last fall.

 The new website received about 600,000 visits, up 68% over the previous year, and generated close to 100,000 referrals to local businesses. 

“Built in response to stakeholder input and visitor demand,” Ms. Fox noted it features an events calendar and various itineraries to help would-be visitors plan their trips ahead of time. 

Working with a PR agency, VTC gained 119 “earned media” articles, or press coverage they did not commission. 

VTC’s Countylicious, enjoyed by residents and tourists alike, was a finalist for “Culinary Event of the Year” at the Ontario Tourism Awards of Excellence in 2024.

Community Engagement

“One of the things I’m most proud of is the debut of a new program called the Community Partnership Fund in 2024,” noted Ms. Fox. 

The fund supported 12 community events, including the Firelight Lantern Festival, County Adaptation Film Festival, and Picton Night Market.

Along with hosting visitors and generating tourism revenues, one of the pillars of VTC’s 2025 plan is “enriching the lives of residents.”

“Our focus is sharpening around the community this year,” Ms. Fox stressed.

Robust community engagement, a community-facing web page, and a resident town hall are also in the works. 

VTC also wants to purchase data to track the economic impact of the tourism here.

“I’m just so thankful for the listening you have done,” said Councillor Sam Branderhorst about VTC’s pivot to community engagement, rather than tourist-focused outreach that prioritizes everything but. “You listened to the community and to this Council and you heard the criticism — and you have responded.”

“There’s maybe a little bit of hope in dark times,” said Councillor Janice Maynard. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw an outpouring of visitors from south of the border.”

Indeed, as Ms. Fox noted, “all things point to high visitation with a counterbalance of being prepared for busier numbers.” She noted a survey that indicated 83 percent of Ontario residents plan to travel within Ontario and Canada this summer.