2014 YEAR IN REVIEW As presented at the AGM, October, 2015

Message from the chair

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Dear Tourism Partners, It has been a tremendous year to hold the position of Chair of Tourism Sarnia-Lambton (TSL). Through the hard work and dedication of the TSL team, our county is evolving into one cohesive tourism destination with an experience available for everyone. The relocation of our office to the Douglas G. Keddy building located at 1455 Venetian Boulevard in Point Edward at the foot of the Blue Water Bridge was completed earlier this year. Our new location is proving to be the high visibility spot that we had hoped and is generating lots of new found interest in the County. The TSL team has transitioned into the new space with excitement and a fresh spark of enthusiasm that will move the team forward within our Strategic Plan. With the dedicated leadership of our General Manager Marlene Wood, TSL has once again proven itself to be an

asset to the County. Internationally recognized events like the World Under 17 Hockey Tournament and Masterworks from the Beaverbrook Art Gallery have done well to assist in the recognition of Lambton County as a world class destination. Please be sure to take some time over the next couple of months to enjoy this extremely rare opportunity to view the Beaverbrook collection at the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery. For my final words as the Chair of TSL, I would like to extend a sincere thanks to our valued tourism partners within Lambton County and request your continued support and commitment to our County. I would also like to thank the TSL Board of Directors for their support of my role as the Chair and their individual commitments to enhancing tourism throughout the county. I hope you will continue to be part of our dynamic network of tourism partners and seek out opportunities to get involved.

Sincerely,

Kenneth Hoare Chair, Tourism Sarnia-Lambton

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Executive Summary On behalf of the Tourism Sarnia-Lambton team and our Board of Directors, I am delighted to present Tourism Sarnia-Lambton’s Annual Report for 2014. As the third largest industry in Lambton County, tourism continues to contribute significantly to the community's economic prosperity and influence the overall quality of life. Tourism Sarnia-Lambton’s Annual Report provides a synopsis on the performance of tourism in Lambton County. This report will provide you with an overview of Tourism Sarnia-Lambton’s history, highlights of the Strategic Plan, an outline of marketing tools and initiatives, a summary of accomplishments and local data provided by tourism partners. We acknowledge that this report is not 100% comprehensive, as it only reports the statistics of those respondents that replied. In addition, Stats Can has not released data for 2014. Tourism Sarnia-Lambton monitors visitor trends and intentions to better understand their future. We assessed research conducted by TNS for Southwest Ontario Tourism Corporation ( SWOTC) “Understanding OSW Tourism Growth Opportunities” in 2014 and several “Travel Intentions Studies” for the Ministry of Tourism Culture and Sport since 2012.

The findings identified 12 Unique Traveller Segments. Based on historical data from Stats Can we identified 4 key segments of the 12 Unique Traveller Segments. Our marketing strategies are based on these findings and their relevance to our tourism experiences and assets in Lambton County. Tourism-Sarnia Lambton initially represented county tourism activities by their geographic location – North Lambton, Central Lambton, Sarnia & Pt. Edward, and St. Clair River District. We saw the need to evolve how tourism activities are presented to visitors and shifted our focus from where tourism activities exist to how visitors sought to interact with the activities. This is known as experiential tourism. Experiential tourism closely follows trends among visitors who are seeking hands-on experiences that engage the senses and create life-long memories. Many visitors are not interested in passive tourism attractions, but prefer learning, touching, feeling, smelling and building. In other words, people are looking for experiences. Lambton County has all the right ingredients for experiential tourism. It has tourism assets in local food, culture, ecotourism, heritage, sports and nature. A significant market opportunity exists in meeting the type of experiences today’s visitors seek. Seeing the sights is not enough. Visitors

desire to understand the local culture and venture beyond the beaten tourist paths. TSL identified eight key experiences based on the target markets, statistical demographics and travelling trends. We concentrate on building strong partnerships with tourism businesses and other key organizations throughout Lambton County. These important relationships play an integral role in working as a team to enhance product development within our priority experiences and attract more visitors to the county. The success we achieve through partnerships demonstrates our commitment and common goals of showcasing our community. Tourism Sarnia-Lambton continues to be successful in introducing media travel writers and tour operators to the region on pre-planned full-itinerary familiarization (FAM) tours. In 2014 we featured visits to Forest Glen Herb Farm, Twin Pines Orchards & Cider House, Stones N’ Bones Museum, Best Western Plus Guildwood Inn, Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery, Purdy’s Fish Market, OLG Point Edward

