WINE AND CULINARY TOURISM IN ONTARIO Strategy and Action Plan

WINE AND CULINARY TOURISM IN ONTARIO Strategy and Action Plan Final Report A STRATEGY FOR WINE AND CULINARY TOURISM IN ONTARIO Strategy and Action Plan Final Report 3 A STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN FOR WINE & CULINARY TOURISM IN ONTARIO The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation (MTCR) and the Wine Council of Ontario (WCO) retained the Economic Planning Group of Canada to prepare a strategy and action plan for wine and culinary tourism in Ontario. The report has now been completed. Specifically, the consultants were asked to undertake a review of existing wine, culinary and wine/culinary tourism activities, identify areas for growth and make recommendations to the steering committee for an action plan to develop tourism growth in Ontario in these three areas. The overall vision for wine and culinary tourism in Ontario is proposed to be as follows: ESTABLISH ONTARIO AS A QUALITY WINE AND CULINARY TOURISM DESTINATION IN BOTH DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL MARKETS. The overall strategy that is proposed is: We will establish compelling, high quality experiences for visitors, targeting high yield visitors for whom wine and culinary experiences are a lifestyle choice, and who have a high propensity to travel for such experiences. Different strategies will be employed for the Ontario market, cross-border US market and longer-haul Canadians and international markets The next step will be to meet with a broader group of stakeholders from wine and culinary industries to review and discuss the consultant’s recommendations. The intent of these meetings will be to determine which of the recommended activities have the highest priority among industry stakeholders will take the lead/participate in specific activities, and which groups will provide sponsorship, funding and/or assistance with the implementation of the activity. The complete report will be available on the ministry’s web site at www.tourism.gov.on.ca. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No: Section 1: Introduction Purpose and Objectives The Team Structure of the Report 9 10 10 11 Section 2: Important Lessons from the Research Introduction Ontario's Existing Wine and Culinary Tourism Products Wine and Culinary Tourism Markets Market Trends and the Opportunity for Wine and Culinary Tourism Lessons from Other Wine/Culinary Tourism Destinations Findings from Interviews with Tour Operators 13 14 14 16 19 19 24 Section 3: An Overall Provincial Framework for Wine and Culinary Tourism Growth in Ontario 27 Definitions The Market Context The Vision Overall Strategy Provincial Priorities for Development and Marketing Proposed Overall Strategies that Apply to All the Wine and Culinary Destinations in the Province Strategies for the Priority Destinations within Ontario 28 29 29 30 31 34 35 Section 4: The Recommended Strategy for the Niagara Region The Current Situation Products and Markets Offering Opportunity for Niagara Overall Approach for Niagara - Manage the Market Mix, Shoulder and Off Season are Priorities Priority Product and Infrastructure Development Market Development and Marketing Organizing the Effort Implementation and Action Plans 37 38 41 42 44 68 76 82 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No Section 5: The Recommended Strategy for Toronto The Current Situation Products and Markets Offering Opportunity for Toronto Overall Approach for Toronto Priority Product and Infrastructure Development Market Development and Marketing Organizing the Effort Implementation and Action Plans 89 90 91 91 93 103 105 105 Section 6: Recommended Strategies for Other Priority Products and Destinations in Ontario The Current Situation Products and Markets Offering Opportunity Overall Approach for Other Priority Sectors and Destinations in Ontario Priority Product and Infrastructure Development Market Development and Marketing Implementation and Action Plans 109 110 113 113 114 120 121 Section 7: Overall Priorities, Lead Players and Support Initiatives Potential Leaders, Sponsors and Supporters Start-Up and Communications Strategy 125 126 128 Appendix I: Criteria and Evaluation Matrix for Prioritizing Activities Appendix II: Glossary of Terms 131 137 7 Section 1 Introduction 9 1 INTRODUCTION The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation (MTCR) and the Wine Council of Ontario (WCO) retained The Economic Planning Group of Canada (EPG) to prepare this strategy for wine and culinary tourism in Ontario. The province’s wine and culinary sectors have shown significant growth in the past decade and related tourism activity has also increased. Wine tourism and culinary tourism have been identified as sectors that could be drivers for increased tourism in the province, both in terms of attracting more visitors but also in extending the length of stay and spending of current visitors. Ontario has some obvious quality products in this sector, and the ability to offer visitors both unique local vineyards and wineries along with high quality wines and a diversity of culinary experiences in the province, strongly suggests that this is an area offering significant latent tourism potential. 1 Section 1 The Team Purpose and Objectives The general purpose of the assignment was to "undertake a review of existing wine, culinary and wine/culinary tourism activities, identify areas for growth and make recommendations with respect to an action plan that will develop wine, culinary and wine/culinary tourism and expand tourism growth in Ontario". The specific objectives were: •To research and consult with the wine and culinary industry sectors, to develop an inventory of current wine, culinary, and wine/culinary tourism activities in Ontario •To undertake an analysis of wine, culinary, and wine/culinary tourism in Ontario •To develop recommendations for a vision and action plan over the next 3 to 5 years. The EPG consulting team was enhanced by the participation of Ms. Margaret Swaine, noted wine journalist and author. We are very grateful for her astute insights and numerous contributions to the strategy. 10 We are also grateful to the members of the Steering Committee, including representatives from the WCO, MTCR other stakeholders, and to the many others who agreed to be interviewed, for their guidance and input to the strategy. This is not simply a consultant’s report; it is a report prepared by a consultant building on the wide-ranging and insightful ideas of numerous individuals who are actively engaged in the various businesses of wine making, food and beverage services, cooking schools and tourism. The report is a synthesis of their input, flowing into a tourism strategy prepared by the consultants. Structure of the Reports There are two reports. This one is the Strategy and Action Plan Report, setting out the recommended strategic directions, tactics and actions. The other one is the Background Report, containing the results of the research and analysis that supports the strategy and action plan. This Strategy and Action Plan Report is designed to address the various strategies in a fashion that is appropriate to the character of the opportunities. To be specific, there are a number of sub-strategies that are being recommended, rather than one overall plan. There are two top priority sub-strategies, one for the Niagara Region and one for Toronto. Then there are several different strategies for the second and third tier opportunities. Finally, there are a number of initiatives that cut across all of the sub-strategies and that need to be approached on a pan-provincial basis. The report is therefore structured as follows: •Important Lessons from the Research •An Overall Provincial Framework for Wine and Culinary Tourism Growth •The Recommended Strategy for the Niagara Region •The Recommended Strategy for Toronto •Recommended Strategies for Second and Third Priority Destinations in Ontario •Overall Priorities, Lead Players and Support Initiatives The contents of the Background Report include: •Market analysis, including a summary of the TAMS Wine and Culinary Report •Product inventory •Strengths, Weaknesses and Threats (Niagara region, other Ontario) •Case studies into comparable wine and culinary tourism destinations •Summary of the tour operator interviews The background report also includes the complete TAMS Wine and Culinary Report as well as a supplemental report on wine tourism in Australia, prepared for the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation by Heather Clarke. 11 Section 2 Important Lesson From Research 13 2 2 1 Section 2 IMPORTANT LESSONS FROM THE RESEARCH Introduction A number of different research tasks were undertaken during development of this strategy. They included: •Development of an inventory of existing wine and culinary tourism suppliers; •Interviews with stakeholders •Best Practice Case Studies on Comparable Wine and Culinary Tourism Destinations and Products including: —Napa Valley, California —Copia - The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts —The Lodi Wine Tasting & Visitor Centre, California —Australia, and three specific regions - Hunter Valley Wine Country, Margaret River and South Australia 1 —Tourism Victoria's (Australia) Better Business Tourism Accreditation Program for Cellar Door Activities —The Gourmet Trail, British Columbia —The British Columbia Wine Information Centre, Okanagan Valley —Agri-tourism and Country Dining Programs in Quebec —Wine Tourism in Oregon and Washington •Analysis of the markets for wine and culinary tourism, drawing in particular on the TAMS (Travel Activities and Motivation Study) Wine and Cuisine Report •Interviews with specialty tour operators offering product involving wine and/or culinary experiences The results of these research tasks are detailed in the Background Report. The key lessons learned are highlighted here. Ontario's Existing Wine and Culinary Tourism Products Our product inventory identified some 140 existing wine and culinary tourism suppliers in Ontario, of which over 1/3 were wineries. This inventory did not include the individual wine/culinary packages that are offered by a variety of accommodation properties in the province, nor did it include these accommodation properties or individual restaurants. In addition to the over 50 wineries in the inventory, the range of products identified included: The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, contracted separately with Heather Clarke to conduct research on wine tourism in Australia. The results will be included in this section of the final report. 14 •Cooking schools •Tour operators specializing in product that included wine and/or culinary experiences •A variety of festivals and events themed around wine and/or culinary experiences •Destinations that offered an extensive variation of dining experiences, such as Toronto, Ottawa or ethnic dining experiences such as Greektown, Kitchener Waterloo, etc. The wine and culinary tourism suppliers identified in this inventory are at various stages of marketreadiness. It will be important for the various stakeholders to work with the identified suppliers to ensure that products taken to market are quality experiences meeting high standards, and that they are ready for the tourism marketplace. 15 WINE AND CULINARY TOURISM MARKETS Travel involving wine and culinary experiences appears to be an increasingly important "niche" tourism market both in North American and internationally. With limited market research to draw on, wine and culinary tourism markets have traditionally been seen as affluent, well-educated, generally in the 30 - 60 year range and with higher than average incomes. The North American Market* •2.5 million Canadians (14.2% of adults), Highest interest in Quebec and Ontario •30.6 million Americans (19.6% of adults), Highest interest in Pacific/Hawaii, Southern Atlantic, Middle Atlantic and New England Source: TAMS Wine and Cuisine Report *Those with a High Interest in Vacation Activities associated with Wine and Cuisine A major consumer research initiative sponsored by a combination of Canadian tourism ministries and organizations, the Travel Activities and Motivation Survey, has permitted an in-depth examination of the segment of the American and Canadian travel markets with an interest in vacation activities associated with wine and cuisine. Market Segments: Canada and US •Affluent, Mature & Senior Couples —85% are 35 - 65 years —University or college educated —Household income over $80,000 •Affluent Families, Affluent Mature Singles, Affluent Young Singles and Affluent Young Couples also had higher than average levels of interest Together, these markets represent 24.5% of the total adult population in Canada and 27.3% of the total adult population in the US. The TAMS Wine and Cuisine Report2 confirms that this is an affluent market segment and that it has a particular interest in cultural and entertainment activities. 2 Lang Research, TAMS Wine and Cuisine Report, March 2001 16 The research also indicated that Canadian and US markets with a high interest in vacation activities associated with wine and cuisine were considerably more likely to also have sought out vacation experiences that fall into the following categories: —Personal Indulgence: "To visit a popular, trendy place; To visit casinos and gamble; To experience the good life - fine cuisine, being pampered; To experience city life" Exploration: " To visit historical sites and important places in history; To see natural wonders and important natural sites" Romance & Relaxation: "To rest, relax and recuperate; For intimacy and romance; To spend quality time with family away from home". Activities of Interest A high level of interest in vacation activities associated with wine and cuisine were also more likely to participate in cultural and entertainment activities such as: •Shopping and dining •High arts - ballet, opera, etc. •Gardens and natural attractions •Concerts, carnivals & festivals •Gambling, horse and auto racing These markets indicated that, other than friends and relatives and previous experience, the key sources of information used in planning trips was the Internet/World Wide Web, Travel agents and articles in newspapers and magazines. Respondents who expressed an interest in vacation activities associated with wine and cuisine were more likely to indicate that the following attractions that would make them "A Lot more interested" in Taking a Trip to Ontario: —Cultural festivals, music festivals and film festivals —Garden attractions —Heritage attractions —A wine region such as a Napa Valley —Overnight cruises on the Great Lakes —Overnight train tours through natural terrain 18 Aging Baby Boomers •Will have more time and more money for travel than earlier generations •Are much better educated - this means an increased propensity to travel, and a strong interest in learning associated with travel •Will seek personal enrichment and fulfillment through travel Market Trends and the Opportunity for Wine and Culinary Tourism Socio-demographic and travel market trends are exceptionally supportive of a growth in demand for travel experiences associated with wine and culinary tourism. The travel and tourism sector, like many other segments of the economy, will be impacted over the next twenty years by the aging "baby boomer" market segment. This market, representing some 10 million Canadians and some 78 million Americans, are, for the most part, avid travellers. Family responsibilities, careers and time pressures have been limiting factors in their travel activities for the past twenty years but, as they retire (and many are able to retire early thanks to generous pension benefits), they are expected to fulfill their desire to travel and seek out new and different experiences. The maturing baby boomer is expected to be more pre-disposed to independent travel than earlier generations of mature travellers. They will seek flexibility, authenticity, new and different kinds of travel experiences and ease of planning and purchasing. Quality and service are very important, and this is a demanding market with high expectations. These trends suggest a growing market of travellers with an interest in a range of different types of experiences, and certainly experiences associated with learning, with culture and heritage and with "experiencing the good life, including wine and cuisine" are destined to benefit from these trends. Lessons from Other Wine/Culinary Tourism Destinations Clearly, numerous other wine and culinary tourism destinations around the world are working hard at developing their tourism products and establishing themselves as destinations in their own right, as well as important components of their country's tourism product. Each of our case studies produced insights into different aspects of wine and culinary tourism, and the reader should review the Background Report for an in-depth discussion. Some of the key lessons learned are highlighted below. The Importance of Wine and Cuisine Experiences to Tourism In the Napa Valley as well as Australia, wine and cuisine have already been identified as key elements of the tourism product mix, and other destinations such as Washington and Oregon have started work on initiatives to strengthen the role that wine and cuisine play in their tourism sectors. 19 Napa Valley Napa Valley Visitors —Average daily spending - $300 for overnight visitors, $150 for same day visitors —80% couples; 54% are 25 - 44 years —Mean household income is $54,000, almost double national average —31% from northern California, 17.5% from each of East Coast, MidWest and Southern US; 11.5% from foreign countries —Over 250 wineries, and some 5 million visitors a year, of whom 80% visit for the wine experience spending an estimated US$570 million a year. —A focus on "attracting the right markets" - upscale wine tourism clientele are targeted in marketing efforts; also overnight visitors to maximize visitor yield - this has contributed to a doubling of visitor spending between 1992 and 2000, yet with almost the same number of visitors —Wineries also practice "yield management" to attract the right clientele - fee for wine tastings, limiting motorcoach groups through high rates, open by appointment only. —Initially primarily a wine region, there has been considerable growth in the number of quality and boutique restaurants with fine chefs, and the region is positioning cuisine more predominantly along with wine in its marketing Australia •Some 1,300 wineries, up from 530 in the past decade •Wine tourism seen as vital to rural economic development •Increasing recognition by wineries of the importance of tourism •A National Wine Tourism Strategy completed in 1999 with key strategies including: —Raising the awareness and understanding of the value-added benefit of tourism to the wine industry (industry buy-in) —Establishing an industry standard for wine tourism outlets/facilities —Increasing the skill level of employees in the wine tourism industry —Fostering links between wine, food, and the Australian lifestyle —Identifying constraints to developing wine tourism and solutions to overcome them —Market research to identify the "right" markets "Many in our industry have recognized wine tourism as one of the single most important areas for development for the continued profitability of winemakers, particularly for smaller wineries." Winemakers’ Federation of Australia, 2001 20 Quality Assurance for Cellar Door Activities •Victoria, Australia has a "Better Business Tourism Accreditation Program" which includes a program for wineries •Establishes minimum standards •Includes general standards for all types of businesses as well as specific standards for wineries related to such thing as: —Guided and self-guided winery & vineyard tours —Tasting stock management —Responsible alcohol service —Service area presentation •The Australia Tourism Commission is prominently featuring wine in its marketing, in a new international campaign called "Brand Australia" which focuses on what consumers perceive to be the country’s most appealing and unique aspects - "friendly welcoming people, spectacular natural attractions, free-spirited lifestyle, and great food and wine." •Wine and food are being positioned as integral "lifestyle" components of an Australian tourism experience, more so than as a special interest product though it is envisioned that wine tourism will be heavily promoted in both domestic and international markets. •Numerous "wine regions" in Australia, each with their own efforts to strengthen and market their wine tourism experiences. Some of these are linking wine and regional cuisine. 22 Protecting Agricultural Lands Protecting agricultural lands for vineyards is of critical importance, particularly as wine regions become more developed and there is growing demand for facilities and services to support the growth in tourism activity. The Napa Valley has long recognized the importance and value of its agricultural land, having established the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve in 1968 which protected some 23,000 acres along the Valley floor, and legally established agriculture as the predominant land use in Napa County. Napa Valley was the first region in the U.S. to establish such an ordinance, and the protection of the valley from non-agricultural development has been key to maintaining the land base and the environmental quality of this valuable wine region. Napa Valley continues to protect this resource, with over 30,000 acres in the Preserve and 85-87% of the valley’s land designated for agricultural use - primarily wine grapes. Another control measure utilized has been to enlarge the minimum parcel of land from 20 acres to 40 acres. The Napa Valley General Plan (1990) includes some specific regulations governing wineries that are aimed at protecting the resource and limiting the ecological impact. Wineries are not permitted to have restaurants on-site, as they are not deemed to be appropriate uses at wineries, nor are they permitted accommodations on-site. However, some food service capabilities are permitted so as to cater to non-commercial events directed at the wine trade. Because of this measure, the towns in Napa Valley act as commercial centres for tourist accommodation and dining, and the wineries are not competing with the urban areas for this business. Wine Discovery Centres and Wine/Culinary Educational Centres A number of wine regions have or are developing wine "discovery" centres which incorporate such things as displays and exhibits on the wine region and its wineries, interactive virtual tours, educational displays on wine making and grape making, educational and entertainment facilities, tasting galleries and wine retail outlets. Examples include the National Wine Centre being built in Adelaide, Australia; the Lodi Wine Tasting and Visitor Centre in California and the British Columbia Wine Information Centre in the Okanagan Valley. Significant investments are being made in these centres, which are seen as providing an orientation for visitors, an educational forum and as a means of promoting the wines and wineries of the area. Some concerns have apparently been expressed by wineries as to the impact of these centres on their sales, but, according to the people interviewed, there is generally support for these centres, and they are attracting significant visitation levels. (Note: The Australian centre is not yet open). 