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RTO3 Annual General Meeting |
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RTO3 hosts our Annual General Meeting (AGM) every June – an opportunity to connect with industry partners, provide updates, and celebrate last year's achievements. The meeting features a tour of Six Nations’ newest venue and facility, networking reception, and serves as the official forum to appoint new members to our Board of Directors.
Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2026 Time: 2 to 5 pm. Light refreshments will be available. Location: Six Nations Welcome Centre (In Chiefswood Park, 1037 Highway 54, Ohsweken)
This year, our AGM will be held at the Six Nations Tourism Welcome Centre and attendees will have a tour of the facilities as well as Chiefswood Cabins. The Welcome Centre will include office space for the tourism team, a gift shop showcasing the work of local artists and craftspeople, and a fully equipped kitchen to better serve our guests and support local chefs.
Join us this June and learn of the exciting developments within Hamilton Halton Brant, Six Nations, and the all communities across our region. |
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Ontario by Bike - Best Bicycle Friendly Businesses 2026: West Avenue Cider House |
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Ontario by Bike is a non-profit association that works to develop and promote cycle tourism in Ontario by providing travel, map and trail resources to avid cyclists and industry support, marketing opportunities and cycling development to tourism industry partners.
Every year, they identify distinguished tourism businesses that excel at providing cycle-friendly services and are welcoming to cyclists visiting their location. A single business is selected from each of the 13 Tourism Regions across Ontario and within RTO3, we are happy to highlight that West Avenue Cider House has received this provincial accolade in 2026!
From creating award winning cider, to being a beautiful wedding venue, to industry-recognized sustainable business practices, West Avenue Cider House has constantly been evolving to become a cornerstone to the Freelton community. With annual culinary and community events, alongside outdoor and indoor dining options to have with your cider, make a visit out to West Avenue Cider House and discover why they have been awarded the OBB Best Bicycle Friendly Business 2026 in RTO3. |
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Travel Trade Insider Forum: Register Today! |
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RTO3 Hamilton Halton Brant is pleased to invite tourism businesses, stakeholders, and destination partners to the Travel Trade Insider Forum, a full-day capacity-building event designed to unlock new market opportunities and strengthen our region’s position in the domestic and international travel trade market. Introducing Our Keynote Speaker:
Gabriel Kotz, Business Development Manager, Europe, Destination Ontario
With over 30 years of experience in the Canadian travel industry, Gabriel Kotz brings a truly international perspective to her role as Business Development Manager, Europe at Destination Ontario. |
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Originally from Germany, Gabriel moved to Toronto in the 1990s and built her career with Canadian receptive operators, developing deep expertise in connecting European travel trade to Canadian destinations. She joined Destination Ontario in 2004, and has since been the driving force behind the organization's relationships with travel trade partners across the UK, Germany, and France. |
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A key part of Gabriel's work involves organizing familiarization tours across the province each year that would bring international travel and tourism professionals face-to-face with everything Ontario has to offer, so they can confidently share those experiences with their own customers and travellers.
Join us at the Travel Trade Insider Forum this July 6th and learn from Gabriel’s extensive knowledge in making a business travel trade ready. |
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The Black Tourism Alliance of Ontario |
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The Black Tourism Alliance of Ontario (BTAO) is proud to announce its official launch, marking a significant step forward in the organization’s purpose of advancing Black tourism as a core cultural and economic driver of Ontario’s visitor economy.
Evolving from the Black Tourism Working Group formed in 2022, the Alliance builds on years of collaboration, which was initiated by offering the Black Tourism “Spark” Program – first delivered in Southwestern Ontario and later expanded to include Hamilton, Halton, and Brant – to formally unite communities, tourism organizations, and industry partners under a shared vision. The BTAO exists to ensure Black tourism is recognized, resourced, and integrated into Ontario’s broader tourism ecosystem instead of being treated as a niche offering. |
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Destination Insights and Research |
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Understanding the Ontario Traveller Planning Journey
New research from Destination Ontario maps the trip planning journey for domestic and international travellers, uncovering four distinct stages — each with different goals, behaviours, and friction points. A reassuring takeaway in the age of AI: travellers still value human expertise and local insight when decisions get complex. |
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Ontario Travel & Tourism Monthly April 2026
The latest Ontario Travel & Tourism Monthly from CRG and Destination Ontario shows travel intent toward Ontario strengthening across most markets — with Ontario residents leading overall and notable gains in Western Canada, Quebec, and U.S. Fly markets — while cost remains the top barrier to travel for the tenth consecutive month. |
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Market Intelligence to Help You Prepare for FIFA World Cup 2026™
New research from Destination Ontario and Context Research Group finds 9 in 10 FIFA World Cup 2026™ visitors to Toronto plan to explore beyond the host city, with 100% willing to travel an hour for a day trip and 93% willing to travel for two hours — placing RTO3 well within reach. Explore the research and watch the webinar presentation on the findings. |
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Canadian Tourism Outlook 2026-2035
Destination Canada's new Canadian Tourism Outlook 2026–2035 forecasts 6.0% tourism revenue growth in 2026 and a climb to $216.3 billion by 2035 — a 67% increase over 2024 — reinforcing tourism's role as one of Canada's top service exports. |
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The Impact of the Visitor Economy on Canadian Exports
A new study from Destinations International's Canadian Destination Leadership Council finds that a 1% increase in non-resident visitors to Canada is associated with more than $1 billion in additional exports over two years — reinforcing tourism's role as a driver of trade, investment, and national competitiveness. |
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| RTO3 Summer Marketing Campaigns |
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Leveraging on the FIFA World Cup 2026™ games, and expected local and international visitor travel behaviours, The Heart of Ontario will be running two concurrent marketing campaigns to appeal to each audience: Your Gameday Getaways will focus on conveying the welcoming and authentic Canadian experience found within Hamilton Halton Brant that is conveniently located within one or two hours of Toronto. Perfect for international travellers looking to enhance their vacation beyond the city and soccer.
Your Summer Getaway will provide content to Canadians in proximity markets that want to make the most of the perfect summer weather away from an urban centre bursting at the seams with travellers. With our regional blend of urban communities, small towns and hamlets, and activities from Michelin cuisine to scenic outdoor adventures, Hamilton Halton Brant is the ideal destination for a summer holiday.
With the peak travel season coming up, ensure your business listings are up-to-date on our visitor website theheartofontario.com and share what's happening in your business with our Marketing & Communications team so we can amplify your events, experiences, and offerings through our social media channels on Facebook and Instagram and our monthly e-newsletters! |
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Get Listed on Our High-Traffic Consumer Website Take advantage of our consumer website traffic by creating a self-serve listing account. This free marketing opportunity allows eligible tourism-facing businesses to showcase their business, events, tours and experiences. Last year, over 330,000 unique visitors explored theheartofontario.com, generating 200,000+ partner listing views and 136,000+ direct referrals to tourism operator websites. |
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Keep Us Updated on What's New Share your business updates, special events, and new experiences directly with our marketing team. We regularly feature operator content across our email marketing (65,000+ subscribers) and social media platforms (67,000+ followers). This additional free opportunity allows us to promote your business to our engaged audiences at no cost. We encourage you to submit content to us regularly throughout the year! |
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