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Casino, Munro Honey and John’s Restaurant. We also understand the importance of providing opportunities for professional and organizational development for tourism partners and stakeholders. For the past three years, TSL has held an Annual Tourism Summit for the benefit of tourism partners and individuals. In 2014, internationally-acclaimed tourism expert author and speaker Roger Brooks wowed attendees with his engaging and informative sessions. TSL remains to be active with prominent Provincial and National association memberships such as the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance (CSTA), the Ontario Motor Coach Association (OMCA) and the Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC). These memberships provide the opportunity to receive direct leads on potential bids for future business. Some examples of the successful bids are highlighted in this report. Most notably the World Under 17 Hockey Tournament, Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Cities Initiatives Conference and the “Masterworks of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery” exhibit. In December of 2014 an “Umbrella Brand” for Lambton County was launched.

“Discoveries that Matter” represents the 11 distinct communities and 3 First Nations. Over 2 years of development, TSL played a key role on the Community Branding committee. TSL has tied the Brand into our new TSL logo with the tagline “Experiences that Matter”. TSL has taken the lead on a new project to engage and develop Inclusive Tourism. Through partnerships and a grant from the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment. “Breaking Barriers to Business” (BB2B) was launched. The project assists tourism partners and businesses in understanding the buying power of Consumers with disabilities and how they can find simple solutions to provide better access. TSL and BB2B have been nominated for a 2015 Accessible Tourism Award of Excellence by the Ontario Tourism Industry Association. In March of 2015, TSL had the honour of being a nominee for the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Business Awards - Marketing and Promotions Award. Early in 2015 we moved into our new offices within the Douglas F. Keddy building beside the Ontario Travel Information Centre. We are excited to develop our Visitor Centre and enhance our visitor’s services and Volunteer Ambassador program. Tourism Sarnia-Lambton is dedicated to reassessing and molding ourselves as an organization to best manage an ever-changing and growing tourism industry. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Volunteers Board of Directors for their ongoing

guidance and support. And last but not least the TSL team for their unwavering dedication and hard work. THANK YOU ! I am confident in our forthcoming progress and continuous evolution.

Sincerely,

Marlene Wood General Manager,

Tourism Sarnia-Lambton

TSL Staff & Board STAFF Marlene Wood General Manager mwood@tourismsarnialambton.com Leona Allen Tourism Information Co-ordinator/Office Administrator info@tourismsarnialambton.com Vicky Praill Special Events & Group Marketing Co-ordinator vpraill@tourismsarnialambton.com Lesley Gelinas E-Marketing Projects Co-ordinator/Webmaster lgelinas@tourismsarnialambton.com Beverley Horodyski Convention/Motorcoach Marketing Co-ordinator bhorodyski@tourismsarnialambton.com Julia Iacovella Social Media Co-ordinator jiacovella@tourismsarnialambton.com Chris Bregman Sales Co-ordinator cbregman@tourismsarnialambton.com

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2014-2015 Representing:

Outdoor Recreation - CHAIR Kenneth Hoare, Indian Hills Golf Club

Member At Large –VICE CHAIR Mary Prendiville, Nova Chemicals Corporation

Member At Large - TREASURER Doug Woods

Funder Rep. County Of Lambton - Warden Todd Case, County of Lambton

County Of Lambton - CAO Ron VanHorne, County Of Lambton

Councillor, City Of Sarnia/County of Lambton Anne-Marie Gillis, City Councillor

Chamber of Commerce Mark Lumley, S/L Chamber of Commerce

Grand Bend Chamber Of Commerce Susan Mills, G B Chamber of Commerce

Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership (SLEP) George Mallay

Culture & Heritage Richard Poore, VPP

Gaming Karen Richards, OLG Casino Point Edward

Education Jasmine Lenuzzi, Lambton-Kent District School Board Shopping & Retail Paul Smith, Smith Farm Estate Enterprises

Member At Large Helen Cole

Food & Beverage Barbara Bloch-Gower, Custom Catering by Barbara

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History Of Tourism Sarnia-Lambton On July 5, 2000, the Corporation of the County of Lambton, City of Sarnia, Village of

Point Edward, Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce and the Council for Economic Renewal entered into an agreement to transform the Convention and Visitors Bureau into a free-standing tourism services organization known as Tourism Sarnia-Lambton (TSL).