23 A different type of facility that is also seeing growth is centres focussed around opportunities for learning experiences associated with food and wine. A prime example is Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, an US$80million centre in Napa which will open in the Fall of 2001. It will offer educational programs in viticulture, agriculture, cuisine, the arts, history, etc. as well as exhibitions, demonstrations, tastings, lectures and films on wine, food and the arts. This centre is being funded primarily through private donations, spearheaded by Robert Mondavi. Findings from Interviews with Tour Operators Interviews were conducted with seven American and Canadian tour operators whose tour packages include wine and culinary tour activities. Some specialized in wine and/or culinary products and others offered a range of products some of which included trips to wine regions. There are a number of key findings that can be drawn from these interviews the most notable of which include: •Travellers who engage in wine tour activities are usually in their mid-40's and over, with special interests in learning about locally produced wines, culture, history and are particular interested in visiting unique/exotic places. •France and Italy are by far the two most preferred destinations when it comes to wine/culinary tour activities. Although, there were mixed responses as to why these two are favourite destinations, it appears that the perception/image that travellers have about France and Italy compared to other destinations play an important role when choosing a wine/culinary tour experience. •There is very little awareness of Ontario's wine region with the American tour operators that were interviewed, either with the specialized wine tour companies or with those that offer more general programs such as hiking and biking. Likewise, there is little, if any, awareness of culinary tourism products. •Canadian tour operators believe that there is an opportunity to increase the demand for wine tour activities, but there is a need to increase market awareness and actively promote Ontario as a wine tour destination. 24 Section 3 An Overall Provincial Framework For Wine And Culinary Tourism Growth In Ontario 27 3 AN OVERALL PROVINCIAL FRAMEWORK FOR WINE AND CULINARY TOURISM GROWTH IN ONTARIO 3 Section 3 This section addresses several issues that set the context for the Ontario wine and culinary tourism strategy. They provide a framework for the various sub-strategies being proposed. Definitions: The following definitions are important foundational elements: Tourist: Using the Ontario definition, a tourist is anyone travelling into the province, or an Ontario resident travelling away from home on an overnight trip or on a same-day trip travelling at least 40 km one way (excludes people commuting to work, delivery services and the like). Wine tourism: Tourism in which the opportunity for wine-related experiences contributes significantly to the reason for travel to the destination or to itinerary planning while at the destination. Examples of wine-related experiences include: —Visitation to and/or tours of wineries and/or vineyards, wine tasting —Visits to wine regions to enjoy the unique character of the region, —Attending wine-related festivals and events —Wine-education/learning experiences —Guided/ self-guided packages incorporating any or some combination of the above, and a variety of other experiences - dining, culture, performing arts, heritage, outdoor activities, etc. Culinary tourism: Tourism in which the opportunity for unique culinary experiences, contributes significantly to the reason for travel to the destination or to itinerary planning while at the destination. (In other words, the culinary experience has an impact on triprelated decision-making either pre-trip or during the trip). Culinary tourism includes trips in which the enjoyment of wine is an adjunct to the culinary experience. 28 Examples of culinary tourism include: —Trips in which culinary experiences are an important part of the leisure and entertainment experience —Culinary learning experiences - cooking schools for example —Unique and/or high quality dining experiences —Festivals and events where food and dining are critical to the event —Packages incorporating unique/quality cuisine experiences together with a variety of other complimentary experiences - theatre, arts, outdoor activities, heritage, etc. Wine/culinary tourism: Tourism in which a combination of culinary tourism and wine tourism experiences work together in motivating travel to the destination, or impact itinerary planning while at the destination. The Market Context Tourism is worth almost $13 billion to Ontario's economy with some 107 million tourism trips (both same day and overnight) in 1999. Travel by Ontario residents within the province accounts for the some 70% of this tourism activity or 75 million trips, and 60% of these trips are same-day trips. US markets make just over 30 million trips to Ontario, with the majority (74%) being same-day trips primarily from crossborder markets. Overseas visitors make some 2 million person trips to Ontario, mostly overnight trips. The Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership (OTMP) reports that some 31% of travel in Ontario is leisure travel, representing some 33 million trips. Of these trips, 45% (14.7 million) are defined as outdoor trips, 16% as city trips and 39% as touring trips. The Vision The overall vision for wine and culinary tourism in Ontario is proposed to be as follows: ESTABLISH ONTARIO AS A QUALITY WINE AND CULINARY TOURISM DESTINATION IN BOTH DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL MARKETS. 29 The Overall Strategy The following overall strategy is proposed: We will establish compelling, high quality experiences for visitors, targeting high yield visitors for whom wine and culinary experiences are a lifestyle choice, and who have a high propensity to travel for such experiences. Different strategies will be employed for the Ontario market, the cross-border US market and longer-haul Canadian and international markets. We will build on the world class wine-making, agricultural and culinary capabilities of the Niagara region, on the diverse and multi-cultural dining opportunities available in Toronto, and on the unique cultural and culinary offerings of selected communities and destinations in the province. Our strategy will also be to build on the many complementary tourism attractions and visitor appeals in these areas of the province. It is clear from our inventory of culinary and wine tourism resources in the province, that different regions and communities within the province, and different kinds of product offerings, each have uniquely different kinds of market opportunities and significantly different scope of tourism potential. As a result, the best approach is not a pan-provincial one, but rather, it is an approach involving a number of sub-strategies, accompanied by several province-wide initiatives that support the various sub-strategies. The appropriate sub-strategies and their recommended priorities are presented below. Provincial Priorities for Development and Marketing There are two destinations in Ontario that currently have a sufficiently strong base on which to grow wine and culinary tourism in a substantial fashion. These are the Niagara Region and Toronto. Niagara and Toronto therefore need to be given the greatest attention, since they offer more potential in the short to medium term. They are both more developed in wine and/or culinary product offerings, their products are closely clustered geographically, and they enjoy advantages in terms of national and cross-border air and road access. The Niagara Region and Toronto each have the critical mass necessary for developing medium-haul and long-haul tourism markets. 30 Beyond these two destinations, there are a number of other communities and areas, as well as the network of quality inns in the province, the major resorts and some other businesses, that have potential in this market, albeit of somewhat lesser proportions. In the case of the network of inns (Innkeepers of Ontario), they already have well-established wine and culinary tourism packages, so the emphasis would be on strengthening the experiential components of their offerings so as to establish niche products for the FIT (fully independent traveller) market, and on marketing and market development. And finally, there are other areas and products that have latent potential, but that require more development. Exhibit 1 illustrates the geographic markets with potential for each of these destinations, areas and products. These opportunities, and the priorities that should be attached to them, are summarized below. The priorities are based on the extent of their current base on which to build and the potential scope of their market appeal. Exhibit 1 PROVINCIAL PRIORITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETS OF OPPORTUNITY Regional Markets (Within 1/2 day drive) First Priority Niagara Region - Wine and Wine/Culinary Toronto - Culinary and Wine/Culinary Second Priority Network of quality Inns in Ontario Selected Communities Resorts Individual Inns Third Priority Essex County - Wineries Other Communities with events Resort Communities Notable Restaurants US Cross Border Markets & Quebec Medium to Longer Haul Markets • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Some Potential Good Potential 31 FIRST PRIORITY: •Niagara Region - Wine tourism and wine/culinary tourism •Toronto - Culinary tourism and wine/culinary tourism SECOND PRIORITY: •The network of quality inns in Ontario that feature culinary/wine experiences and culinary learning programs. (Members of Innkeepers of Ontario) •Selected communities in Ontario that are tourism destinations for experiences that are complementary to wine/culinary experiences, that share a common market with wine/culinary markets, and that have a quality culinary and/or wine/beer offering as well. Examples include Stratford and Niagara-on-the-Lake, each of which have a strong performing arts tourism base along with a strong offering of dining experiences, and Ottawa, which has a strong heritage and cultural product as well as quality dining offerings. Also, some smaller communities fit this model, including those having a unique heritage or specialty shopping appeal. Examples include Bayfield, Elora, Elmira, St. Jacobs. •Resorts in the province that feature fine dining. THIRD PRIORITY: •Essex County, which has a small base for winery tourism. (This region, however, lacks sufficient critical mass at present to be a higher priority focus for market development.) •Other selected communities in Ontario that host major events in which culinary experiences play a large role. Kitchener’s Oktoberfest is a good example. •Resort communities and districts in the province that offer quality dining experiences, notably Collingwood, Muskoka, Haliburton, Kingston and the Thousand Islands. •Notable restaurants that have built a strong reputation for having a unique, quality offering. Chef Michael Statlander’s Eigensinn Farm kitchen is a notable example. •Prince Edward County, which, although not yet a Designated Viticultural Area by the VQA, has a small amount of land in vineyards and one winery with a second in the planning stages. There may be potential in the future for this region to also support wine tourism. Niagara and Toronto will need three somewhat different strategies when it comes to market development - one focussed on regional markets in Ontario, another for US cross-border markets and Quebec, and another for longer haul markets. 32 Destinations and offerings in the rest of Ontario need to focus on regional markets, including nearby cross-border markets. This report presents sub-strategies for both of the first priority entities, a more general sub-strategy for the second and third priority entities, and a number of recommendations for pan-provincial initiatives that are needed to support the various sub-strategies. Proposed Overall Strategies that Apply to All the Wine and Culinary Destinations in the Province Our conclusions regarding the strategies necessary to move wine and culinary tourism to the next level in Ontario are summarized below. The sub-strategies presented in the following sections provide more detail as to how these overall strategies apply to specific destinations, along with additional initiatives that are specific to the particular destination. •The market positioning of the effort generally should be to target high yield travellers for whom the enjoyment of wine and dining are important to their lifestyle and their interests. There needs to be an emphasis on extending the stay and spending of the targeted visitors, and on motivating repeat visitors. •Given the fact that the targeted high yield markets are generally affluent and sophisticated travellers, it is important to focus on developing high quality, compelling experiences for visitors in which wineries, wine and/or culinary experiences play a significant role. Experiences must meet high standards with respect to the quality of the experience itself, in delivery and in customer service. Develop and promote an inventory of commissionable, experience-based packages as well as suggested itineraries for visitors. •Expand and enhance visitor infrastructure where necessary, including visitor information, signage, quality accommodations and other visitor services. •Upgrade the character and appeal of the communities involved - streetscaping, burying power lines, facade restoration and zoning to encourage the establishment of festive retail and restaurants. •Develop quality events of the right character to build tourism associated with wine and culinary experiences. 34 •Establish a program of wine and culinary tourism marketing. For the Niagara Region and Toronto, the effort should target regional markets, US border state markets, Quebec and longer-haul national and international markets. For the other priority destinations in the province, the marketing effort should focus on regional markets and, for destinations proximate to the USA, cross-border markets as well. •Foster and strengthen partnerships in each of the priority destinations and products, focussing on the wine and culinary tourism effort, and involving the tourism industry, DMOs, wineries, the food and beverage sector, corporate sponsors and the provincial government. •Tourism organizations and the WCO need to take the lead role in pursing the wine and culinary tourism strategy - and their efforts will need funding and staffing during the startup period if not beyond. •Involve only those wine and culinary tourism suppliers who want to participate, who are prepared to commit time and money to the effort and who are willing to meet high standards of experiential quality and market readiness. Limit the initial efforts in each priority destination and product area to a few feasible initiatives where there is a sufficient level of commitment, support and buy-in of partners to proceed. Other initiatives will follow as support develops. Strategies for the Priority Destinations Within Ontario As mentioned earlier, there needs to be essentially three strategies for Ontario’s wine and culinary tourism agenda - one that focuses on the Niagara region, one for Toronto, and a more general one for the rest of Ontario. The following sections address each of these strategies in turn. Specific recommendations are highlighted in blue. 35 Section 4 The Recommended Strategy For The Niagara Region 37 4 THE RECOMMENDED STRATEGY FOR THE NIAGARA REGION The Current Situation Ontario's wine industry has seen significant growth in the past decade and with it has come increasing wine tourism activity concentrated in the Niagara Region of the province. The Niagara Region has always been one of Ontario's major tourism destinations, with visitation traditionally driven by Niagara Falls itself. Recently, however, the region has seen a diversification in its tourism products, and in its tourism markets, and wine-related tourism is one of these emerging products. Others include the Niagara Casino, the Shaw Festival, golf, the unique experiences offered by Niagara Parks including the Butterfly Conservatory. As well, there are a number of new, quality hotel properties in Niagara Falls and unique, upscale inns in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Jordan, which have the ability to capture the conference and meetings market, as well as more quality-conscious tourism and getaway markets. These emerging products are contributing to a strengthening of the region's position as a tourism destination, and a destination with appeals to a variety of market segments. 4 Section 4 Twenty Year Goal for Ontario's Wine Industry* "TO BE RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE BEST WINE-PRODUCING REGIONS IN THE WORLD AND ACHIEVE $1.5 BILLION SALES BY 2020" Wines of Ontario: Building a World-Class Brand, page 31 Ontario's wine industry has come a long way since 1988 when the advent of free trade gave Canada ten years to eliminate its preferential treatment for domestic wine. Today, there is increasing international recognition for the province's wines, particularly its Icewine. Ontario's wine industry is now moving to the next level, to "transform the Wines of Ontario into a world-class brand that consistently delivers better overall value, consistency and convenience of purchase, superior wine, food and place experience, and pride and passion in the Ontario Wine experience".3 The province's wine industry is anticipating, and planning for, strong growth over the next twenty years. Their recently completed Strategic Plan, The Wines of Ontario: Building a World-Class Brand, anticipates an industry that will grow to a $1.5 billion (retail value) business employing 13,500 persons and contributing $1.1 billion to the provincial economy, by 2020. 3 The Wines of Ontario: Building a World Class Brand, Five Year Strategic Plan 2001 - 2006, page 9 38 39 They also envision an industry in which tourism plays a major role - "Wine tourism is booming as Ontario Wine Country is considered to be the ultimate knowledge, adventure and sensory destination for wine lovers locally and internationally" (A Glimpse into a Bright Future, Wines of Ontario: Building a World Class Brand, page 7). Clearly, the wine sector sees an opportunity for Ontario to become a world class wine tourism destination. Ontario's wine industry comprises some 70 wineries at present, in three main viticultural areas Niagara, Pelee Island and the North Shore of Lake Erie. However, the provinces wineries and vineyards are heavily concentrated in the Niagara region. There are no solid numbers on the current volume of wine-related tourism in Niagara, but it has been estimated "that approximately 2% - 5% of the 14 million visitors to the Niagara region in 1999, — 280,000-700,000 people visited primarily for the wine product".4 The wineries report that their markets can be characterized as high income, primarily from the Greater Toronto area, and that they visit three or four wineries on a trip, participating in one full tour. While tourism associated with wineries has shown significant growth, there are a variety of challenges that need to be addressed, as well as opportunities to be capitalized on, if the industry is to achieve its potential in this respect. There is some ambivalence within the wine sector itself about the tourism agenda and the opportunity it provides them; there are also concerns about attracting the right markets, those that have the propensity to spend money on wine. A further concern is the ability to provide the necessary and appropriate infrastructure to support growth in wine tourism, given the importance of protecting agricultural lands and issues associated with the use of the Niagara Escarpment Commission lands. However, as indicated earlier, there appears to be strong market potential for wine and culinary tourism. Markets are seeking new experiences, aging baby boomers and mature markets in particular have the time and money to travel and the Niagara region is well-positioned to respond to these opportunities. The remainder of this section of the report provides recommendations for the Niagara region. Products and Markets Offering Opportunity for Niagara Looking at the kind of products that Niagara has to offer from a tourism perspective, Exhibit 2 provides a product - market perspective, considering both the current situation and future potential as product and market development efforts proceed. A glossary of tourism-related terms used in this report is provided in Appendix II. KPMG, Update: Economic Impact of the Ontario Wine Industry on the Economy of the Provence of Ontario in 1999: Final Report, September 2000, page 21 4 40 Exhibit 2 PRODUCTS AND MARKETS OFFERING OPPORTUNITIES FOR NIAGARA Products Regional Southern Ontario, western New York Winery tours, wine tasting Culinary learning programs Wine and/or culinary events Nature and wine/culinary Culture/heritage and wine/culinary Sameday packages as add-ons to existing itineraries Multi-day packages, either on their own or as add-ons Target Markets USA Border States & Quebec Long Haul - Other USA, Other Canada, International in future in future in future • • • • • • • • • • in future • • • Some Potential Good Potential 41 Overall Approach for Niagara - Manage the Market Mix, Shoulder and Off Season are Priorities Conceptually, the following summarizes the overall strategy for wine and culinary tourism in Niagara. •Target the markets you want/discourage those you don’t. Give incentives to the first, disincentives to the others. Real wine and culinary clientele are the objective, not people simply sightseeing or treating the visit as an entertainment experience. (High yield, high appreciation spenders - wine and culinary consumers - versus tire-kickers and gawkers.). The challenge is to build products and experiences that help generate high yield visitors. Focus should be given to affluent FIT markets (fully-independent travel) and corporate/incentive markets rather than the traditional motorcoach group tour market. •In this respect, it will also be important to extend the stays and spending of targeted visitors, as well as to motivate repeat visits. •It will be important to give extra emphasis to techniques of building visitation in the shoulder and off-seasons. It should be recognized that this approach may not be appropriate for all wine and culinary experience suppliers in the Niagara Region, and not all suppliers need to participate for the programs to be successful. In fact, only those suppliers who are prepared to provide quality experiences and meet high standards of customer service and market readiness, and who are able to commit to the "tourism" agenda, should participate in the implementation of this strategy. The organizers/coordinators of the programs should establish standards for participation in the respective initiatives. 