Tourism 5-Year Plan

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Thank you for participating. This survey has now closed. For more information about tourism in Oxford County, visit www.tourismoxford.ca


May 29, 2024


Tourism Oxford is building its five-year plan to guide management, product development and marketing of Tourism in Oxford County.

The new plan will consider the role tourism has played in the growing local economy over the past few years, as well as future opportunities to support Oxford County and its eight local area municipalities in fostering a diverse and prosperous economy.

To help build the plan, Tourism Oxford is looking for feedback from residents of Oxford County, visitors to the area, and tourism operators.


Have your say


Tourism Oxford wants your feedback! You can have your say on the future direction of tourism initiatives in the following ways.

  • SURVEY: Take one of the special surveys for each of residents, visitors, or tourism sector/businesses by June 9, 2024




  • EMAIL: Directly contact one of the project leads listed at right



About tourism in Oxford County


About Oxford County

Oxford County is a regional municipality in the Southwestern portion of the Canadian province of Ontario. It has an area of 2,040 km2 and a population of 121,781 (2021).

Oxford is very central and easy to travel to, located at the crossroads of Highway 401 and Highway 403, which run east-west through the centre of the County with traffic of more than 24.5 million cars annually. There are 2 million people within a 1-hour drive and 6 million with a 2-hour drive of Oxford County.

About Tourism Oxford

Oxford County, through Tourism Oxford, is the Destination Management Organization (DMO) for Oxford County. Tourism Oxford’s marketing tagline is, “Embrace our Rural Routes.”

Tourism Oxford’s Tourism Oxford’s key functions are management, product development and marketing.

  • Management: As a Sustainable Tourism 2030 community, Oxford County is not looking at tourism growth at any cost, but smart sustainable growth preserving what makes our community special for residents and visitors for years to come.
    Examples: Working to promote sustainable travel opportunities, supporting efforts to increase diversity equity and inclusion, partnering with Work in Oxford for workforce development.

  • Product Development: Support businesses with developing and taking product to market. Increase their capacity through training, coaching, regional projects, collaborative projects and research.
    Examples: Training and networking opportunities for businesses, creation of Oxford Fresh in partnership with the Oxford County Federation of Agriculture, Creation of the Oxford County Cheese Trail in partnership with 32 businesses, offering the Tourism Innovation Grant in partnership with Community Futures Oxford and Rural Oxford.

  • Marketing: Support community, business and visitor needs in marketing of Oxford as a destination. Develop publications, content (social media, website), advertising, partnerships, networking and work with travel media. Marketing includes collaborative partnerships with businesses.
    Examples: www.TourismOxford.ca, partnership marketing campaigns with Destination Ontario and Ontario’s Southwest, social media channels including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.


Oxford County has based its product development and marketing efforts on community strengths, trends and opportunities. These align to the Oxford County Strategic Plan, SWOTC strategic plan, Destination Ontario market research (wellness, culinary tourism touring), and Destination Canada identified opportunities (sustainability, rural tourism, outdoor tourism, shoulder season, diversity equity and inclusion).

These strategic directions have been used to establish following tourism pillars, or areas of focus:


PRIMARY PILLARS

  • Touring (Tour Oxford – Embrace our Rural Routes): Experiences, Town and country diverse attractions, and Cycling
  • Culinary


SECONDARY PILLARS
Focused on development

  • Outdoors
  • Sustainable Tourism
  • Diversity Equity and Inclusion

So far, investment in these pillars has let to the development of the following tourism products:

  • Oxford County Cheese Trail, a two-time provincial award winning tourism product with 32 business partners.
  • Ride Oxford, a curation of paved and gravel road cycling routes.
  • Experiences, a series of local businesses that have developed unique, high-yield experiential tourism products. Experiential, or immersive, tourism allows visitors to actively and meaningfully engage in an area through its history, culture, food and environment.
  • Oxford Fresh, a buy local/culinary tourism map developed in partnership with the Oxford County Federation of Agriculture.