In October 2012 Lambton County Council approved TSL and the County of Lambton

to enter into a multi-year funding agreement effective April 1,2013 to March 31st 2017. The object of TSL, a not for profit corporation, is to provide direction and leadership

to the growth and development of the tourism industry in Sarnia-Lambton. In pursuit of its purpose, funding support for TSL comes from the County of Lambton

and local tourism industry partners that participate in marketing and promotional material.

The TSL office is on Venetian Boulevard, Point Edward and operations are governed

by a 15 member Board of Directors and 7 staff.

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STRATEGY, DESTINATION MARKETING INITIATIVES, OPERATIONS

Going forward… MISSION STATEMENT It is the mission of TOURISM SARNIA-LAMBTON to bring more people (visitors) to

our area, get them to stay longer, spend more money and ensure their experience will bring them back.

VISION STATEMENT To foster a spirit of partnerships within Sarnia-Lambton to enhance tourism

through programs, ideas, and initiatives that will grow the tourism industry, resulting in a greater tax revenue for municipalities within the Sarnia-Lambton area.

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The STRATEGY of Tourism Sarnia-Lambton is: To lead and assist tourism partners in development that integrates and generates

economic renewal, To establish a unified brand and greater awareness about our home To grow sustainable long-term funding to Tourism Sarnia-Lambton and our

destination marketing and management initiatives.

Core Services Key Areas of Focus Marketing and Communications Identify the needs of new, emerging and existing markets and develop

programs to address needs Product and Partnership Development Identify and build new products; soft development that will attract new visitors

and maintain existing visitation

Provide Visitor Services Provide visitor information to those outside our community and coordinate

same in local areas where resources permit

International Business Operations Providing a bridge between strategic vision and operations readiness

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Core Services: Development & Marketing Activities Internal Identify Potential Investment Attraction

and Liaison Industry Training, Development and

Communications Signage Community Awareness Develop and Enhance Products Regional Collaboration Strategic Planning

External Market Development Publicity & Media Relations Publications Website Broad-Based Brand Awareness

Marketing Niche Leisure Marketing Motor Coach Programs Meeting, Convention and Incentive

Travel Sports Tourism

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Experiences: Arts & Culture ( Oil Heritage, Galleries , Museums, Festivals ) On the Farm ( Local Food Culture, Agri-tourism , Farmer Markets) All about Sports ( tournaments , outdoor activities ) Beach & Sun (Blue Flag designations, Entertainment ( Festivals, Concerts, Gaming, Dining) Eco-adventure ( Trails, Camping, Birding, Canoeing ) Travel in Style (Luxury, Spa Getaways) Family Fun ( Festivals, Nature ) Highlighting our region’s key assets and attractions, TSL will focus its efforts and resources on marketing the region as a premiere year-round destination for consumer travellers, sports tourism and the growing area of group travel. Target Market: We will aid associations, organizations and meeting planners throughout Ontario and Canada. We will continue to utilize our relationships with various Group Travel Associations OMCA & CSTA

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WHAT WE USE TO PROMOTE OUR COMMUNITY…

Experiential Tourism

Eco-System

tourism sarnia

lambton .com

Experience Guide & Map

Consumer Email

Newsletter

Industry Email

Newsletter

TSL Visitor

Services Centre

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest Media Relations

AAA Living

Michigan Globe & Mail

Travel Writers

Social Media

Province Wide Print

Publications

Online Advertising

ONRoute Distribution

Digital

TTC Digital Screens

PAID OWNED

EARNED

Sarnia & Lambton County Travel Guide 2014-15 (Hard Copy & Digital)