42 PRIORITY PRODUCT AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT The Wine Route This is a very successful initiative in which the WCO has played a major role. The route should, of course, be continued. We do, however, recommend several measures to improve the program, as follows: •Establish ‘Wine Country’ (Ontario's or Niagara's - see later discussion on branding) signs on the QEW eastbound at Fifty Road, westbound at Dorchester Road and both eastbound and westbound at Glendale Road and also on Highway 8. It would also be worthwhile to have these signs on the QEW at Seventh Street, or alternatively, Jordan Road . These would either be ‘Area Profile’ signs or Attraction signs. This would also help overcome the impossibility of giving TODS signs to every winery and attraction in the area. •The consultants believe that it would be beneficial to have two sub-brands under the Wine Route brand, one for ‘Niagara-on-the-Lake’, the other for the ‘Escarpment’. This would strengthen the market positioning of each of these sections of the route, as well as give visitors a clearer picture of what are really two distinct destination areas. The Escarpment 44 sub-brand could, potentially, be linked with the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere designation. In this instance, the QEW signs should have these brands as a sub-title. •Add additional wine route signs in areas where there are large gaps or turns required that are currently unsigned. Also, replace obsolete signs with the new standard sign. •WCO is already working on developing a wine route guidebook, which the consultants strongly endorse. It should provide more information on the experiences available at the various wineries, as well other points of interest, good restaurants nearby, etc. It should also provide more information on each winery, including: —Facilities and services provided, including availability of public washrooms —Size of the vineyards —Type of wines they are known for —Days/hours of operation - for the winery/tasting and also for restaurant if available —Guided tours - availability, times, whether reservations are required —Address, Phone number, web site —Small map to indicate exact location —Ability to/whether they are interested in handling groups —Depending on the size of the guide, what about a picture of each winery - this would provide visitors with a good indication of the type of experience they could expect —Special events at the winery •Enhance the wine route map by giving more detail and making it to scale. In particular, the map should illustrate the major routes/highways through the region (those close to the winery areas as well as in other parts of the Peninsula) with identifying names/numbers, and identify communities as well as key attractions such as Shaw, the Niagara Parkway, Niagara Falls, etc. Distances should be illustrated as well. In addition to a new free-standing map, which we recommend, there should be a map included in the wine guide as well. Packages and Itineraries An innovative approach that lends itself to packaging and marketing wine and culinary experiences is that of developing a modular ‘menu’ of mix-and-match itineraries and packages that people can book and combine as they so choose. There are two program initiatives suggested: •101 Wine and Culinary Adventures in Niagara •Wine and Culinary Vacations in Niagara 45 101 Wine and Culinary Adventures in Niagara The first of the two programs, ‘101 Wine and Culinary Adventures in Niagara’ (or more or less than 101) would target short- and medium-haul markets as well as visitors already in Niagara. It would consist of perhaps ‘101' half day, full day, evening and multi-day (2 to 4 day) experiences, with start-end locations and schedules allowing them to be comfortably linked together. It would include four kinds of products: •Self-guided ‘wine and dine’ experiences •Self-guided tours •Scheduled group tours •FIT packages 46 They would be presented in a catalogue by theme. Themes might include: •winery tours •cooking schools •wine appreciation programs •culinary and wine learning packages •specialty wine tours - eg: chardonnay tours, Icewine tours •wine/ dine and gardens •wine/ dine and golf •wine/ dine and outdoor activities •wine/ dine and theatre •wine/ dine and heritage •restaurants of distinction •special events, etc. These would be linked with complementary experiences available at the destination - outdoor activities, attractions, accommodations, entertainment, heritage, communities, shopping, arts and crafts, etc. The participants would include the businesses that offer products to visitors under the themes above, particularly wineries, quality restaurants, hotels with restaurants, WCO, destination management organizations (DMOs), and attractions. Quality standards would be established for participation. (This will be discussed later in this report.) We propose that this initiative be led by a consortium of Niagara region DMOs, and that they be encouraged to work with the travel trade to explore appropriate distribution channels for the new, commissionable product offerings. This should lead to agreements being struck with tour operators (and through other distribution channels) to offer these new experiences. Wine and Culinary Vacations in Niagara This second program would target the regional, cross-border, Quebec and longer-haul markets, and offer 2 to 7 day vacation packages. Unlike the shorter packages in the foregoing program, these would be ‘destination’ packages, designed as full vacation experiences or getaways. Both learning packages and other themes would be included, with a common feature, however, being wine and culinary experiences. We see this initiative involving wineries that are interested in cross border/long haul markets (in addition to the regional market in southern Ontario), as well as cooking schools, inns and hotels. 47 Communities as Hubs for Wine and Culinary Adventures The communities in the region play an important role as traveller service centres and ‘hubs’ for visitor activity. They are the centres where accommodations, restaurants, shopping, entertainment and visitor services are naturally based. The Napa Valley approach has been to cluster all accommodations, restaurants and retail outlets in strategic communities, and this has proven to be a very successful concept for winery tourism. The consultants recommend that a somewhat similar approach to the Napa Valley concept be followed, and that selected communities in the region be looked to as the primary focus for further development of accommodations and other services for visitors. This has the major side benefit that it relieves the pressure for development at wineries and on agricultural and escarpment lands. It can also help resuscitate the communities economically. 49 Obvious target communities would include St. Catharines, Grimsby, Beamsville, Vineland, St. Davids and Virgil. The Jordan example is a good example of what can be done. So is Niagara-on-the-Lake. (This concept would have the side benefit of relieving some of the pressure on Niagara-on-the-Lake.) The ‘walking village’ has proven very successful in other regions of the world, and is a successful concept in modern resort development. Towns and villages lend themselves to this naturally. A consulting team has recently completed an extensive study on the Twenty Valley area, leading from Balls Falls down through Vineland and Jordan to the lake. There are numerous recommendations in this report that are in keeping with the strategy recommended here for smaller communities. In order to move this ahead, the communities will have to take the lead. A key priority would be initiatives designed to upgrade the character and appeal of the face of the community, involving streetscaping, burying power lines, facade restoration and improvements and themed signage. Other important initiatives would be to make official plan and zoning modifications and then pursue business development activities that encourage the establishment of quality, character accommodations, as well as ‘festive’ (visitor-oriented) retail businesses and quality restaurants. We recommend that, on a pilot basis, the Province of Ontario be asked to consider establishing a funding program to support communities in their efforts at upgrading their ‘face’ to the visitor, similar to the former ‘Main Street’ program the Province had in place. A focused, pro-active strategy to encourage cluster development in selected communities offers a winwin strategy option and is recommended. It supports the sustainability and growth of both wineries and agriculture, it supports the protection of escarpment lands while, at the same time, provides a powerful stimulus to rejuvenate the character and economic prosperity of communities in the region. 50 Accommodations There is a major need, and opportunity, to develop more accommodations, particularly inns and other character properties, to serve the wine and culinary tourism market. The prime target market - higher spending adults that are wine and gastronomy devotees - typically prefers upscale, quality accommodations having a unique, heritage character. While Niagara-on-the-Lake has a range of accommodations including some very upscale properties as well as number of quality, heritage B&Bs, there are capacity challenges, particularly in the summer season and on weekends. As well, there is a very limited supply of upscale, character accommodations elsewhere in the Niagara region, particularly in the western portion. The Inn on the Twenty is really the only one in the western part of the region. While there are B and B accommodations available, these are of appeal to only part of the market. There are also several new, quality hotels in Niagara Falls which may offer an opportunity for partnering with wine and culinary tourism suppliers. We recommend that the private sector be encouraged to establish more quality inns in the region. Also, the wine and culinary sector should explore possible partnerships with selected Niagara Falls hotels which offer the types of accommodation and dining experiences that are appropriate to their target markets, and which are prepared to offer special, "exclusive" services to these markets, such as guaranteed Falls view rooms, etc. Learning Products and Packages Learning tourism is a growth product category in tourism, and wine and culinary products lend themselves well to this market. Essentially, learning tourism involves the addition of some formal, structured learning to the traditional kinds of leisure experiences people seek. Cooking schools, wine appreciation courses, nutrition and health courses are examples of popular courses in the field; put together with enjoyable leisure experiences they make great tourism products. We recommend that this be a priority area for product development in Niagara. The Niagara partners in learning products and packages should also explore opportunities for linkages with appropriate partners in other parts of Ontario when pursuing their product development efforts based on learning products and packages. There are opportunities to considerably expand the offering of lifestyle learning programs and packages. Good Earth and Strewn both have established such programs. Also, the more ambitious ‘New World Culinary Institute’ concept put forward by Vineland Estates is an example of a more comprehensive concept with much higher per capita spending potential. A diverse mix of learning packages should be developed to cater to short term leisure visitors as well as others prepared to come for multi-day programs. 51 One opportunity within the broader "learning products" category is the development of a topographical/geology map for wine tourists. This would provide, in layman's terms, information on the climate, geology, soil types, topography, etc. that are important in the growing of grapes for the production of world-class wines. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has already done some preliminary work on a topographical map of the area, and it could be adapted for use as a learning tool. Culinary Institute Concept Vineland Estates has been attempting to obtain approvals for its proposed wine and culinary learning centre that would essentially be a specialty resort, designed to attract international visitors for multiday stays. The Vineland project has been turned down because it is not in keeping with Niagara Escarpment regulations. The culinary institute concept is exemplified in the Napa Valley at the ‘Culinary Institute of America’ (Greystone), which offers a variety of culinary courses, including programs for tourist visitors to the Napa Valley. A new, much more ambitious project of this kind and one more oriented to tourism is the US$80 million wine, culinary and arts centre currently under development in Napa, called ‘Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts’ (see the Background Report for details). Concepts such as this are leading edge in tourism. Such a development in Niagara would, from a tourism perspective at least, provide a major addition to the culinary tourism offering in the region. We recommend that this kind of development be encouraged and assisted. "Excursions to the Muskokas and Niagara wineries are favourites with [US meeting] planners who choose Toronto." Selling Canada to US Meetings Planners in Communique, March 2001 Group and Corporate Programs Our interviews in Niagara, as well as other market research, indicates a strong growth in demand for corporate and group experiences in the region. The increased availability of quality hotels and inns in the region, targeted marketing efforts of Niagara Falls Tourism directed at both convention and meetings groups as well as incentive travel markets, are contributing factors, as is the increasing availability of unique, quality experiences such as the wineries, regional cuisine and golf. A major convention centre is being talked about for Niagara Falls, and this will also strengthen demand for experiences for these markets. In addition to providing their facilities for group meetings and events, the region's wine and culinary players can offer a variety of unique experiences to these markets such as: 52 •Guided tours at the winery with exclusive tastings, 'learning sessions" with the winemaker, fine dining with food and wine pairings, hand-on opportunities to pick grapes, etc. etc. •"Chef's Table" dining experiences at the region's top restaurants •A "wine and dine" around Niagara night with the group travelling together in a motorcoach having different courses and/or wine tastings at different locations •Cooking lessons (for spousal programs) with dinner •Team building experiences involving cooking •Dinner with the winemaker The markets would include both groups that are staying in the Niagara Region, as well as those on day trips from the Toronto area. Key to targeting this market will be to work closely with the DMOs, particularly Niagara Falls Tourism who has a number of marketing efforts directed at these markets, and with DMC's - destination management companies and tour operators who specialize in corporate markets. Events Events can be very effective in building tourism, particularly tourism based on special interests. The kinds of events that are most appropriate are those that attract the market segments being targeted, not the populace as a whole. Real wine and culinary clientele are the objective, not people simply sightseeing or treating the event as an entertainment experience. The key is to develop events that will attract visitors, not just invite visitors to attend community events. The character and scope of experience is different. Perhaps the numbers of events should be reduced, so that the energy and budgets of the stakeholders and the volunteers can be focussed on a few of the key ones. Some focus should be given to events in periods when visitation levels are lower, such as the winter, early spring and late fall, since events can increase visitation levels. Those that continue need strengthening with respect to their quality and drawing power from a tourism perspective. The kinds of things that are important include: •addition of information, animation and programming that focuses on the unique aspects of the heritage and culture of the community, the natural features and attractions of the area •provision of on-site event information and an orientation service for visitors •distribution of brochures on the event, designed for non-resident visitors •offering packages with accommodations and other traveller services •toll-free information and reservations service 53 Proposed Niagara Wine and Culinary Event The proposed new Niagara international-calibre event concept builds on the successful Aspen and Whistler events (wine and dining respectively) and could be very valuable in building international awareness and visitation. It will be important that it be positioned as an international event and promoted accordingly, with an eye to building awareness of the region both for travel as well as for wines. We understand that the industry and government stakeholders have agreed that this event will be held for the first time in the Fall of 2002, which will provide some time to make the Niagara wine and culinary product more market-ready than it is today, based on the recommendations of this report. We recommend that consideration be given to preparing a detailed business plan on the event to identify means of maximizing its impact, and to develop a marketing plan for identified target markets. Wine Discovery Centres Various proposals for ‘wine discovery’ centres have been made for the Niagara Region, the idea being to introduce visitors to the Ontario's Wine Country region, to educate them about the wines of the region and its agriculture, and to orient them as to the various experiences to be had. Such a centre (s) could also provide more general visitor information and, perhaps, even provide an opportunity for visitors to purchase wine products. The British Columbia Wine Information Centre in Penticton and the new Lodi Wine Tasting and Visitors Center in Lodi, California are seen to be successful models. The BC facility reportedly is self-supporting. This concept certainly has merit. However, we have some concerns about the feasibility and cost benefit, in particular: •The capital costs for a quality facility would be significant. Who would be prepared to invest? •The facilities are unlikely to be financially self-supporting. Who would subsidize their operations? •What is the best location for such a centre? •The visit to the centre could, for some visitors, provide a substitute for visits to the wineries and the attractions of the area, which is clearly not the objective. •In any event, the provincial tourist information centre adjacent to the Glendale exit already provides tourist information. •Wine sales would have to be through an LCBO outlet in the facility, and it would have to also sell the full range of products, not just Ontario wines. In conclusion, in the absence of a feasibility study, we are unsure that this concept is feasible for Niagara. There is also the question of cost-effectiveness. Is this the best way to spend whatever monies 54 might be raised from government and the stakeholders? It is very possible that it could be better to invest instead in improvements to communities and in attracting investment into quality tourism developments in the region. Also, investments in good collateral materials presenting suggested itineraries for visitors and quality packages, and in developing information and interpretive services at businesses throughout the region, might also be more cost-effective. In conclusion, a feasibility study needs to be done on this concept before it is given priority for development. Whatever decision is made about Wine Discovery Centres, it is important, in any event, that all tourism business partners, and local and regional information centres, have a range of information on the wine region, including the Wine Route map and guidebook. As well, front-line staff should be able to provide advice and assistance as to winery experiences. (The need for enhanced front-line staff training is discussed later in this section). Transportation There are a number of concerns about Niagara’s transportation infrastructure and its services in support of tourism generally, and for wine and culinary tourism in particular. These concerns relate to vehicular transportation, particularly the QEW, but also to the lack of other means for transporting visitors to and within Niagara. A major issue is the QEW and its volumes of traffic, particularly in the summer. Travelling on this highway is an intimidating experience for many. The proposal for a new mid-peninsula high capacity highway is one that should be pursued, in that it could divert a lot of the traffic from the QEW. Another idea that has been advanced is to establish a tourist rail service from Toronto. Inniskillin was involved in sponsoring a special event train, so the idea is not a new one. If it were feasible on a continuing basis, this could provide an attractive new attraction as well as an alternative to auto travel. Critical complementary elements for a tourist rail service would be limousine pick-up services and car rentals available at the train stations, and the train stations themselves in both Niagara Falls and St. Catharines would need upgrading. There would also need to be some provision for visitors to transport wine purchases on the return journey to Toronto. This whole concept will need further investigation to determine its feasibility. Other transportation modes could also provide easy access to Niagara's wine and culinary tourism experiences. Possibilities include by boat/ferry from Toronto, and, for upscale markets and high-end incentive products, by charter air services or helicopter. Again, the feasibility of these options will need to be investigated. 