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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 will begin with a networking reception to connect with likeminded industry professionals, before providing updates about the tourism industry in the region and ending with the official annual forum to appoint new members to our Board of Directors.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the venue for the AGM has been shifted to the Holiday Inn Express Hamilton and the agenda has been changed accordingly to the below:
Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2026 Time: 3 to 5 pm. Light refreshments will be available. Location: Holiday Inn Express Hamilton - 1276 Upper James St, Hamilton, ON L9C 3B4
Join us on the 24th and learn of the exciting developments in Hamilton Halton Brant and what’s to come in the year ahead. |
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| Minister Cho Visits Burlington |
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On May 22, 2026, RTO3 participated in a Burlington tourism leadership roundtable with the Honourable Stan Cho, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming. Hosted by the Discover Burlington Team at the Art Gallery of Burlington, the discussion brought together local tourism leaders to share priorities, opportunities, and challenges facing the visitor economy. The meeting provided an important opportunity to strengthen relationships with provincial partners, and demonstrate tourism's contribution to economic development across Hamilton Halton Brant. |
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| New Fund Supports Cultural and Event Tourism in the Region |
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On May 19, 2026, tourism, arts, and community leaders gathered at the Art Gallery of Burlington to celebrate the launch of the inaugural OCAF–Incite Foundation Fund Matching Pilot Program, a new partnership between the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund (OCAF) and the Incite Foundation for the Arts. Together, the two organizations created a $100,000 investment pool, with OCAF contributing $50,000 in provincial funding matched dollar-for-dollar by the Incite Foundation, to support cultural tourism events across Hamilton and Burlington.
Six organizations received funding from this program : the Halton Equity Diversity Roundtable (Pride in Equity), WeDoes Heritage Association (Burlington Latino Festival), Aeris Körper Contemporary Dance (Here & Now Dance Festival), AfroJazz Fest, Centre[4]Arts, and the Hamilton Festival Theatre Company (Hamilton Fringe Festival).
For our region, this program represents an innovative collaboration model between government, philanthropy, and tourism sectors and a growing recognition that arts and culture are powerful drivers of visitation, economic impact, and year-round destination development. |
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Curious about Artificial Intelligence (AI) but not sure where to start? A free, self-directed micro-course series from eCampusOntario and Durham College makes it easy to get up to speed on your own time and at your own pace.
The AI Fundamentals series is designed to help Canadians build confidence with AI and strengthen digital literacy skills — no technical background required. Across seven short modules, you'll go from understanding what AI actually is and how it works, to exploring the tools you can use today, to navigating responsible use, data privacy, and intellectual property considerations in a business context.
Whether you're just starting to explore AI or looking to use it more intentionally in your operations, this is a practical, no-pressure way to get grounded in the basics. |
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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.
Designed to help tourism businesses grow through travel trade, the full-day forum will provide practical insights into how visitors discover, book, and experience destinations through distribution channels such as group tours, travel advisors, receptive operators, online travel agencies, and travel media. Participants will hear directly from industry leaders representing Destination Ontario, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), the Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC), the Ontario Motor Coach Association (OMCA), and other tourism partners. Sessions will explore market trends, buyer expectations, export readiness, media engagement, and strategies to position tourism businesses for growth in domestic and international markets.
What You’ll Learn ✔ What is Travel Trade, and why it matters now ✔ How to become market-ready to export-ready ✔ How to package and price your experience for buyers ✔ Understanding distribution channels - Group Tour, FIT, Domestic and International inbound markets
Whether you are new to travel trade or looking to expand your visitor reach, the Travel Trade Insider Forum offers valuable tools, industry insights, and connections to help grow your tourism business. |
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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.
We need your participation! As part of our discovery efforts to learn more and inventory our tourism operators within Hamilton Halton Brant, and across the wider province, we encourage all tourism stakeholders to complete the following intake form. A moment of your time will help build on the foundations and support a stronger tourism ecosystem in our region and Ontario.
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| Destination Insights and Research |
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| Destination Ontario 2SLGBTQI+ Traveller Research Study
Destination Ontario has released its new 2SLGBTQI+ Traveller Research Study, developed in collaboration with 20 tourism organizations and industry partners across Ontario, including RTO3 Hamilton Halton Brant. The study explores the motivations, behaviours, and preferences of 2SLGBTQI+ travellers across key Canadian, U.S., and international markets — finding that safety, inclusion, and welcoming communities are among the top factors in destination choice, with many travellers willing to pay more for a destination perceived as safer and more inclusive. |
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| Ontario Travel & Tourism Monthly May 2026
The latest Ontario Travel & Tourism Monthlyfrom CRG and Destination Ontario shows travel intent toward Ontario strengthening across most markets — with Ontario residents leading overall and Quebec trending upward — while cost remains the top barrier for the eleventh consecutive month and rising transportation costs and FIFA World Cup 2026 awareness emerge as stories to watch. |
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| | Destination Canada 2025 Annual Report Destination Canada's newly released 2025 Annual Report offers valuable benchmarking data for the tourism sector, quantifying the industry's role as a critical pillar of national growth — including an economic return of $24 for every dollar invested in Destination Canada. For tourism organizations tracking sector performance and making the case for investment, the report provides useful national context to complement regional insights and inform strategic planning. |
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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: Game Day 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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| Amplify Through Destination Ontario Industry associations, sector partners, and tourism businesses that operate within Ontario are able to share their information, experiences and products with Destination Ontario to potentially be part of their marketing campaigns. We encourage all stakeholders to complete their content intake forms below. All submissions are carefully reviewed to showcase a diverse range of travel experiences across the province. |
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Join us in welcoming Eireen Manikan as a Regional Tourism Development Associate. Eireen is a fresh graduate of her Advanced Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Administration with Centennial College. Building on her previous internship with the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO), Eireen now supports RTO3 with her expertise by working on a number of Product Development projects. |
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We are also happy to welcome Daniella Iannuzzi back as a second Regional Tourism Development Associate this Summer. Daniella is a 4th year student at Brock University in the Business Administration Co-OP program and will be a vital support to the organization for Marketing and Communications. |
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