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Tourism Sarnia-Lambton’s signature consumer marketing publications are the Official Lambton County Travel Guide and Road Maps. The 2014-15 cover illustrates family friendly destinations that can be found throughout Lambton County. We kept our tagline featured on the 2013-14 cover; Navigate to great times in Lambton County. The tagline is primarily a play on the plentiful watercraft that can be seen navigating our beautiful St. Clair River & Lake Huron waterfront as well as the navigation required on the 402, 40 and 21 Highways to get them to their destination, Lambton County. The resources are designed to showcase the region and offer visitors key travel information on local attractions, accommodations, dining, heritage sites, special events/festivals, theatre, art galleries, golfing, campgrounds, trails, boating and parks. In 2014, we produced 65,000 copies of the travel guide and 55,000 copies of the fold-out city/county map. The guide with its 47 pages of editorial, coloured images and paid advertisements illustrates a representation of tourism products and services available to visitors throughout Sarnia and Lambton County. Whether a visitor is looking for live theatre, hiking at the Pinery, fast paced drag car racing or a winery tour, there’s an experience to suit everyone. Designed to be user friendly, the guide continues to receive positive feedback.The easy access chart listings are updated annually and offer detailed information on Hotels & Motels, Parks & Beaches, Marinas & Services, B & B’s, Cottages & Cabins, Camping, Golf/Driving Ranges and Trails. The Ontario and Local Travel Information pages include all the “must-know” pieces of information including customs and immigration, required documents, duty free shopping, border crossings and currency. Digital versions of the complete travel guide and map are available 24/7 online at www.tourismsarnialambton.com

Sports & Recreation Facilities Guide (Hard Copy & Digital) The Sports & Recreation Facilities Guide, is a 20 page publication with detailed information on sports & recreation facilities in Sarnia & Lambton County. The Guide contains a wide range of information and amenities at the following facilities and more: arenas, curling clubs, playing fields, ball diamonds, gymnasiums, aquatic facilities, tennis courts and golf courses. It is a integral tool and go-to manual that is used to bring new tournaments & events to Sarnia-Lambton. It is distributed to potential clients, such as International, National, Provincial and Regional sport organizations through a mass mailing and at the annual Canadian Sports Tourism Alliance Congress in April.

Used when attending: CSTA-Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance Conference

Meetings & Convention Facilities (Hard Copy & Digital) This full colour, 17 page booklet includes photos and full details on our unique accommodations with on site meeting facilities as well as additional facilities for meetings or accommodations. The booklet also provides a map with transportation and service information as well as suggestions for delegate and partner activities.

Used when attending: Sales Calls and requests from Meeting Planners and Convention Organizers

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Additional TSL Publications Produced

Website & Database Management In late September, 2013, TSL re-launched its website with a brand new look, new features and new partnerships. Our dynamically generated website features over 2000 pages of partner listings, regional and core attraction editorial, group info, media galleries, discovery deals as well as access to our printed publications. We are proud to say that we have over 1100 organizations, which we fondly call our TSL partners, contributing content daily.

We have kept our online fully customized database to allow our partners the ability to access and update their listing(s) at their convenience to ensure accuracy and completeness. New features include the capability to add: up to 9 images to each listing, their logo, a pdf of their listing’s poster, menu or brochure. We also offer our partners free, linked listings to their website, ticket sales website and their social media sites. Additional banner and featured listing advertising opportunities are also available. Listing data collected from this database is used internally to generate reports on industry statistics and to generate lists that we will use to help keep our data accurate and complete. When the opportunity arises, the listing data can also be used externally with our RTO1 (Regional Tourism Office) and other Regional Partners for their themed publications, editorial and newsletters of which we randomly submit on our partner’s behalf. TSL does not and will never sell or distribute our partners’ contact information. Our goal is to make every listing look its best to draw maximum visitation. 16

Gained over 400 Twitter followers in

first year.

Social Media

Tourism Sarnia-Lambton utilizes the services of MailChimp for all mass electronic communication with consumers. The inaugural issue of TSL’s consumer e-newsletter was sent out on December 18th to 366 subscribers. It was well received with an Open Rate of 34.2% and a Click Rate of 10.5%. We continue to add subscribers through the TSL website, Facebook page, and with ballots from local events. The newsletter typically includes two feature articles, brief overview of three events and a recipe featuring local, fresh foods.