56 Quality Standards and Awards Our meetings and interviews with stakeholders included discussions about potential quality programs that would ensure that product offerings met some minimum standards for inclusion in packaging and marketing programs, and that excellence be acknowledged. The standards would be relative to tourism offerings. This is a complex and controversial issue, but it is also an important one. There are various possible initiatives relative to standards that are worthy of consideration: •Standards for wines and their producing wineries. The VQA already provides a basic system which serves well. •Standards for winery tourism. This would address visitor amenities and services at wineries. •Standards for restaurants. The Taste of Niagara program addresses some aspects of this, mainly the use of indigenous foods. •Standards for attractions. This would address the quality of the experience, services for visitors, the presentation of topics that are representative of the region, etc. •General standards for visitor experience enterprises. This would involve some general standards along with some customized ones for different types of operations, including wineries, tours, activities and attractions. (See the Background report discussion on the program developed in Victoria state in Australia.) An alternative approach would be to establish a winery classification system, whereby wineries are "classified" according to the types and extent of facilities and services they provide. For example, a "full-service" winery might include a restaurant, tasting room, guided tours, retail outlet, public washrooms, private tasting program, whereas as a "tasting" winery would have only a tasting area and wine retail outlet. The concept of excellence could be addressed through one or more programs, such as: •Awards for excellence in visitor experience •Awards of distinction for outstanding dining experiences •Awards to restaurants based on their wine list and staff knowledge and skills about Niagara wines and foods •Chef awards - based on their accomplishments, their leadership and their work in educating new chefs •Awards for unique menu items based on regional foods •Awards for outstanding customer service •Participation in the Ontario Tourism Excellence Program, recently announced by the National Quality Institute The consultants recommend that three of these initiatives be developed initially - the general standards for tourism-related enterprises (perhaps starting with the wineries alone, then expanding to other products later), along with an ‘awards of distinction’ program for restaurants, and an awards 58 program for outstanding customer service for front line personnel in all types of tourism-related establishments. The main criteria might be as follows: Visitor Experience Standards Program - wineries, attractions: •general quality of visitor experience - range of attractions, exhibits, available activities, knowledge of guides (customized for each of wineries, tours, activities and attractions) •uniqueness of the experience •reflection of Niagara’s culture, history, natural environment, etc. •interactivity, participation (eg: wine tasting) •provision of visitor services - information desk, brochure, interpretation, parking Restaurant Awards: •quality of food •quality of customer service •uniqueness of menu items •use of Niagara foods •Wine list - offering of VQA wines (10+?), VQA wines by the carafe and glass •Staff knowledge of Niagara foods and wines Customer Service Awards: •server knowledge of Niagara foods and wines •service skills •friendliness, hospitality skills •provision of tourist information to visitors One of the keys to the success of awards programs recognizing excellence is to provide recognition to those achieving an award. The Ontario Tourism Excellence Program referenced above is in a Pilot Phase, as of the spring of 2001. The Ontario government has partnered with the National Quality Institute, industry stakeholders and the Ontario Tourism Education Corporation (OTEC) to develop the program building on the Canadian Framework for Excellence. It is a voluntary program providing a comprehensive set of criteria for management practices and principles. Participants will proceed through three levels of implementation and recognition: Commitment and Planning, Implementation and Results. Organizations achieving Level 3 Certification may apply for national recognition through the Canada Awards for Excellence. This program may well become an appropriate one for organizations involved in wine and culinary tourism efforts. 59 TASTE OF NIAGARA This program addresses part of the restaurant issue. It doesn’t really address quality as much as it deals with the use of indigenous ingredients in menus. For tourism, it would also be important to ensure there is real integrity in the visitor experience aspects of the product. This would include such things as quality of the food and service, and offering a selection of Ontario VQA wines. However, if this program can be modified to increase its emphasis on quality of food, customer service and selection of Ontario VQA wines, it would replace the need for a new ‘awards of distinction’ program. In this context, the participation of key tourism stakeholders, and specifically wine and culinary tourism stakeholders, would need to be enhanced. There is also a concern that the standards for granting recognition under this program may need to be modified as well as raised. For example, there may need to be more standards having to do with quality. The Taste of Niagara team is also playing a leadership role in the Canadian Tourism Commission’s ‘Cuisine, Wine and Culture in Canada’ national product club. Consideration should be given to expanding the Product Club so that a wider group of Ontario wine/culinary businesses and stakeholders is playing a more active role in its activities, and in the sharing of information concerning the Product Club and its programs. Cuisine Canada also has a Niagara chapter and holds conferences every two years or so. There may be some opportunities for linkages with this organization. MARKET READINESS CRITERIA FOR WINERIES The consultants were asked to identify, on a preliminary basis, some market readiness criteria that might be considered for wineries interested in actively participating in tourism programs. The following are some initial thoughts: Full Service Winery Basic/Key Criteria —Tasting room —Guided tours of the winery —Public parking —Highway signage and on-site signage —Public washrooms —Retail outlet - wine, gifts and souvenirs —Restaurant —Guide service for group tours —Staff trained on wines, regional produce/cuisine, area attractions and tourism services 61 Preferred/Optional Criteria —Private tasting program for groups by reservation —Visitor information on the area, attractions, etc. —More extensive wine and culinary orientation/learning packages for visitors on a prebooked basis —Provide wholesale rates to tour operators for packages —Participation in cooperative tourism marketing programs Tasting Winery Basic/Key Criteria —Tasting room —Public parking —Public washrooms —Highway and on-site signage —Retail sales of wines Preferred/Optional Criteria —Private tasting program for groups be reservation —Visitor information on the area, attractions, etc. —Staff trained in wines, regional produce/cuisine, area attractions and tourism services —Participation in cooperative tourism marketing programs 62 Training The consultants recommended the introduction of a ‘tourism strategies outreach program’ for the management of wineries, restaurants, cooking schools, accommodations and other stakeholders to assist them in developing a better understanding of tourism success strategies and their benefits - for example, techniques of getting the customers you want (higher spending adults, wine and gastronomy devotees), and when you want them. The program would also have to address a more basic question - the rationale for getting involved in tourism - the real paybacks and benefits to your basic business. An important element of this program should be educating the wineries and cooking schools about the "business of tourism", since for most of these operators, tourism is a new opportunity and not one with which they are familiar. This would include workshops on topics such as packaging, working with the travel trade, partnering with tourism industry businesses and opportunities for networking between the wineries and culinary players and the tourism businesses. Regular reports to the industry of success stories, the economic impacts of wine and culinary tourism and other such supporting information would also be valuable in overcoming skepticism about the value of tourism-focussed strategies. Training programs should mirror the quality issues discussed above. We recommend that management seminars be conducted on the following topics: •Planning a quality visitor experience - visitor experience expectations and standards (in support of the general visitor experience standards program) •Establishing a quality restaurant •Training your staff for customer service excellence •How to package and how to make packages work •How to work with the travel trade In addition, front line staff should be trained on customer service, in keeping with the issues involved in the awards program (perhaps adapt the ‘SuperHost’ program into a ‘Niagara Host’ program.) The program would also include a focus on regional wines, produce, culinary traditions, history, etc. - to make staff more knowledgeable and enthusiastic promoters of Niagara. A more in-depth wine knowledge and customer service training program for winery staff would be worthwhile - perhaps building on the Brock University 5 day program, through Niagara College, potentially in partnership with the Ontario Tourism Education Council. 63 REGULATORY ISSUES Comments on the Proposed New Niagara Escarpment Commission Winery Policies The net effect of the proposed new NEC policies is to freeze tourism-related activities and development at a small scale, which is unfortunate, in that winery-based tourism is a great economic generator for the Niagara region and has the potential to be a lot greater in future. There is no evidence that the proposed guidelines allow for the establishment of commercially feasible, viable or sustainable enterprises. In fact, the B and B, which is the only accommodation permitted at an escarpment winery, is clearly of non-commercial character. Tiny retail areas, small restaurants, etc. are other examples of problematic approach. Truly sustainable development considers economic as well as environmental and cultural impacts. A better approach than arbitrary rules is, a) to identify successful, viable and desirable business concepts to establish a framework of what would and would not be encouraged, and b) consider each application on its merits vis a vis the natural environment, agriculture, winery business and tourism business, with limits based only on carrying capacity and quality of development issues. The effort to freeze development is obviously designed to limit encroachments on natural and agricultural areas along the escarpment, which is, needless to say, desirable. However, a strong case can be made that winery-based tourism development is a powerful means of protecting the escarpment from conversion to non-agricultural uses. Wineries improve the value of land for agriculture, and winery tourism improves the viability of the wineries themselves as well as the regional economy. More viable wineries and more income to communities from winery tourism helps to sustain the value and use of the agricultural lands for grape growing. Otherwise, many farmers in marginal farming enterprises will continue to opt for selling out, leading to the lands being under pressure for residential and other forms of development. We need a ‘made in Ontario’ model with respect to this issue, not one as severely restrictive as that of the Napa Valley. It should be a model which provides a balance among environmental, community and economic issues - a sustainable model. A model that allows viable business enterprises to become established and prosper. Enterprises that are allowed on escarpment lands need to be viable business models as well as environmentally supportable ones. For developments that cannot be accommodated on escarpment lands, there should be a countervailing effort to facilitate winery and tourism development within established communities, and municipalities should be encouraged and assisted in this regard. If you have to take with one hand, provide alternatives for businesses and developers on the other. Things like streetscaping, 65 storefront improvement and zoning that encourages winery development and quality tourism-related development within built-up areas would be examples. In summary, the approach should be to create viable business models for escarpment lands, and, for larger scale projects, facilitate and assist their establishment within communities. Agricultural Lands Regulations The regulations that protect agricultural lands for agriculture cause the same kinds of problems for tourism development at wineries and other rural locations. Official Plans and Zoning Each municipality has its own framework for planning and zoning. We recommend that a regional approach be taken to identifying needed improvements and new development opportunities in communities to make them better ‘hosts’ for visitors, particularly for those communities that wish to pursue the tourism opportunities available to them. Suggested Approach in Future These restrictions, in spite of the problems they cause for tourism development, are certainly important for the protection of these important natural resources, for both environmental reasons as well as to sustain viable agriculture along with the winery industry over time. At the same time, there is a compelling need for the kinds of economic development that winery tourism can bring to the region. We recommend therefore, a balanced approach for the future, one building on principles of sustainability, one like the ‘Made in Ontario’ approach referred to above. There is need for renewal and rejuvenation in many communities in the region. Hence a focussed, proactive regulatory framework (planning and zoning) to encourage cluster development in selected communities offers a win-win strategy option, particularly for larger development projects. This will help take some of the development pressure off of escarpment and agricultural lands. It also assists sustainability and growth for wineries and agriculture, and it helps with the effort to maintain protection of escarpment lands. At the same time, it provides a powerful stimulus to rejuvenate the character and economic prosperity of communities in the region. This strategy therefore has some compelling merit, and most certainly is appropriate for large scale development. But this is not the whole solution. Some kinds of tourism projects require the special character and ambiance of a pastoral, rural setting to be successful. Surely small, low impact, high quality tourism-related developments that require this ambiance and that can be accommodated on 66 agricultural or escarpment lands without undue negative impacts should be given consideration as well. Not everything will work as well in a community setting. We expand on this topic below. Tourism Models for Agricultural and Escarpment Lands There are certainly instances where it is preferable to have a tourism development occur at a winery or on other rural lands, including Niagara Escarpment lands. We therefore recommend that a special study be undertaken to identify models for ‘sustainable’ tourism-related development on protected lands, addressing the following kinds of issues: •environmental quality standards for siting, design, materials, infrastructure, etc. •viable business models - scale of development, included features •appropriate limits and guidelines for approving development on protected lands The types of enterprises that should be included in the project are as follows: •accommodations - inns as well as B and Bs •restaurants •cooking schools •interpretive facilities, attractions •retail facilities MARKET DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING Developing a detailed marketing plan for Niagara wine and culinary tourism is beyond the scope of this strategy, however, a number of important items have been identified and are discussed below. Market Development Strategies for the Future As discussed in Section 2, Niagara’s wine and culinary tourism marketing strategy should be focussed as follows: To establish compelling, high quality experiences for visitors, targeting high yield visitors for whom wine and culinary experiences are a lifestyle choice, and who have a high propensity to travel for such experiences. Different strategies will be employed for the Ontario market, the cross-border US market and longer-haul Canadian and international markets. There are established techniques in tourism marketing of pursuing the tourists you want, and when you want them. Techniques include various forms of yield management, reservation systems, targeted packages, travel trade partnerships, loyalty programs and targeted promotions. For Niagara, the best target market is adults receptive to higher priced products, who will spend more, and who are wine and gastronomy devotees. 68 High season strategies would feature expensive but good value offerings, while shoulder and offseason strategies would feature savings, value-added and extra motivators. We need strategies for the regional Ontario market, which is a traditional priority of the wineries, as well as longer term strategies that develop extra-provincial markets for culinary and wine tourism. Somewhat different approaches are needed for the nearby US border states and for Quebec than would be used for longer haul markets in the US and Canada. Overseas markets would perhaps be a longer term possibility, except perhaps for specialty markets, such as Icewine and Japan, for example, which offer more immediate potential. Geographically, the markets, in order of priority, would be Southern Ontario, Western New York, other Ontario, Quebec, adjacent border states in the USA, other Canada, other USA and overseas. In the short term, it is recommended that the effort be limited to the first five of these markets, all of which are within a single day’s drive. The other markets are long-haul and expensive to reach. Successful market development in long-haul markets will require further winery development and further tourism product and service development. Niagara needs to first become a truly world-class destination for wine and culinary tourism, with suppliers who are market ready and can deliver a quality tourism experience. 69 Exhibit 3 illustrates the recommended target market strategy. An exception to this geographic strategy, is the significant niche market of people who are true wine and gastronomy devotees, and this segment should be pursued in the near term as well. The quality of Niagara wines has reached a level that warrants a highly focussed, vertical marketing effort targeting this niche market. Given the major role wineries and wine play in the Niagara strategy, it will be important to link tourism market development efforts to Ontario’s wine market development strategy, including its wine export strategy. The effort would involve building awareness of quality Ontario wines outside of Ontario through packaging and tourism promotion targeting extra-provincial markets. There are a number of synergies here. Exhibit 3 TARGET MARKETS FOR RECOMMENDED PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES Programs Target tourist markets Visitors while they Regional - southern Other Ontario, are here Ontario, western New Quebec, other USA York (upscale adults) border states(wine/culinary fans) wine route 101 adventures: self guided tours, mix and match packages wine and culinary vacations communities/hubs events tour operator packages group & corporate packages/programs Long haul - (wine/ culinary fans) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Some Potential Good Potential 70 Branding ‘Ontario’s Wine Country’ has been the brand the WCO has been using in its wine marketing efforts. However, the Niagara region winery tourism marketing effort should have a brand of its own, as this is a distinct destination within the province. An experience-based brand would be preferable. It will also be important, particularly in marketing directed at longer hauls markets, to link that brand with the Niagara Falls brand. It has been demonstrated through research that the words ‘Niagara Region’ or ‘Niagara’ have little market awareness beyond the regional marketplace, and that presents a major challenge, since destination awareness is a necessary prerequisite to successful market development and marketing. At the same time, Niagara Falls (the attraction more than the city) has long and well established market awareness across North America and internationally. It will be vital that the strategy embrace and build on the Niagara Falls awareness. We fully recognize that this is a controversial issue in the region, particularly among the wineries, many of whom see Niagara Falls as catering to a fundamentally different market. There is also an attitude among some that the tourism products and services in the city are not in accord with the character and quality sought by the wine and culinary devotee. There is certainly validity in this concern. At the same time, it is clear that Niagara Falls is going through a metamorphosis. The casino and related development has developed new markets for the city and has caused a significant growth in visitation. There are now a number of modern, high quality hotels and more likely to come. Offseason tourism has been growing, which is a welcome development, given the historic boom-bust dependency on the summer season. The recent TAMS research report on wine and culinary tourism has clearly demonstrated that many of the people who travel for wine and culinary experiences also travel to visit casinos. These people, in fact, are active travellers and they travel for many reasons. While many of them are of the ‘cultured’ variety, many of them are also simply cosmopolitan people who are well-off, energetic and active. Considering all of these factors, and based on the enviable market awareness enjoyed by Niagara Falls, the consultants strongly recommend that, in the medium-haul and long-haul markets (basically outside of Ontario), the branding of Niagara’s wine and culinary tourism offering be linked to the Niagara Falls destination brand. At the same time, a new, experience-based brand should be established for the Niagara offering. It is the wineries and their products that are the outstanding feature of the region’s offering and this brand would build on that strength. The message ‘Next to (or Near to) Niagara Falls’ should be used as a sub-title. 