Learn more


Thank you for participating. This survey has now closed. For more information about tourism in Oxford County, visit www.tourismoxford.ca


May 29, 2024


Tourism Oxford is building its five-year plan to guide management, product development and marketing of Tourism in Oxford County.

The new plan will consider the role tourism has played in the growing local economy over the past few years, as well as future opportunities to support Oxford County and its eight local area municipalities in fostering a diverse and prosperous economy.

To help build the plan, Tourism Oxford is looking for feedback from residents of Oxford County, visitors to the area, and tourism operators.


Have your say


Tourism Oxford wants your feedback! You can have your say on the future direction of tourism initiatives in the following ways.

  • SURVEY: Take one of the special surveys for each of residents, visitors, or tourism sector/businesses by June 9, 2024




  • EMAIL: Directly contact one of the project leads listed at right



About tourism in Oxford County


About Oxford County

Oxford County is a regional municipality in the Southwestern portion of the Canadian province of Ontario. It has an area of 2,040 km2 and a population of 121,781 (2021).

Oxford is very central and easy to travel to, located at the crossroads of Highway 401 and Highway 403, which run east-west through the centre of the County with traffic of more than 24.5 million cars annually. There are 2 million people within a 1-hour drive and 6 million with a 2-hour drive of Oxford County.

About Tourism Oxford

Oxford County, through Tourism Oxford, is the Destination Management Organization (DMO) for Oxford County. Tourism Oxford’s marketing tagline is, “Embrace our Rural Routes.”

Tourism Oxford’s Tourism Oxford’s key functions are management, product development and marketing.

  • Management: As a Sustainable Tourism 2030 community, Oxford County is not looking at tourism growth at any cost, but smart sustainable growth preserving what makes our community special for residents and visitors for years to come.
    Examples: Working to promote sustainable travel opportunities, supporting efforts to increase diversity equity and inclusion, partnering with Work in Oxford for workforce development.

  • Product Development: Support businesses with developing and taking product to market. Increase their capacity through training, coaching, regional projects, collaborative projects and research.
    Examples: Training and networking opportunities for businesses, creation of Oxford Fresh in partnership with the Oxford County Federation of Agriculture, Creation of the Oxford County Cheese Trail in partnership with 32 businesses, offering the Tourism Innovation Grant in partnership with Community Futures Oxford and Rural Oxford.

  • Marketing: Support community, business and visitor needs in marketing of Oxford as a destination. Develop publications, content (social media, website), advertising, partnerships, networking and work with travel media. Marketing includes collaborative partnerships with businesses.
    Examples: www.TourismOxford.ca, partnership marketing campaigns with Destination Ontario and Ontario’s Southwest, social media channels including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.


Oxford County has based its product development and marketing efforts on community strengths, trends and opportunities. These align to the Oxford County Strategic Plan, SWOTC strategic plan, Destination Ontario market research (wellness, culinary tourism touring), and Destination Canada identified opportunities (sustainability, rural tourism, outdoor tourism, shoulder season, diversity equity and inclusion).

These strategic directions have been used to establish following tourism pillars, or areas of focus:


PRIMARY PILLARS

  • Touring (Tour Oxford – Embrace our Rural Routes): Experiences, Town and country diverse attractions, and Cycling
  • Culinary


SECONDARY PILLARS
Focused on development

  • Outdoors
  • Sustainable Tourism
  • Diversity Equity and Inclusion

So far, investment in these pillars has let to the development of the following tourism products:

  • Oxford County Cheese Trail, a two-time provincial award winning tourism product with 32 business partners.
  • Ride Oxford, a curation of paved and gravel road cycling routes.
  • Experiences, a series of local businesses that have developed unique, high-yield experiential tourism products. Experiential, or immersive, tourism allows visitors to actively and meaningfully engage in an area through its history, culture, food and environment.
  • Oxford Fresh, a buy local/culinary tourism map developed in partnership with the Oxford County Federation of Agriculture.



Learn more

Page last updated: 10 Jun 2024, 09:18 AM