Exclusively Ours
Tourism association recognized for marketing acumen

The Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association walked away with top honours in two categories last month at the Ontario Economic Development Awards in Toronto. The tourism association received first place in tourism marketing for The Hills of Headwaters Visitors Guide & Map and for the Headwaters Golf Trail Brochure. The ceremony honours winners and honourable mentions for their efforts in promoting their communities for location and tourism opportunities.

This is the second time that the tourism association has been recognized for excellence in tourism marketing. In 2004, the Hills of Headwaters Corporate Lure Brochure also received a first place award. This is no small feat considering that our relatively small rural community is up against tourism heavy-weights such as Collingwood and the Blue Mountains, Niagara-on-the- Lake, Muskoka, Ottawa and even Toronto for these awards.

The secret to this success, however, is fairly simple. The Hills of Headwaters boasts a wondrous landscape - an interesting blend of agriculture and wilderness, rolling topography, dotted with vibrant heritage villages - it's hard to miss the mark when the product is so overwhelmingly beautiful. But it also takes initiative, marketing savvy and resources to put together collaborative marketing publications such as the aforementioned award winners. This again, the Hills of Headwaters region has in abundance.

With more than 300 tourism businesses and organizations supporting the local tourism effort, the tourism association gains access each year to a total of 2,500 hours of expertise, skill and experience from leaders in the tourism industry - pro bono. Marketing resources from these same organizations are pooled then leveraged with municipal and provincial funding to maximize the distribution and cost-effectiveness of the tourism publications. Finally, local talent: writers, graphic designers and photographers, are employed to make each publication truly representative of the Hills of Headwaters region.

This year at the EDCO Awards, more than 190 entries were submitted for consideration by the judges. The competition allows local communities to see just how they stack up against other municipalities when it comes to promoting location, investment & tourism opportunities. That the Hills of Headwaters was recognized from among these entries confirms what we have long believed: that our region has an impressive array of well-managed businesses who diligently and professionally meet the needs of the public. The quiet peacefulness, indicative of the Hills of Headwaters region, is by no means an indication of what we have to do to make a smooth vacation seen like simple perfection.