72 For marketing directed at the southern Ontario market, the name ‘Niagara’ or ‘ Niagara Region’ is fine as a destination brand, or for use in conjunction with the experience-based brand, as these are well recognized within the province. ‘Niagara Wine Country’, or something very similar would be appropriate. MARKETING ACTIVITIES Itineraries and Packages As discussed earlier, we recommend a program of developing and marketing suggested itineraries along with same-day and multi-day packages. These would be promoted through the kinds of initiatives discussed below: •Two four colour catalogues, one for the ‘101Wine and Culinary Adventures in Niagara’ program, the other for the ‘Wine and Culinary Vacations in Niagara’ program. —The first of these would contain all the packages from both programs and would be designed for upscale, adult audiences in the four priority geographic markets within a day’s drive or less. The presentation would emphasize the mix and match same-day and multi-day packages, and function much like a consumer trip planner. —The second one would feature the multi-day vacation packages, and then present the shorter itineraries and packages as potential add-ons. This would take a form similar to that used by tour operators in their catalogues. This brochure would target the wine and culinary devotee in both nearby and long-haul markets. •A web-site should be developed specifically for these two programs, and linked with the websites of the DMOs and participating businesses. This is an extremely important medium today, as the Web now plays a vital role in trip planning. It will be particularly important in reaching the wine and culinary devotee. (The WCO is already planning to develop a new website, so this additional content could included.) •When feasible, a toll-free telephone information and reservations service would be offered as well. In fact, the modern approach is to combine the web-based service with a full range of telephone, fax, email and snail mail information, reservations and fulfillment service as parts of a ‘destination management system’. Travelinx Ontario provides this service currently on a province-wide basis. A new system is currently under development, sponsored by the OTMP. •Consumer marketing initiatives to promote these products should be undertaken by the DMOs in the region, and through the co-operative marketing programs of the OTMP. (The Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership (OTMP) programs include cooperative marketing initiatives as 73 well as work on establishing high quality, province-wide, experience-based product development alliances. This latter process is designed for operators interested in strategically building commissionable niche product, and building supplier competencies. It is described in more detail later in this section) Promoting Wine/culinary Tourism in LCBO Outlets Many LCBO outlets have sections that feature Ontario wines. These would be good locations to also promote the Niagara itineraries and packages programs, with information displays on the wine regions including distribution of the Wine Route map and guide book. Wine and Dine Club, Passport Program Initiatives that would help with developing the ‘desired’ visitor markets for the wineries and for wine and culinary tourism generally include the following ideas: •A ‘Niagara wine and culinary club’. Wine and culinary devotees would be targeted and invited to ‘join the club’. They would receive information on events, new offerings, new tourism experiences; they would have access to ‘VIP’ services at wineries (such as tastings and tours by reservation). •A ‘Wine and Culinary Passport’. The consumer would purchase this passport which would provide coupons and vouchers for special services at wineries, participating restaurants and other businesses in the region. Travel and Wine/Culinary Writers It will be important to host travel writers and wine/culinary writers to visit the region and do feature stories on Niagara, Ontario's Wine Country. In the short term, the focus should be on travel writers from Ontario, Quebec and other parts of Canada, and international wine writers. Targeting international travel writers should be deferred for a few years until the core programs recommended in this report are implemented successfully. As part of this effort, it will be important to educate the wine and culinary industry regarding the benefits of hosting travel and wine/culinary writers, and the costs that are involved, such as providing complimentary meals. 74 ORGANIZING THE EFFORT People, Money and Organizations It is obvious that it takes people and money to do things. So, it will be important in pursuing the wine and culinary tourism strategy to ensure that there are people in place to do what has to be done, and funding to support the effort. And it will be important that the ‘appropriate’ organizations take on the role of putting the people and money in place, and directing the effort. While all of this is selfevident, the matter is not simple in this case, as discussed below. 76 Different Players, Different Levels of Interest and Different Commitments to Tourism This strategy has a number of unique challenges, not the least of which is the fact that many of the important stakeholders do not see themselves as being in the tourism business, other than as an incidental part of their business. The wineries are a good example, most of whom are interested in visitors not for tourism, but for cellar door wine sales and for improving the awareness of their products. A few of the newer wineries that are attempting to establish international reputations for their wines recognize the value and potential of tourism in achieving this goal, but they are in the minority. Cooking schools are somewhat similar, and so are restaurants. Both of these types of businesses see their market as being primarily local and regional residents. Few restaurateurs, in particular, see tourism as a priority market, given the high marketing costs involved and the small profit margins available to support such marketing. It will be hard to engage them directly in tourism initiatives. As well, many of the existing cooking schools in the province are focussed on professional training rather than "recreational" cooking, and it will be more difficult to get them engaged in tourism initiatives. The only stakeholders that are really committed to tourism are those that are in the tourism and hospitality industry, primarily the commercial accommodations, local attractions and local touring companies, and the destination marketing organizations (DMOs) in their communities that support their efforts. The consequences of this are several: •There will need to be a significant effort to ‘sell’ those in the wine and culinary sectors on the merits of pursuing tourism markets. This will require an educational effort, perhaps in the form of ‘opportunity seminars’. The WCO and others will need to play a pro-active role in this regard. (This is discussed further below.) •For the culinary sector, we suggest that the cooking schools, both the commercial ones as well as the Maid of the Mist Centre of Niagara College be enlisted to lead a similar effort directed at the restaurant sector in the region. Again, incentives will need to play a role. •The tourism industry players and their DMOs will also need to play a strong role in leading and supporting the effort. •The partnership of stakeholders that engages in the tourism effort needs to be made up of those who are committed to the effort, and those who are not, should opt out. In other words, the tourism development and marketing effort should be an elective option for the various stakeholders. It is not essential that everyone participate. This has implications for how the effort is mobilized and funded. 77 Building Awareness of the Opportunities One of the first steps in the process must be to inform stakeholders about the variety of opportunities that are available to develop and grow wine and culinary tourism in Niagara, as well to explain the rationale and benefits of them becoming actively involved. We recommend a series of workshop sessions with stakeholders to accomplish this. The workshops should involve senior management from the wineries, as well as the key players in the culinary sector. It will also be important to involve key players from the tourism sector in these workshops, to make sure that they are aware of the strategies being proposed and also to build relationships between the tourism sector and winery/cuisine sector. Identifying the Organizations, the People and the Money Organizations will be required to lead and facilitate the wide variety of efforts described above. And there will be different organizations involved in different roles in each of the efforts described. 78 There are a wide variety of existing organizations that could lead and/or facilitate the various efforts and recommendations described in this report, including: •Wine Council of Ontario (WCO) •Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) - Niagara Falls Tourism, Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce, Niagara Region tourism, other communities •Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership (OTMP) •Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association •Innkeepers of Ontario •Destination Management Companies (DMCs) in Toronto, Niagara Region •Tour companies and tour operators in Niagara, Toronto, •Major businesses - wineries, hotels, attractions (Shaw, Niagara Parks, casino) •Brock University, Niagara College Other organizations are available to play varying roles as sponsors, funders, supporters and facilitators. These include: •Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation (MTCR) •Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership (OTMP) •Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) •Taste of Niagara •Canadian Tourism Commission •CTC's Cuisine, Wine and Culture in Canada product club •Food processors, distributors, •LCBO •Ontario Grape Growers Association •Other provincial ministries such as the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Consumer and Business Services •Ontario Tourism Education Council (OTEC) There needs to be an organization in place, either an existing or new one, that takes the lead role in pursuing the wine and culinary tourism strategy - and it will need funding and staffing during the startup period if not beyond. It would make most sense if the WCO were to take on this overall role, and enter into partnerships with Niagara Falls Tourism and other DMOs in moving ahead. This would require the hiring of a tourism coordinator, someone with management-level experience in tourism, particularly marketing. It will also require funding that can be dedicated to this effort. It will be vital to build packaging and marketing partnerships around particular programs. The lead organizations and DMOs need to act as packaging and marketing partnership facilitators in this regard. 79 BUILDING PROGRAM PARTNERSHIPS Consortia The consultants recommendation is to establish a number of program partnerships, in the form of consortia of carefully selected businesses who are prepared to commit to participating in their initiatives. In other words, they would be prepared to invest time and money in the initiatives of the particular consortium of which they are members. The consortia would be made up of tourism businesses as well as the appropriate wine and/or culinary businesses, along with funding sponsors, supported by the appropriate facilitation organization(s). Depending on the particular needs and opportunities associated with a particular program, the consortia would be involved in product development, packaging, market development and marketing. The OTMP can play a key role in supporting this effort, as they are actively involved in similar activities of various types across the province. In fact, OTMP has an established market development process for working with research-based product alliances to create commissionable, high quality, niche packaged tourism products. The process provides considerable financial and human resource support to facilitate the process, and requires partners who are committing time and money to the alliances to also commit to business training and development initiatives. Exhibit 4 presents an illustration of the four phase process OTMP employs in this regard. Given the recommendations described above, we are suggesting the following consortia be considered: •Wine Route •101 Wine and Culinary Adventures in Niagara •Wine and Culinary Vacations in Niagara •Wine and Culinary Events •Community destinations, as a destination participating in the wine and culinary effort product/infrastructure development, destination marketing 80 Exhibit 4 ONTARIO TOURISM MARKETING PARTNERSHIP'S 4 PHASE MARKET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS PHASE 1 Outlining the Priority 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Research Committee Review & Priority Staff Analysis Committee Recommendations Industry Direction & Buy-in PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PHASE 2 Clarify Experience, alliance and improved marketing skills. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Focusing of Market Opportunity – PDA Best Practices Quality Criteria Creation of the Product Alliance Training (Packaging, Media,Travel Trade) SUPPLIER AND EXPERIENCE INVENTORY DEVELOPMENT PHASE 3 Working together as a product alliance to test the opportunity. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Branding Packaging Supplier Development Brochures, Website, Media Product Launch INDUSTRY-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT YEAR PLAN PHASE 4 Traditional "Marketing" 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Financial Sustainability Advertising Promotion Travel Trade Website & Links Product and Package Development 3-YEAR PLAN & INTEGRATION INTO OTMP MARKETING 81 Launching these consortia will require efforts by the lead organization in each case to identify potential consortia members and solicit their interest. This would be followed by workshops and discussions to discuss and explore the opportunity/program and detailing of action plans. At the same time, it would be extremely beneficial for the players in the consortia to have the opportunity to participate in a variety of seminars and workshops on tourism and "making it work for you". These would logically include topics such as understanding tourism, packaging, working with the travel trade. In fact, OTMP already has programs developed in a number of these areas which could be accessed by the consortia. Travel Trade Partners One way of pursuing the packaging strategy is to work with tour operators that are already in this business and encourage them to assist in undertaking the development and marketing of commissionable products. This option would be greatly facilitated if the tour operator was to be offered assistance in both product development and marketing. A similar approach might be taken with destination management companies (DMCs) for products that lend themselves to groups. These companies, along with tour operators, assist corporate and group clients with planning and operating customized programs in association with meetings, for pre and post convention activities, for team building projects, incentive programs and the like. Implementation and Action Plans Exhibit 5 presents an overall implementation plan for wine and culinary tourism in Niagara. It provides: •Level of priority attached to the key recommendations •Suggestions as to who is proposed to be the "lead" in implementation •Suggestions as to who other participants might be, as well as what other organizations might be involved in sponsoring/funding/assisting with the initiative •Which recommendations should be considered as pilot projects Appendix I provides the criteria and evaluation worksheet used to identify which initiatives should be considered priorities for implementation. 82 Pilot Projects The following recommended initiatives are proposed as first steps, or pilot projects in getting the strategy started. These pilot projects have been identified by the consultants, based on the evaluation described in Appendix I. As the implementation of the strategy evolves, there may be some changes to the pilot projects. Product Development: •Tourism Strategies Outreach Program - workshops on tourism opportunities, strategies and tactics •Enhancements to the Wine Route - Signage, Map and Guide book •101 adventures •Wine and culinary vacation packages •Developing communities as Hubs - a development and action plan for a "test" community, followed by implementation assistance Marketing: •Two four colour catalogues, one for the ‘101Wine and Culinary Adventures in Niagara’ program, the other for the ‘Wine and Culinary Vacations in Niagara’ program. •Website and destination management system Consortia: •For 101 adventures and vacation packages and test community 83 Recommendation Priority 84 Proposed Participants Yr 1 Proposed Timing* Yr 2 Yr 3 Yr 4 Yr 5 Comments Product Development Enhancements to the Wine Route - Signage, Map and Guidebook 101 Adventures High •WCO •MTCR, MTO Canadian TODS Niagara Region •Wineries Other Tourism Businesses •Niagara Falls Tourism? and OTMP •Community DMOs, Wineries, Niagara Parks Accommodations, Cooking Schools, Tour Operators, Shaw Festival, Festivals & Events such as the Niagara Grape & Wine Festivals, Other tourism businesses Pilot Project Med-High Pilot Project IMPLEMENTATION PLAN • • • Exhibit 5 Wine and Culinary Vacation Packages Med-High •WCO lead consortia •Selected Wineries, Accommodations, Cooking Schools, Tour Operators, Shaw Festival, •OTMP, CTC Pilot Project • • • Develop Communities as Hubs High •NETCORP •Municipal Affairs & Housing, Economic Development & Trade, Niagara Region, Municipalities & Towns, •Private sector, Downtown Business Associations, Chambers of Commerce Pilot Project • • • • Accommodations Development - Quality inns Med-High •NETCORP •Private sector; NETCORP •MTCR •Cooking Schools •Selected Wineries, Accommodations, Tour operators •OTMP, CTC • • • • Paced development; needs market and feasibility analysis Develop Learning Packages Med • • • • Recommendation Priority Proposed Participants Yr 1 •Private Sector •NETCORP, Municipalities •MTCR •Tour Operators and DMC's •Wineries, Restaurants, Cooking Schools, Shaw Festival, Golf Courses, etc. •OTMP, CTC Proposed Timing* Yr 2 Yr 3 Yr 4 Yr 5 Comments Culinary Institute Concept Med Group and Corporate Programs Med -High IMPLEMENTATION PLAN CONTINUED • • • • • Strengthening Events Med-High •WCO? Niagara Falls Tourism? •Event organizers, Niagara Grape & Wine Festival, Wineries and tourism industry •OTMP, Ontario Festivals & Events Association • • • • • Exhibit 5 Business Plan for an International Wine and Cuisine Event Med •Niagara Falls Tourism & WCO •Event organizers, Wineries, cooking schools, restaurants and tourism industry •MTCR •WCO •LCBO, Niagara College, •MTCR •MTO •WCO MCTR? •Brock University, Niagara College, Wineries, Consumers •MTCR, National Quality Institute Feasibility Study on Wine Discovery Centre (s) Mid-Peninsula Highway Development of Standards for Visitor Facilities Wineries and other businesses Low - Med High Med ? MCTR is already working on a quality assurance program, in partnership with NQI for tourism businesses Awards of Distinction for Restaurants Med •WCO, Ontario Restaurant Association •Taste of Niagara? •NQI •WCO, Niagara Falls Tourism DMOs •Niagara College 85 Customer Service Awards for Staff Med Recommendation Priority 86 Modify Taste of Niagara Program Med Proposed Participants Yr 1 •Taste of Niagara •WCO, OMAFRA, Niagara Falls Tourism •MTCR •OTMP, WCO, MTCR •Wineries, Cooking Schools, Hotels, and tourism industry Proposed Timing* Yr 2 Yr 3 • Yr 4 Yr 5 Comments IMPLEMENTATION PLAN CONTINUED Tourism Strategies Outreach Program High • • • • Pilot Project Management Seminars High •OTMP, WCO •Wineries, Cooking Schools, Hotels, and tourism industry •Ontario Tourism Education Council •Niagara College •Wineries, Cooking Schools, Hotels, and tourism industry •Brock University Ontario Tourism Education Council CTC Cuisine Product Club • • • Customer Service Training High • • • Exhibit 5 Study on Sustainable Tourism Models for Protected Lands High •NETCORP •NEC, OMAFRA, MTCR, Wineries, Tourism Industry • Market Development and Marketing Branding High •WCO & Niagara Falls Tourism •OTMP • • • • Tie in with Wine Export Strategy Two catalogues - for Adventures and Packages High •WCO & Niagara Falls Tourism •Wineries, Cooking Schools, Restaurants, Accommodations, tour operators and tourism industry •OTMP Pilot Project • • Web Site High •WCO & Niagara Falls Tourism •Wineries, Cooking Schools, Restaurants, Accommodations and tourism industry •OTMP • • • • Ontario WineCountry.com? Pilot Project Recommendation Priority Proposed Participants Yr 1 Proposed Timing* Yr 2 Yr 3 Yr 4 • • Yr 5 • • Comments Destination Management System Med •WCO & Niagara Falls Tourism •OTMP Wine and Dine Club, Passport Program Med •WCO •Wineries, Restaurants, Taste of Niagara? IMPLEMENTATION PLAN CONTINUED Organizational Issues Opportunity Seminars for Wineries and Tourism Sector Opportunity Seminars for Culinary Sector High •WCO, MTCR •Wineries, Cooking schools, Inns, tour operators Pilot Project Med •CTC Cuisine Product Club? •Niagara College Cooking Schools Restaurants Ontario Restaurant Association Exhibit 5 Overall Coordination of Efforts High •WCO •Niagara Falls Tourism, other DMOs •OTMP, MTCR •WCO, DMOs •Wineries, Cooking Schools, Tourism businesses, Shaw Festival, Niagara Parks, etc. •OTMP •DMOs; Regional & Local Economic Development Offices • • • • Establish a number of wine High and culinary program consortia • • • Establish community level consortia for product development Med- High • • • Partnerships with Tour Operators and Destination Management Companies High •DMOs •Wineries, Cooking Schools, Tourism businesses, Shaw Festival, Niagara Parks, etc. •OTMP • • • • 87 * Timetable: Starts or is done in this year • Continues in this year, or is ongoing development. Year 1 is assumed to be 2001. Section 5 The Recommended Strategy For Toronto 5 89 THE RECOMMENDED STRATEGY FOR TORONTO The Current Situation Toronto is Canada's leading tourist destination with over 16 million visitors a year, of whom over 8.7 million stay overnight. The city attracts some 3.5 million US visitors every year as well as some 1.5 million international visitors. Toronto's markets are a diverse mixture of pleasure travellers, business visitors and those visiting friends and relatives. The city is also a major conference and meetings destination for both national and international markets. One of Toronto's particular strengths is its cultural diversity and it is positioned by Tourism Toronto as a "the world within a city". Toronto's cosmopolitan appeals are year-round in nature, and include a wide range of cultural experiences - theatre, galleries, museums, music, opera (the types of activities that are of particular appeal to the market segments seeking wine/culinary experiences while on vacation), four professional sports teams, interesting ethnic neighbourhoods (e.g. Greektown, Little Italy, Chinatown), and attractions such as the CN Tower and Ontario Place. And, Toronto offers a wide array of culinary experiences with over 6,000 restaurants in total, including world class, fine dining establishments, internationally renowned chefs and a variety of unique and ethnic dining experiences, at all price levels. The city is also home to several festivals that have a wine/cuisine focus, including Santé and Taste of Toronto (this festival is not operating at the present time), as well as cultural/heritage festivals that have unique food components such as Festival Caravan. While the city has a diverse culinary offer, and dining experiences are an important part of Toronto's tourism product, there has not to date been a major focus on culinary experiences as part of the tourism sell for the city. The restaurants are, for the most part, dedicated to catering to the resident market and see tourists as ‘gravy’; not part of their core business. Additionally, the relatively narrow margins in the business make it unfeasible for them to individually promote their offering to more distant markets. As a consequence, committing limited marketing budgets and extra effort to attract visitor markets is not a real option for this sector. The situation is different for hotels having restaurants. For many of them, at least the larger properties, destination marketing targeting tourism markets is a more realistic option. However, it is not normally their dining offerings they wish to promote. The accommodations business is where they make their money. 5 Section 5 90 There has not, to date, been any real effort to develop cooperative marketing programs among the restaurants and hotels, a concept which may, in fact, offer a much more reasonable and feasible proposition. On the other hand, Tourism Toronto is committed to growing its membership from the retail sector in the city. Their efforts in this regard will naturally involve new promotions focussing on the combination of dining and shopping opportunities in the city, since these are the top two activities visitors participate in. This will provide a program framework for an expanded 'dine and shop' marketing and packaging effort by Tourism Toronto. The Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association reports that they have recently completed a strategic plan for their membership and one of the key strategies identified is for the sector to get more involved in destination marketing efforts. In light of these considerations, there may be a very real opportunity for this sector, working in a collaborative model, to develop tourist markets based on the city’s culinary offerings. Toronto is a world-class city, the major hub for airline travel to and within Canada, and its extensive and diverse culinary sector all suggest that there is real latent potential to make the city a successful culinary destination, particularly in regional markets and in longer-haul markets that have good and competitive air access to the city. Products and Markets Offering Opportunity for Toronto Given Toronto's tourism products and experiences, its position as an international city destination and the markets that are being targeted, Exhibit 6 identifies the kinds of wine/culinary products that offer opportunities. Given Toronto's product strengths, the focus of these products is on culinary experiences. Overall Approach for Toronto There are numerous approaches that are appropriate for Toronto’s culinary/wine product offerings: •Offering culinary and wine itineraries and packages in association with meetings and conventions in the city - as pre and post offerings, spousal programs and evening dining/entertainment options. (This is already being done to a degree, of course, however there are opportunities to significantly enhance this strategy.) The lucrative corporate and incentive markets would be particularly ideal for high-end offerings in this category. 91 Exhibit 6 PRODUCTS AND MARKETS OFFERING OPPORTUNITIES FOR TORONTO Products Geographic Markets Regional Strengthened festivals and events Dine-around packages Cultural event packages with dine-around elements Ethnic neighbourhoods - culture, cuisine and entertainment Themed culinary ‘adventures’ - itineraries and packages Urban culinary learning packages Same-day packages to Niagara's wine country US Border Long Haul Target Markets Purpose-of-Trip Markets Pleasure/ Getaway Business Meetings & Conventions • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Some Potential Good Potential 92 •Offering wine and culinary itineraries and packages in the form of ‘urban getaways’, to markets having good access to the city, particularly those within a couple of hour’s drive time, as well as markets having direct air connections to Toronto and affordable airfares. •Offering these itineraries and packages to the travel trade that have Toronto product. •Branding Toronto as a destination that offers excellent cuisine and a wide array of fine dining experiences, and reinforcing this message to all markets. •Linking culinary and wine experiences, and linking culinary/wine programs to the other tourism experiences available in the city, thereby broadening their appeal into a diversity of markets. •Enhancing city events that feature culinary and/or wine experiences. •Build on the diverse culinary expertise available in the city, as well as its culinary teaching facilities, to develop tourist-oriented culinary and wine learning programs and packages, and promote them as learning vacation products to tourist markets. •Piggy-back on the appeal of the wineries and complementary attractions in the nearby Niagara Region, by offering ‘Toronto plus Niagara’s Wine Country’. Specific opportunities are explored below. PRIORITY PRODUCT AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT Strengthening Festivals and Events Toronto has a myriad of festivals and events with a number of them fitting into the wine/culinary category. These include: •Santé •Festival Caravan •Toronto Wine and Cheese Show •Krinos - Taste of the Danforth festival •Toronto's Festival of Beer •Taste of Toronto (not operating at the time this report was written) 93 It is beyond the scope of this strategy to identify enhancements that could be made to each of these festivals, but we suggest that there is an opportunity to strengthen their appeal to visitor markets and, for festivals and events that are "market-ready" for visitor markets, to undertake more marketing efforts targeted at these markets. In general terms, the kinds of things that the festivals should be doing to strengthen their appeal to visitor markets would include: •Making it easy for visitors to get information on the event, and to book tickets if appropriate, such as toll-free information and reservations services •Offering packages targeted to visitors, including admission and tickets to core elements of the festival/event, in association with accommodations, dining suggestions, entertainment, etc. •Distribution of brochures and information on the event to visitors, through Tourism Toronto, hotels, etc. •Provision of information for visitors on-site at the festival/event •If group tours are being targeted, then additional services such as special parking facilities, reserved seating, on-site guide, etc. are also important For festivals and events to be ‘market ready’ for visitors, it will also be important that they are interesting and entertaining, that they offer a quality experience and that there is some consistency in the quality within the various components of the overall festival, as well as on a year to year basis. The diversity of culinary experiences in Toronto would suggest an opportunity for a major festival associated with food (and Ontario wines), but to date none of the existing festivals have evolved in this manner. We suggest a more in-depth review of the existing festivals to identify which, if any, have the potential for development into a major culinary festival targeted to visitor markets as well as the resident community. The Taste of Toronto concept has appeal in this respect, and this is an event concept that has been developed successfully, and to a greater extent, in other jurisdictions. 94 Dine-Around Packages There are a variety of different types of dine-around packages that could be developed with appeals to both pleasure markets as well as meetings and convention markets. There has already been some effort to develop these types of packages but there is an opportunity to substantially broaden this initiative. Some ideas include: •Ethnic cuisine themed dine-around packages. These could involve sampling of one or two dishes at several different ethnic restaurants (most appropriate for a group, such as a meeting/convention group with group transportation provided) or a multi-day package incorporating a selection of different ethnic restaurants, in combination with cultural/entertainment events and accommodation. •A package featuring ‘Toronto's Best Restaurants’, as recommended by a well-known Chef or dining critic. This package could include lunches and dinners at three or four of them, with a special menu at each restaurant designed by the Chef to feature that restaurant's signature dishes. It could also include an opportunity to meet the chef, as well as feature food pairing with Ontario's wines. It could be designed for meeting/convention groups or individuals. •A passport or coupon/voucher program towards the signature dishes at a selection of Toronto's best restaurants - ‘The Ten Best Dinners’ in Toronto. •A dine-around package offered in conjunction with the city's top hotels, including accommodation, vouchers for meals at a choice of the city's top 5 or 6 restaurants, private transportation services, tickets to cultural/entertainment events, etc. •Along the same lines, a ‘gourmet tour’ of Toronto could be established with menu sampling at a number of restaurants. •Dine-around packages that create linkages between Ontario's wines and restaurants, built around restaurants that feature quality Ontario wines. These packages might include special Ontario wine tastings, paired with regional and/or ethnic cuisine. 95 Toronto's Ethnic Neighbourhoods Toronto's ethnic neighbourhoods are ideal places to experience the city’s array of different cultural culinary experiences. Greektown, Little Italy, and Chinatown are perhaps the best known, but there are numerous others as well. Greektown, with its numerous restaurants and a cuisine-based event ‘Taste of the Danforth’, was one of the early CTC Product Clubs, and has worked at strengthening its position as a tourism product, linking to Tourism Toronto's ‘World Within a City’ positioning. Culinary experiences definitely play a major part in an overall cultural experience, and it is not just the restaurants and cafés, but also the opportunity to purchase ethnic foodstuffs, visit the neighbourhood markets and interact with the community. (See the discussion below about linking these experiences with culinary learning programs). From a culinary tourism perspective, the opportunities might include: •Cuisine-based festivals and events in ethnic neighbourhoods •Dine-around packages in ethnic neighbourhoods, with participating restaurants selected to ensure a quality dining experience. Tourism Toronto has indicated interest in developing more ethnic community-based tourism, and they have suggested that some of their marketing partners, such as Visa and Where Magazine, would be interested in supporting such an effort. Tourism Toronto would particularly like to see the development of a ethnic district map of the city. 96 Toronto ‘Culinary Adventure’ Packages Culinary experiences could become core elements of a series of destination packages for Toronto. These might include: •Dining and theatre - packages including theatre tickets, dinners at a choice of restaurants, limousine service to the restaurant/theatre. If packaged without accommodation, hotels or meeting/convention organizers could offer them as an add-on, or they could be offered along with accommodations as a package designed for the ‘urban getaway’ market. •A Toronto Culinary Weekend - two nights hotel, choice of quality or ethnic restaurants for dinner, entertainment tickets/suggestions, accommodations and ground transportation, as well as experiential elements such as opportunities to meet the Chef, Chef's Table meals, and suggested day time activities. The package could be offered at several different price points, involving different hotels and restaurants. As with the Dine Around Packages, special emphasis should be given to partnering with restaurants that feature Ontario wines, and incorporating tastings of quality Ontario wines. •The foregoing packages could include a day trip to Niagara's wine country for a wine tour and meal at one of the wineries featuring regional cuisine. 'Branding' Toronto as a Destination with Fine Cuisine Given the wide array of fine dining opportunities together with the diversity of ethnic cuisine in Toronto, there is an opportunity to aggressively "brand" Toronto as a destination with fine cuisine, and to reinforce this message through a variety of marketing and promotional efforts. Many of the packages and programs described in this section of the report will contribute to this branding. Pro-active efforts such as working with travel writers to get the message out, and strengthening 'fine and diverse dining' message in promotional material and on web sites, should also be considered. Tourisme Montréal, for example, has taken a pro-active approach to ensuring that Montreal is recognized as a dining destination, and many of their promotional activities incorporate images that characterize eating in Montreal as a special experience. This image is being reinforced by a major new festival, "Montreal Highlights Festival" in which food is a major component. 50 to 60 restaurants participate in this event. Tourisme Montréal is also working actively to attract more travel writers to explore the city's culinary experiences, and they feature Montreal's cuisine in their marketing efforts to corporate and incentive markets. 98 Additional Opportunities for Linking Ontario's Wines and Cuisine in the Toronto Area A number of other suggestions have been made as to opportunities to link Ontario's wines and cuisine within the greater Toronto area. These include: •Partnerships between Ontario's wineries and the Wine Council of Ontario to provide promotional/image materials and information on winery tourism experiences, in selected Toronto restaurants; •Promoting Wine/culinary Tourism in LCBO Outlets - Many LCBO outlets have sections that feature Ontario wines. These would be good locations to also promote the Niagara itineraries and packages programs, with information displays on the wine regions including distribution of the Wine Route map and guide book, targeting the Greater Toronto urban population. •This concept could be expanded further in those LCBO stores that are introducing demonstration kitchens, with wine tastings, pairing of Ontario foods with Ontario wines, more extensive displays on Ontario’s Wine Country, and special presentations on wine and cullinary tourism experiences. •Working with hotels to get them to host Ontario Wine Festivals. The Fairmont and Delta Hotel chains have recently formed partnerships with the Wine Council of Ontario to enhance the presence of VQA wines on the wine lists of all properties in their chains. This partnership includes a commitment from the wine industry to provide a staff training program on Ontario wine, a quarterly newsletter highlighting special events and activities from the partnership, a guarantee that some of Ontario's best wines will be available to feature in Fairmont and Delta hotels and an agreement to look at advanced programs in wine country for sommelier and senior staff. This kind of partnership will ensure that Ontario wines are promoted to visitors in some of the finest tourism properties in Ontario and across Canada in the coming years. 99 Ontario Food, Wine and Cuisine Discovery Centre Establishing an Ontario food, wine and cuisine discovery centre in a central location in Toronto could be an extremely successful approach to getting information out about Ontario's wine and culinary experiences, not only to visitors to Toronto but also to resident markets. This centre could, potentially, be linked to a relocated Ontario travel information centre that is being considered for the downtown Toronto area. This centre might include the following types of experiences: •Information on the range of culinary and wine 'adventures', packages and itineraries available in Ontario's wine country, including those focussed around cuisine as well as wine; •information on wine and culinary experiences and packages in other parts of Ontario; •Displays interpreting Ontario foods, wines and culinary experiences, particularly focussing on the use of Ontario produce and the diverse culinary experiences available in Toronto and other parts of the province. •A sales outlet for wine and cuisine tours within Toronto and to Niagara; •A demonstration winery; •Tasting facilities •A demonstration kitchen, featuring regional cuisine and Ontario produce •A VQA store 100 101 Urban Culinary Learning Package Toronto is home to several private cooking schools (e.g. Bonnie Stern School of Cooking) and also to several post-secondary institutions that have extensive facilities for teaching cooking, as well as skilled professional instructors (both of which are under-utilized on weekends and in the summer). There are also numerous international-calibre chefs in the city, as well as a diversity of ethic chefs and cooks. This suggests the latent opportunity to develop a program of culinary learning programs and packages. Learning vacations is definitely a growth market. And with the wide range of other attractions the city offers, Toronto could certainly become a leading centre for such programs. These could be one-day packages that could be added to other vacation trips, or multi-day packages providing higher levels of culinary learning. Some suggestions include: —One day culinary learning programs themed around an ethnic cuisine. Includes a morning visit to the appropriate ethnic neighbourhood to visit the market and purchase supplies, afternoon instruction/learning/cooking/sampling, and an evening dining in an ethnic restaurant - accompanied by the instructor and including a "back of the house" tour and a visit with the chef. A similar program might based around Ontario regional cuisine with a morning trip to the St. Lawrence Market and instruction by a leading city chef. Discussion on pairing Ontario wines with food could also be incorporated. —Multi-day culinary learning packages including instruction, demonstrations, shopping excursions, dining at restaurants matching the theme of the culinary learning program, tasting of Ontario wines, etc. These packages could include tickets or suggestions for cultural/entertainment or sports events, accommodations and add-on options of a trip to Niagara's wineries. Clearly, mobilizing a program such as this is going to require some considerable effort, and the creation of effective partnerships between specialty tour operators/travel trade partners and cooking schools or educational institutions. It will be important to investigate the market potential for these types of experiences, and the overall feasibility of the program. 