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RTO3 Hamilton Halton Brant Resident Sentiment Survey |
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Your Community. Your Voice. Tourism plays a role in our communities — from supporting local businesses and jobs to shaping day-to-day quality of life. The Resident Sentiment Survey (RSS) is a region-wide initiative led by RTO3 to better understand how residents across Hamilton, Halton, and Brant experience tourism. This survey gives residents a direct way to share their perspectives — whether positive, negative, or mixed — so future tourism decisions reflect community priorities.
Who Can Participate Adults (18+) who live year-round in Hamilton, Halton, or Brant Residents from all communities, neighbourhoods, and backgrounds You do not need to work in tourism to participate
All responses are confidential and reported only in aggregate.
What to Expect ⏱️ Time: Approximately 5–8 minutes 🔒 Privacy: Your responses are anonymous and confidential 🗺️ Local focus: Questions reflect community-level impacts 📊 Purpose-driven: Designed to support better planning, not marketing
How the Results Will Be Used Survey findings will be analyzed at both the regional and local levels (where sample size allows) and shared with destination partners to support: Community-aligned tourism strategies Funding and grant applications Long-term planning and monitoring Ongoing resident engagement
This survey establishes a baseline that can be repeated in future years to track change over time. |
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RTO3 Hamilton Halton Brant Board Vacancy |
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RTO3 Hamilton Halton Brant Board of Directors is currently seeking qualified candidates to fill four vacancies on its Board of Directors. New Directors will be formally appointed by the Board at the Annual General meeting on June 24, 2026.
Individuals with a strong interest in tourism, regional collaboration, and destination development are encouraged to apply for this volunteer governance role. Candidates are invited to visit the RTO3 website to learn more about the organization’s mandate, strategic priorities, and Board responsibilities.
To express interest or obtain additional information, please contact Maureen Beatty, Executive Assistant, at [email protected].
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Southern Ontario Tourism Conference |
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Join RTO3 and Ontario’s Southwest at the Southern Ontario Tourism Conference on March 3rd & 4th, 2026. Held at the Lamplighter Inn & Conference Centre in London, Ontario, our conference will bring together business operators, destination managers, municipalities, community leaders, and sector associations from across southern Ontario for two days of learning, networking, and fun.
Whether you’re looking to enhance your digital presence, explore funding opportunities through MAT, or learn from operators who’ve navigated viral success, our breakout sessions deliver practical takeaways you can implement right away. Conference includes:
Whether you’re a business owner, tourism stakeholder, student, consultant, or government representative – if you’re passionate about advancing tourism in Southern Ontario, this conference is for you. |
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2025 RTO3 Regional Tourism Award Finalists |
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RTO3 Hamilton Halton Brant is proud to recognize the outstanding tourism leaders and experiences shaping our region. Congratulations to the 2025 Regional Tourism Award finalists:
Innovative Tourism Award
• Alice in Bloomland – Royal Botanical Gardens
• Bassadina Experience – Hamilton Conservation Authority
• Beats and Eats Festival – Discover Brantford
Partnership and Collaboration Award
• Oakville Galleries – Ship of Tolerance
• County of Brant – Afro-CariBrant Festival
• Six Nations Tourism – River Talks
Sustainable Tourism Award
• Two Row on the Grand
• Museums of Oakville
• House of Adam and Steve
Thank you to all applicants for your creativity, collaboration, and commitment to building vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable tourism experiences across our region.
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Regional Funding Opportunities |
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2026 Burlington Arts and Culture Grant
The City of Burlington is now accepting applications for the 2026 Burlington Arts and Culture Grant, supporting Burlington-based artists, arts and culture organizations, and multicultural groups that foster creativity, strengthen social cohesion, and enrich how Burling residents experience and engage with arts and culture. Grants of up to $7,000 are available for projects taking place between April 2026 and March 2027. Application deadline: February 2nd, 2026 at 12:00PM.
2026 Burlington Tourism Investment Fund
The City of Burlington is now accepting applications for the 2026 Tourism Investment Fund, supporting events happening in 2026 that drive overnight visits, boost the local economy, and position Burlington as a premier destination. |
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Help Shape Ontario’s Tourism Workforce: 2026 Tourism Hiring Trends |
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Ontario tourism businesses are heading into 2026 with strong hiring intentions. Nearly 80% of respondents expect to recruit new staff, with most filling 1-5 roles, though many larger operators anticipate 10+ hires. Seasonal demand remains dominant, and hiring decisions will peak between January and April, especially in March.
Frontline staff, including guest services, servers, and housekeeping are the top hiring priority, followed by supervisory and specialized roles. Businesses consistently identify customer service as the most critical skill for success, alongside technical and leadership capabilities. Skillsthattravel.ca features courses on workplace essentials, career development tools, and industry-specific training designed to help build a skilled and competitive tourism workforce. |
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RTO3 FIFA World Cup Regional Committee |
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RTO3 has established a Regional FIFA World Cup Committee to support Hamilton, Halton, and Brant in preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The committee brings together regional industry partners to explore how our visitor economy can collectively leverage this global event. Key objectives include coordinating marketing opportunities and developing industry tools to help tourism operators, businesses, community organizations, and residents understand how to align with the tournament. All industry tools and resources will be available at www.rto3.ca to ensure easy access and consistent information.
Industry partners interested in joining the committee are encouraged to email [email protected].
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| Free Marketing Opportunities with RTO3 |
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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.
Your Winter Wanderland will be your one-stop guide for all things winter and cover everything from the many culinary events in January, Black History Month events in February, and Maple March and Family Break activities. Explore Proudly and Visit Responsibly continues to invite visitors to become part of our region’s story through respectful, responsible travel that protects natural spaces while supporting local cultures and businesses. Our Gateway to an Ontario Getaway page remains active throughout the holidays and winter to promote Hamilton Halton Brant as a holiday destination to audiences in Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax and beyond. |
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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 (65,000+ followers). This additional free opportunity allows us to promote your business to our engaged audiences at no cost to you! We encourage you to submit content to us reguarly throughout the year! |
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