102 Same-Day Wine/Culinary Packages to Niagara A number of tour operators already run same-day packages to Niagara, some of them including winery experiences as well as the traditional Niagara region experiences, such as The Falls and the Niagara Parkway. The suggestion here is to offer same-day packages that are focussed around wine and regional cuisine in Niagara, including visits to wineries (tour and tasting), visits to farms/orchards to understand the nature of the regional produce that is available and enjoyment of a meal featuring regional cuisine. Other Issues There were several quality issues discussed in the section dealing with the Niagara Region (section 4) that potentially have application in Toronto as well. These include the concept of an ‘Awards of Distinction’ program for restaurants, based on quality dining, and an awards program for customer service by front line staff. Also, a couple of the proposed training initiatives have application here, such as those for customer service and for knowledge of Ontario wines and foods. The reader is referred to that section for further details. These other programs are also identified in Exhibit 7. Market Development and Marketing This report does not provide a detailed marketing plan for Toronto’s culinary tourism products, since that is beyond the scope of the undertaking. However, Exhibit 6 presented proposals as to the matching of types of products with different key markets, both geographic and purpose-of-trip. Overall Market Development Strategy Generally speaking, it would be preferable if some or all of the foregoing proposed initiatives would be taken to market together under a single, branded program, or perhaps two programs at most, one targeting the meetings market, the other the leisure tourism market. As far the leisure market is concerned, the products and the marketing should be targeted at the upscale, educated adult segment, and where possible, the culinary and wine devotee. We recommend that the form of the program be that of an offering of complete destination packages, as well as an assortment of mix and match add-ons, same-day packages and suggested itineraries. This would be taken to market in the form of a brochure, a culinary packages section on Tourism Toronto’s web-site along with other, more targeted marketing initiatives. These packages, or modified versions, should also be taken to the travel trade, and most particularly to receptive operators, as they would be natural adjuncts to other products being sold by these operators. 103 In order of priority, the tourism markets to be targeted would be approximately as follows; Toronto meetings/conventions, tour operators and receptive operators, and consumer markets, particularly targeting residents of southern Ontario for urban getaways, and culinary devotees for learning packages and learning vacations. Organizing the Effort Tourism Toronto, the Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association and the Greater Toronto Hotel Association would be logical partners to lead some or all of the recommended initiatives, or at least to facilitate the development of partnerships with others who might play this role. The OTMP could also be a major help, if the ‘City Product’ coordinator were to be mandated to play a facilitation role in this regard. OTMP would also be a logical marketing partner. As to funding partners, it is not reasonable to expect the restaurants or the educational institutions to be the major funders of the effort, rather, the hotel sector will need to contribute the largest share. The feasibility of the effort would be greatly assisted if OTMP were to provide matching funding. Tourism Toronto would need to be the deal broker. Implementation and Action Plans Exhibit 7 presents an overall implementation plan for wine and culinary tourism in Toronto. It provides: •Level of priority attached to the key recommendations •Suggestions as to who should be the "lead" in implementation •Suggestions as to who other participants might be, as well as what other organizations might be involved in sponsoring/funding/assisting with the initiative •Which recommendations should be considered as pilot projects Appendix I provides the criteria and evaluation worksheet used to identify which initiatives should be considered priorities for implementation. 105 106 Recommendation Priority Proposed Participants Yr 1 Proposed Timing* Yr 2 Yr 3 Yr 4 Yr 5 Comments Product Development Strengthen Festivals and Events based around culinary/wine experiences Dine-around packages Med •Festival Organizers •Tourism Toronto WCO •Tourism Toronto •Restaurants Wineries Hotels WCO •Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association Toronto Life •Tourism Toronto •Business associations in the various neighbourhoods • • • • • High IMPLEMENTATION PLAN • • • • Ethnic Neighbourhoods Med-High • • • • Exhibit 7 Culinary Adventures in Toronto Linking Ontario's Wines and Cuisine in the Toronto area High •Tourism Toronto •Restaurants, •OTMP •WCO, Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association, LCBO •Hotels, Restaurants, Wineries •Tourism Toronto, OTMP • • • High • • • • Ontario Food, Wine and Cuisine Discovery Centre Med •WCO, MCTR •Wineries, LCBO, Tour operators, Ontario Restaurant, Hotel & Motel Association •OMAFRA •Cooking schools (private and/or public) •Tourism Toronto •OTMP • • • Culinary learning packages Med • • • Recommendation Priority Proposed Participants Yr 1 Proposed Timing* Yr 2 • Yr 3 • Yr 4 • Yr 5 Comments IMPLEMENTATION PLAN CONTINUED Same Day Wine/Culinary Packages to Niagara High •Tour Operators, Toronto DMCs •Wineries, Niagara area attractions and restaurants, WCO •OTMP •WCO, Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association •National Quality Institute •Tourism Toronto, • Awards of Distinction for Restaurants Med • • Exhibit 7 Customer Service Awards for Staff Med •Tourism Toronto, WCO •Ontario Tourism Education Council, local college and university tourism programs • • • • Customer Service Training High •Ontario Tourism Education Council, Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association •Restaurants, Hotels, Cooking Schools • • • • * Timetable: Starts or is done in this year • Continues in this year, or is ongoing development. Year 1 is assumed to be 2001. 107 Section 6 Recommended Strategies For Other Priority Products And Destinations In Ontario 109 6 RECOMMENDED STRATEGIES FOR OTHER PRIORITY PRODUCTS AND DESTINATIONS IN ONTARIO The Current Situation Outside of the Niagara region and Toronto, Ontario has a number of other communities and areas, as well as some unique, quality products that have potential in the wine/culinary tourism market. And there are also some other areas and products that have potential, but their potential is more latent. In these cases, their offering requires more ‘critical mass’ and/or product development work before they can truly be considered wine and/or culinary tourism experiences capable of contributing significantly to the reason for travel to the destination, or to itinerary planning while at the destination. 6 Section 6 Ontario’s Finest Inns Ontario Communities "Ontario's Finest Inns" are members of the Innkeepers of Ontario, and include 34 quality properties across south, central and eastern Ontario. They are already well-established in providing wine, culinary and wine/culinary experiences, and in featuring these experiences in their marketing activities. Their guide book illustrates Ontario's wine regions and the Innkeepers have an established partnership with ten of Ontario's wineries, who provide the "official VQA Ontario wines" for their properties. This partnership is being expanded to several suppliers of "regional" foods such as Laura Secord Chocolates and Balderson Cheese. Many of the inns offer packages that feature regional cuisine, regional wines and a variety of learning experiences that incorporate cuisine and/or wine elements, often in conjunction with cultural, entertainment and nature-based experiences. 110 There are a number of communities in Ontario that are tourism destinations for experiences complementary to wine/culinary experiences and that also offer quality culinary and/or wine/beer offerings as well. The best examples include Stratford and Niagara-on-the-Lake, with their theatre festivals as well as their quality dining, shopping and, in the latter case, wineries as well. Ottawa is another example of a community offering a combination of cultural/heritage experiences along with a diverse mixture of culinary products. These three communities are also home to cooking schools, suggesting further opportunities for culinary tourism product development involving learning. On a smaller scale, there are a number of small communities that have some special heritage or tourism appeal, together with a culinary product. Bayfield and Elora are two examples, as are areas of the province where several communities together offer a unique culinary and/or wine experience (e.g. the Kitchener-Waterloo/Elmira/St. Jacobs area with German food). Essex County In this latter context, particular mention must be made of the Pelee Island/Essex County region which is home to several wineries, most notably the Pelee Island Winery and Colio Estate Wines. While there is a large cross-border market nearby, suggesting considerable potential for tourism, this region does not yet have a sufficient critical mass of wineries to make it a wine tourism destination. Also, the important complementary experiences and services, such as quality inns, regional cuisine and cultural/heritage tourism products, are also limited in this area. However, as this area develops further as a wine region, there may well be an opportunity for it to become a wine/culinary destination, perhaps for wine tourism linked with agri-tourism. 111 Prince Edward County Prince Edward County is just beginning to develop a wine industry, though it is not yet recognized as a Designated Viticultural Area by the VQA. There is one existing winery, which is now processing its first vintage on site, and a second winery to be constructed in the fall of 2001. Only some 200 acres are planted with vines, although there is potential for a significantly larger acreage to be under grapes. The area also has an emerging, non-traditional agricultural industry with crops such as asparagus, mushrooms, and soybeans. A "Taste the County" marketing and quality enhancement program was introduced in 1999. While the area is a long way from becoming a wine tourism destination, there may be potential for such in the future. Ontario Resorts A number of Ontario's resorts feature fine dining and regional cuisine, and there are resort communities/areas such as Collingwood, Haliburton and the Muskokas in which culinary experiences have the potential to contribute to destination selection and/or itinerary planning. Unique Restaurants Finally, there are selected individual restaurants outside of Niagara and Toronto, and not associated with any of the accommodation properties or communities mentioned above, that have the potential, in their own right, to contribute to generating culinary tourism trips. The only one identified in this study is Eigensinn Farm in the Owen Sound area, but there may well be others that fit into this category. Overall Situation With the exception of the co-operative and individual efforts of the Innkeepers of Ontario, and some limited efforts by some resort properties and cooking schools, neither wine and/or culinary tourism are given any major focus in product development or marketing efforts by the foregoing stakeholders. In fact, as discussed at the beginning of this report, it is evident that, building tourism based on wine and/or culinary offerings is not a panacea for every community and region of the province. Niagara, Toronto, the network of quality inns and, to some degree, the cooking schools, have the potential to build tourism products in which culinary and/or wine experiences play a significant role in generating demand from medium-haul and long-haul markets. For virtually all the other destinations and products in Ontario, their opportunity is limited to local and regional markets, and to improving the quality of the experience for visitors that are coming for other reasons. This section of the report explores these opportunities. 112 PRODUCTS AND MARKETS OFFERING OPPORTUNITY Given the existing situation summarized above, we have identified a series of products and the markets which offer opportunities for further wine and culinary tourism development. These are described in Exhibit 8. Overall Approach for Other Priority Sectors and Destinations in Ontario In the case of these other destinations, the recommended approach varies significantly by area and product, since the products are at very different stages of market-readiness. For example, the Innkeepers of Ontario are already at a fairly advanced stage of market-readiness, both collectively and independently, with respect to packages featuring wine and/or culinary experiences in combination with culture, heritage and nature. One only has to look at their weekly co-op ad in Saturday's Globe and Mail travel section, or at the Special Packages section of their web site (http://countryinns.org and select ‘Special Packages’ from the menu) to see the range of experiences available. In this case, the priority needs are likely associated with market development and broadening their market reach through partnerships. According to their Executive Director, the Innkeepers of Ontario are enthusiastic about moving forward with the concept wine and culinary tourism, building on the theme of "Ontario's Finest Regional Wine & Cuisine". Exhibit 8 PRODUCTS AND MARKETS OFFERING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE REST OF ONTARIO Products Regional - South/ Central Ontario Culinary/wine-based packages at Ontario's network of quality inns, including learning packages, getaways, Chef's Tables, Gourmet trail concept, etc. Community-based Culture and Culinary/Wine ‘hub and spoke’ packages Culinary learning packages (e.g: through cooking schools) Wine and Agri-tourism packages in Essex County Strengthen culinary elements of ethnic festivals, such as Oktoberfest Develop touring packages themed around the Ale Trail and Huron Harvest Trail Target Markets USA Border States & Quebec Long Haul - Other USA, Other Canada, International • • • • • in future • • • Some Potential Good Potential In other product and destination areas addressed in this section, much more effort will be required with product development before there are packages and experiences ready to be taken to market. 113 PRIORITY PRODUCT AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT Ontario's Finest Inns As discussed earlier, many of the quality inns in Ontario already have an assortment of culinary/wine based packages and they are working both collaboratively (through their ‘Innkeepers of Ontario’ association) and independently to promote them. They have a passport program to encourage multiple property visits. They also have an established partnership with ten of Ontario wineries and other providers of "regional" foods. A critical and essential element of these programs and marketing efforts is the branding theme of quality inns - "Ontario's Finest Inns". This association is already working on a strategy for the future, as well as some particular 'next steps' initiatives, such as: •A directory of food and beverage suppliers and agricultural producers, to be used in a 'culinary learning tour' program. This would be a program of self-guided tours of farm gate outlets and stores, combined with culinary learning experiences at the inns; •Chef and food product supplier forums to encourage the use of local produce. •'What's next' with respect to the associations partnership with ten wineries. One program being considered is a server training program on Ontario regional cuisine and VQA wines. (This type of a program should incorporate tastings and tours of producers facilities, to the extent possible). •"The Road Less Travelled ....INN and around Ontario", a program being discussed by the Innkeepers that would include a strong cuisine/wine component. Particular areas of opportunity include expanding the scope and types of cuisine/wine packages offered by the innkeepers, and establishing an Ontario "gourmet trail" product (see more detailed discussion below). While there will certainly be opportunities for further product development, the key opportunity for this sector is likely in the area of further market development, particularly targeting US border states, as well as special interest markets such as the incentive travel market, the corporate retreat market and the corporate team building market. Developing marketing partnerships with tour operators would also be productive. The Innkeepers of Ontario network appears to be already well-advanced with respect to the OTMP four phase market development process illustrated in the previous section of the report. As a consequence, we recommend that both the association and OTMP give priority to extending and expanding their partnership marketing efforts. 114 ‘Gourmet Trail’ Concept A specific opportunity that should be explored further for the inn product is the ‘gourmet trail’ concept that has been successfully established in British Columbia. The words ‘Gourmet Trail’ themselves are a trademark belonging to the BC group, but a similar concept could be developed for Ontario. It might include: •Accommodations and dining at four or five inns, possibility selected from a choice of participating properties in different regions of the province. The package might include private ‘Chef's Table’ dinners where guests are served a menu selected by the Chef in a dining area that provides an opportunity to view the kitchen in action over the course of an evening. •Where feasible, tickets for local theatre and cultural events, with back-of-the-house tours and a chance to meet the show director and performers. •Tours to area wineries, with special tastings, discussions with the winemaker, tours of the vineyard. •Visits to various agricultural and food processing facilities, such as cheese makers, breweries, green houses, fruit farms, etc. Several different "trails" might be developed, at different price points and involving different regions of the province. 115 Community-Based and Regional Touring Packages and Itineraries Selected areas and communities in the province offer further potential to grow their tourism based on culinary or culinary/wine offerings. Not including those in Niagara or Toronto, notable examples include: •Stratford, based on its importance as a theatre destination; •Ottawa, with its ‘nation’s capital’ stature and its offering of both English and French cultures and cuisine; •Small rural communities having a unique character and located proximate to population centres - such as Bayfield, Elora, St. Mary’s and Merrickville to name some notable ones; •Resort areas and communities, such as Muskoka, Haliburton, Collingwood; •The Kitchener-Waterloo area and its outlying communities that offer German heritage culinary experiences; Building on the concept introduced for Niagara, we recommend for such communities the development of packages and suggested 'mix and match' itineraries, themed around wine and culinary experiences, that people can book and combine as they so choose. The suggested itineraries should not only include wine and culinary experiences (including suggested restaurants of different types and price levels) but also the other types of experiences suggested by the TAMS research as appealing to consumers interested in wine and culinary experiences while on vacation, including cultural events, shopping, gardens and natural attractions, etc. They could also incorporate complementary attractions such as fruit wineries and agri-tourism experiences. These could be same-day packages that can be adds-on to other vacation experiences, or multi-day combinations. The idea would be that the community would serve as the hub and accommodation location, with short excursions being made to area attractions. Alternatively, the products could include combinations of both community-based and touring itineraries, with the latter involving suggested routings to include visits to special restaurants, wineries, fruit wineries and agri-tourism experiences in the region. This latter type of package may fit well in OTMP's Backroads and Getaways program which combines rural and urban experiences into packaged itineraries. Both types of packages could also feature other products that have a culinary/wine connection, such as the Ale Trail or the Harvest Trail, with visits to participating businesses incorporated into the touring elements of the package. 116 Culinary Learning Vacations and Packages There are a number of well-established cooking schools in Ontario (e.g. Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa Culinary Arts Institute, Ottawa; Bonnie Stern School of Cooking, Toronto; Stratford Chef's School; Cooking at the Prune in Stratford, several others in the Niagara region). While some of them cater to the "amateur" chef, others are currently oriented to professional training. The growing interest in cuisine, and in learning experiences generally, suggests an opportunity for these cooking schools to form a product-market development alliance to help establish Ontario as a destination for culinary learning experiences. Given the location of the cooking schools, the learning experiences could be combined with cultural/heritage activities (Shaw Festival, Stratford Festival, Ottawa museums and galleries, Toronto's cultural entertainment), as well as outdoor activities, such as cycling trips, walking tours, etc. This product opportunity is a natural one for OTMPs four phase market development process and should be explored in this context. Essex County/Pelee Island Wineries and Agri-Tourism On their own, the winery product of Essex County and Pelee Island is not yet of sufficient critical mass to be a primary trip motivator. However, the area does enjoy proximity to a large US border market as well as the southern Ontario regional market, and it also has a strong agricultural base. As the number of wineries in this region increases, there will be an opportunity in the future for itineraries and packages in which wine is a key experience, combined with agri-tourism experiences. Prince Edward County This region has no critical mass with respect to a winery product as of yet, but there is a Prince Edward County Winegrower's Association in place to support the growth of this industry. Several large wineries are apparently interested in acquiring land in this area and it may, in future, become a destination for wine tourism experiences offered in combination with a variety of agri-tourism experiences, and complementary activities such as bike touring. Both the Essex County/Pelee Island area and Prince Edward County are well-positioned to participate in the various rural tourism/agri-food tourism initiatives that are beginning to develop across the province. 117 Strengthening of Festivals There are a number of festivals outside of Toronto and Niagara that have a significant and unique culinary element, for example; Oktoberfest in the Kitchener-Waterloo area and Italian Week in Ottawa. There may well be an opportunity to strengthen the culinary components of these festivals, and to feature them as attractions for visitor markets. However, the opportunities here are limited, and would really be up to the festival organizers. As well, the appeal of these types of events is, for the most part, the local and regional markets. Other Issues There were several other issues addressed in section on Niagara Falls (section 4) and mentioned as well in section 5 dealing with Toronto, that potentially could be operated on a province-wide basis. Awards of Distinction and Training The proposals for an ‘Awards of Distinction’ program for restaurants, based on quality dining, and an awards program for customer service by front line staff, are both appropriate for province-wide application, at least for communities and sectors that are actively pursuing a culinary or wine/culinary tourism effort. Also, a couple of the proposed training initiatives have application here, such as those for customer service and for knowledge of Ontario wines and foods. The reader is referred to section 4 for further details. Taste of Ontario Niagara Region has its ‘Taste of Niagara’ program and numerous smaller communities and rural areas have or are developing programs around agri-tourism, often incorporating regional cuisine featuring the use of local produce. The concept of ‘Taste of .....’ has been developed much further in some other jurisdictions and the same could be undertaken here in Ontario. A notable example is the ‘Taste of Scotland’ program, where an annual visit to participating restaurants is used to quality those receiving the designation, based on a set of criteria. The program is based on " a commitment to the very best fresh Scottish produce, skillfully prepared, cooked and presented". The consultants recommend that this concept be considered for Ontario. 118 119 Market Development and Marketing The market development and marketing effort needs to be pursued, in the main, on a destination by destination basis. In other words, Niagara Region needs its own effort, as does Toronto, as do the Innkeepers of Ontario, as does Stratford, etc. Each of them has their own unique offering and somewhat different markets. And each has different potential with respect to generating new demand based on wine and culinary experiences. For most, the opportunity is limited to drawing more visits from the regional market and simply improving the visitor experience while in the community. Also the products and destinations discussed in this section are at different stages of market-readiness and therefore need different approaches in that regard. In other words, some need to focus on product development and building packaging and marketing partnerships before they undertake new marketing initiatives. Two of the products addressed in this section, the network of inns and the cooking schools, are deserving of support from MTCR and OTMP in their efforts to develop tourism based on wine and culinary offerings. We cannot recommend that the Province go beyond supporting these two products, beyond the support proposed for Niagara and Toronto. 120 Implementation and Action Plans Exhibit 9 presents an overall implementation plan for wine and culinary tourism in second and third priority destinations in Ontario. It includes: •Level of priority attached to the key recommendations •Suggestions as to who should be the "lead" in implementation •Suggestions as to other participants, as well as what other organizations might be involved in sponsoring/funding/assisting with the initiative •Which recommendations should be considered as pilot projects Appendix I provides the criteria and evaluation worksheet used to identify which initiatives should be considered priorities for implementation. Pilot Projects The following recommended initiatives are proposed as first steps, or pilot projects in getting the strategy started. Product Development: —Culinary learning packages with the cooking schools —A Culinary Trail tour of Ontario's Finest Inns and Resorts Consortia: •Cooking Schools •Innkeepers of Ontario 121 Recommendation Priority Proposed Participants Yr 1 Proposed Timing* Yr 2 Yr 3 Yr 4 Yr 5 Comments 122 Product Development Culinary/wine packages at quality Inns High •FInnkeepers of Ontario •Inns, wineries •OTMP, WCO, OMAFRA, CTC • • • • • A number of inns already offer these types of packages - the opportunity is to expand offerings and marketing efforts IMPLEMENTATION PLAN Expanded partnerships between Ontario's Finest Inns and wineries, and other food producers Gourmet trail concept High •Innkeepers of Ontario •Inns, Wineries, WCO •OTMP, WCO, OMAFRA • • • • • Already being worked on by the Innkeepers of Ontario group MediumHigh •Innkeepers of Ontario, Tour Operator •Inns, wineries, agri-tourism businesses, other tourism businesses •OTMP, OMAFRA •Local DMOs •Cultural tourism attractions, accommodations, restaurants •OMAFRA • • • Exhibit 9 Culture and Culinary/Wine Packages based in selected communities (other than Niagara and Toronto) Culinary Learning Packages Low • MediumHigh •Cooking schools, tour operators •Accommodations •OTMP, OMAFRA, CTC •WCO & DMO- led consortia •Wineries, agri-tourism businesses •OMAFRA •WCO & DMO- led consortia •Wineries (when developed) agri-tourism businesses •OMAFRA • • • Further winery development is needed first Long term initiative winery development and recognition as a Designated Viticultural area needs to happen first Wine and agri-tourism packages in Essex County Low • • Wine and agri-tourism packages in Prince Edward County Low & Long Term ? Recommendation Priority Proposed Participants Yr 1 Proposed Timing* Yr 2 Yr 3 Yr 4 Yr 5 • Comments IMPLEMENTATION PLAN CONTINUED Strengthen culinary elements in festivals Awards of Distinction for Restaurants Low •Festival organizers •Ontario Festivals & Events Association •WCO, Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association •Local/regional DMOs, restaurants Med • • Customer Service Awards for Staff Med •Local/regional DMOs, WCO •Ontario Tourism Education Council, local college and university tourism programs • • • • Exhibit 9 Customer Service Training High •Ontario Tourism Education Council, Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association •Restaurants, Hotels, Cooking Schools • • • • Taste of Ontario Medium •Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association •Restaurants, hotels •OMAFRA, Ontario food producer associations • • * Timetable: Starts or is done in this year • Continues in this year, or is ongoing development. Year 1 is assumed to be 2001. 123 Section 7 Proposed Initiatives To Support The Destination Strategies 125 7 OVERALL PRIORITIES, LEAD PLAYERS AND SUPPORT INITIATIVES In essence, the consultants propose that three wine and culinary tourism strategies be pursued as priorities in Ontario, in the following order of priority: 1. Niagara Region 2. Toronto 3. Other: —Ontario Inns —Ontario cooking schools This section examines the issue of how to mobilize the various efforts involved in pursuing these strategies. 7 Section 7 Key Stakeholders Potential Leaders, Sponsors and Supporters Other than individual businesses, there are a number of provincial, regional and local organizations in place that could play greater or lesser roles in implementing the wine and culinary tourism strategy. They include: —Wine Council of Ontario —DMOs in the Niagara region —Taste of Niagara/CTC Cuisine, Wine and Culture in Canada Product Club —Innkeepers of Ontario —Tourism Toronto —Niagara College —Brock University —Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association —Greater Toronto Hotel Association —Potential collaboration of cooking schools in Ontario —Major festival and event organizers 126 Government Departments and Agencies —Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation —Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership —Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs —Ontario Ministry of Consumer and Business Services —Canadian Tourism Commission —LCBO —Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing —Niagara Escarpment Commission —Niagara Parks Commission Others —Tour operators and receptive operators in Ontario —Specialty tour operators in Ontario and elsewhere that operate wine/culinary programs —Destination management companies in the Niagara Region and Toronto While all of these groups can play important roles, there are really four of them that would logically work together to assist and support the wine and culinary tourism strategy on a provincial basis. These include the WCO, Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association, OMAFRA and MTCR/OTMP. For each of the three priority destinations/products, the appropriate lead organizations would be as follows: 1. Niagara Region - WCO develops a partnership with selected DMOs in the region to lead the effort 2. Toronto - Tourism Toronto 3. Other: —Ontario Inns - Innkeepers of Ontario —Ontario cooking schools - Consortium of cooking schools In summary, the four provincial organizations, two government ministries and two provincial associations, should come together to agree on a range of support initiatives. At the same time, the proposed lead organizations would determine which of the proposed programs and initiatives they are prepared to move ahead with. 127 Startup and Communications Strategy There a number of key steps in moving forward from this point: STEP 1. Review and acceptance in principle of the strategy by the Steering Committee, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation and the Wine Council of Ontario. STEP 2. Presentation of the strategy and its recommendations to the executives of the core groups whose support and participation is critical to implementation. These include MTCR/OTMP, OMAFRA, Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association and WCO for their province-wide support, and the proposed lead agencies for each of the destination/product strategies - Destination marketing organizations in the Niagara region, Tourism Toronto, Innkeepers of Ontario and the Ontario cooking schools. STEP 3. Agreement by the above mentioned groups as to adopting the strategy, in whole or in part, and as to their respective roles. At the same time, there needs to be resources (financial and human) allocated to supporting the implementation of the four strategies. STEP 4. Presentation of the relevant parts of the strategy and its recommendations to the key businesses and other stakeholder organizations that are expected to participate in the effort. In the Niagara Region this would include the senior management and marketing staff from the wineries, the DMOs, and major tourism businesses, as well as Brock University and Niagara College. As well there should be briefings of the municipal and regional councils in the Niagara region. In Toronto it would involve major hotels, restaurants, cooking schools, chefs and educational institutions having culinary programs. For the inns, it would be the members of the association plus any partners they have, such as the wineries. For the cooking schools, it would be their members and any partner organizations. Presentation should also be made to other appropriate government departments and agencies, including their key staff who would be involved in the implementation of the strategy. STEP 5. Individual follow-up meetings/presentations with groups and organizations who will have a key role to play in implementation, particularly with respect to the priority projects and consortia. 128 Appendix 1 Criteria And Evaluation Matrix For Prioritizing Activities 131 A A Need/ Opportunity Product Development 101 Adventures Wine and Culinary Vacation Packages Develop Communities as Hubs Accommodations Development Quality inns Develop Learning Packages Culinary Institute Concept Group and Corporate Programs Strengthening Events International Wine and Cuisine Event Wine Centre(s) Appendix I CRITERIA AND EVALUATION MATRIX FOR PRIORITIZING ACTIVITIES The priorities identified for each strategy, i.e. for the Niagara Region, for Toronto and for the rest of Ontario, were determined based on a set of evaluation criteria. The criteria used were: —Tourism Impact —Importance to Overall Strategy —Availability of Potential Leaders/Sponsors Committed to Tourism —Do-ability - funding, simplicity, feasibility The charts on the following pages summarize the evaluation for each opportunity, for each of the above listed criteria. RANKING OF PROPOSED INITIATIVES - NIAGARA REGION Tourism Impact Importance to Overall Strategy Potential Leaders/ Sponsors Committed to Tourism Do-ability funding, simplicity, feasibility Overall Priority Enhancements to the Wine Route - Signage, Map and Guidebook M H H H H M M H H M M H H H H H M H H H M M H M M ? M M M M M M M H M M ? M M L? M M M M H M—H M—H H M—H M M M—H M—H M M 132 RANKING OF PROPOSED INITIATIVES - NIAGARA REGION CONTINUED Need/ Opportunity Tourism Impact Importance to Overall Strategy Potential Leaders/ Sponsors Committed to Tourism Do-ability funding, simplicity, feasibility Overall Priority Product Development continued Mid-Peninsula Highway Standards for Visitor Facilities/Services at Wineries Awards of Distinction for Restaurants Customer Service Awards for Staff Modify Taste of Niagara Program Tourism Strategies Outreach Program Management Seminars Customer Service Training Sustainable Tourism Models for Protected Lands Market Development and Marketing Branding Catalogues for packages Web Site Destination Management System Wine and Dine Club, Passport Program Organizational Issues Opportunity Seminars for Wineries and Tourism Sector Opportunity Seminars for Culinary Sector Overall Coordination of Efforts Establish a number of wine and culinary program consortia Establish community level consortia for product development NA NA NA H H H H H H H H M H H M H M H M M H M H H M—H H H H M M H H H H M H M M M M M H H M M H H H M M H M M M M NA NA H H H M M H H H H H H NA M M L M H H M H ? M M M M H H H M H M M M M H H H H 133 RANKING OF PROPOSED INITIATIVES - NIAGARA REGION CONTINUED Need/ Opportunity Tourism Impact Importance to Overall Strategy Potential Leaders/ Sponsors Committed to Tourism Do-ability funding, simplicity, feasibility Overall Priority Organizational Issues continued Partnerships with Tour Operators and Destination Management Companies Strengthen Festivals and Events based around culinary/wine experiences Dine-around packages Ethnic Neighbourhoods Culinary Adventures in Toronto Linking Ontario's Wines and Cuisine in the Toronto area Ontario Food, Wine and Cuisine Discovery Centre Culinary learning packages Same Day Wine/Culinary Packages to Niagara Awards of Distinction for Restaurants Customer Service Awards for Staff Customer Service Training Culinary/wine packages at quality Inns Gourmet trail concept Expanded partnerships between Ontario's Finest Inns and wineries, and other food producers Culture and Culinary/Wine Packages based in selected communities (other than Niagara and Culinary Learning Packages Wine and agri-tourism packages in Essex County Wine and agri-tourism packages in Prince Edward County Strengthen culinary elements in festivals Awards of Distinction and Training Taste of Ontario H M M H H M M M M M M H H M M L M L L L M M H H H H H H M M M M H H H M H L M L L L H M H M H M H H M M H M L M H H H M H M M M M H H M H M M H M M H M M H H H H M H M L M L M H M H M—H H H M M H M M H H M—H H L M—H L L L M M 134 Appendix 2 Glossary Of Terms 137 A GLOSSARY OF TERMS Commission The compensation that a travel agent or other intermediary receives from a product supplier in return for selling their products or services. Commissions are usually based on a percentage of the retail value of the transaction. The term Fully Commissionable is when the commission applies to the total value of the transaction, not just selected portions. A document offering a savings or benefit by purchasing a product. In tourism this is usually a savings on an attraction admission, a second meal free at a restaurant, etc. The methods by which sellers reach potential buyers: travel agents, tour operators and tour wholesellers are part of this system within the tourism industry. A ‘destination marketing organization’, such as a convention and visitors bureau, or a provincial tourism marketing organization. A ‘destination management company’ assists corporate and group clients (both large and small), with planning and delivering customized programs in association with meetings and conventions, team building projects, incentive programs and special group experiences. A prearranged group tour developed and managed by a tour operator, receptive operator or tour agent. A tour guide accompanies the group on the tour and handles all the logistical matters. Packages that are designed for independent travellers and that do not usually involve group activities at any stage of the trip. A typical example if the fly-drive package, offering a savings in air, car rental and perhaps some additional services on a package basis. They may also include accommodations for some or all nights, and/or some meals and/or attractions. (The acronym derives from an airline term from the days of regulated international airfares, for ‘foreign independent tour’.) ave scheduled appointments with travel trade buyers. A complimentary or reduced-rate travel program for tour operators travel agents or travel writers, designed to improve knowledge about a particular destination or package. The purpose in the first two cases is to encourage active marketing Coupon Channels of Distribution A Appendix 2 DMO DMC Escorted Group Tour Fully Independent Tour (referred to as “FIT”) Familiarization or “Fam” Tours 138 support; in the third it is to encourage favourable media stories about the destination. Ground Operator A company or individual providing services to a tour operator at the destination, such sightseeing tours, local transfers, guides and other local services, but not including transportation to and from the destination. Sometimes called a land operator. A company that undertakes to plan and deliver employee and/or customer incentive programs on behalf of corporations. These incentive programs could involve travel, but may also be merchandise programs, financial rewards, etc. A group tour in which the primary mode of transportation is by motorcoach. Groups other than motorcoach tours, including those using other types of transportation vehicles, as well as non-touring groups. A pre-arranged combination of travel components ‘packaged’ together and sold at an all-inclusive price in a single transaction. The published (or ‘advertised’) retail price of a tourism product or service. A person or company that specializes in particular destinations, providing services at the destination to group travel organizers and tour operators. Some limit their services to the community and area in which they are based; others provide services to entire regions. A group built around a common interest in a specific subject or activity. An itinerary of travel arrangements for an independent traveller on an independent package tour. Market segments that have been identified as having the greatest potential, and toward which marketing activities are aimed. A tour operator is a business that designs, develops, markets and operates packaged travel and tourism products and tour. Tour operators sell through travel agents and/or directly to consumers. Incentive House Motorcoach Tour Other Group Package Rack Rate Receptive Operator Special Interest Group Self-Drive Itinerary Target Markets Tour Operator 139 Tour Operator Rates Discounts off of retail rates offered to tour operators by tourism suppliers. An exhibition of travel and tourism products designed to solicit business from travel trade agents. A term describing the full range of organizations that operate as intermediaries in the travel and tourism industry. These typically include tour operators, wholesalers, receptive operators, group leaders and travel agents. A document having monetary value, issued to a client by a tour operator or travel agent, to be exchanged at face value for specified products or services. A voucher authorizes the provision of a particular product or service, at a pre-agreed price, with the billing to made to the travel company. It is issued following a prepayment by the customer to the travel trade company. It is commonly used with independent packages and tours. A method of selling the “right inventory unit to the right type of customer, at the right time, and for the right price”. It is a proven technique for maximizing revenue and profitability. Yield management involves continually monitoring and forecasting demand, and using inventory and pricing strategies to maximize revenues on a daily basis. It is commonly practiced by transportation companies, such as airlines and hotels. A company that operates as an intermediary between the travel product supplier and the retail travel agent in the marketplace, generally providing services such as information and reservations to travel agents. (Tour operators often operate as wholesalers, but usually when they are involved in some form of product packaging. Trade Show Travel Trade Voucher Yield Management Wholesaler 140 WINE AND CULINARY TOURISM IN ONTARIO Strategy and Action Plan Final Report Wine Cou nc il of Ont ari o This report was prepaired for the Investment and Development Office, MTCR and the Wine Council of Ontario. Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation 9th Floor, Hearst Block 900 Bay Street Investment & Development Office Toronto, Ontario M7A 2E1 Prepared by: Economic Planning Group of Canada 264 Adelaide Street East Toronto, Ontario M5A 1N1 Wine Council of Ontario 110 Hannover Drive, Suite B205 St. Catherines, Ontario L0H 1A4 141