. Strategies: • Boost posts to increase visibility and

attract new likes • Create content to encourage shares and

engagement • Share content from other users • Post videos for higher engagement • Comment on and “like” posts of other

users • Post to Facebook at minimum three

times a week with varying content types

Strategies: • Schedule posts a week at a time • Schedule posts for late morning, mid

afternoon and early evening • Retweet and reply to users who

mention TSL in a tweet • Use hashtags when appropriate • Mention TSL partners in tweets when

appropriate • Utilize Hootsuite to manage Twitter

account and track analytics

TSL’s YouTube Channel and video library continues to grow stronger and expand with new videos and commercials.

Tourism Sarnia-Lambton’s Pinterest account continued its fast growth rate in 2014. Users can select a “pin” and know exactly where it is located.

Tourism Sarnia-Lambton utilizes online email marketing solution, MailChimp, for all mass electronic communication with partners and consumers. The consumer email list grew by 500 recipients in 2014 to 1,043. Subscribers are added through the TSL website, Facebook, and ballots from local events. The newsletter has two feature articles, three local events, a seasonal recipe and one advertisement. The average open rate in 2014 was 26.8% which is 11 points higher than the industry average (15.45). The average click rate was 6.7% which is 5 points higher than the industry average (1.8).

Sarnia-Lambton Promotional Display Panels This promotional display board features Lambton County`s new brand Discoveries That Matter and are used when staff is attending industry trade shows and marketplaces and loaned out to other Sarnia-Lambton organization representatives to attract conference delegates to our community.

Videos Promotional videos are used as a sales tool when attending market places, sales calls, trade shows and online. The videos showcase Sarnia & Lambton County’s diverse activities, special events and beautiful scenery.

Self Serve Information Kiosks A joint partnership with Home Depot and Tourism Sarnia-Lambton, this project received complete sponsorship (approx. $12,000) of 14 kiosks built and installed throughout Lambton County in the high traffic areas. Since it’s inception we have grown to 17 kiosks and 20 brochure racks. Information on these boards includes a City of Sarnia Map, County of Lambton Map, chart lists by category of contact information for our tourism partners as well as an events list updated approximately every 2 months.

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Other Promotional Tools

In house Digital Signage Making use of our television we`re able to display a variety of information to visitors entering our welcome centre. The screen displays, weather, an upcoming events marquee, videos, or latest twitter feeds, event posters and fun facts about our area.

Cruise The Coast Map Cruise the Coast Motorcycle Map was first introduced in 2012 featuring a variety of back road, paved routes in Southwestern Ontario. In 2013, a Lambton County route was added to the map and in 2014 the Lambton County route was updated with current events and points of interest along the way. Print run was 47,000 with distribution at The Motorcycle Show in Toronto, through DMO’s and various local events.

Waterfronts & Wineries Tour In 2013, TSL partnered with Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island and Chatham-Kent Tourism to raise awareness and promote key products within the three DMO’s. A three-night, four-day waterfront and culinary themed itinerary was created. The tour was marketed again in 2014 by each DMO at the annual Ontario Motor Coach Association conference and marketplace. Ontario’s Southwest provided funding to sponsor an opening reception at the OMCA conference. The itinerary garnered a positive response from tour operators with some operators opting to book select portions of the itinerary.

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Publication Partnerships: RTO1 Ontario Southwest

Canada’s South Coast Birding Trail Canada’s South Coast Birding Trail is one of the premiere birding destinations in North America. Seventeen birding “hubs” were outlined on the map including Lambton County’s Canatara Park and Pinery Provincial Park. The region’s rich Carolinian ecosystem provides a variety of flora and fauna ideal for birding as well as hiking, wildflower identification, butterfly, paddling and other nature-related activities. The print run was 10,000.

Waterfront Getaways Map Ontario’s Southwest is home to three Great Lakes and four rivers. To take advantage of its prime geographic positioning SWOTC created a waterfront getaways map to lure sand seekers, fishing fans, and boating enthusiasts. The map delivers the “inside scoop” on the location of beaches, boating marinas and special fishing spots across the region. Sarnia’s Blue Flag Canatara Beach was used as the front and back cover image. The print run was 10,000.

Tourism Sarnia-Lambton works in partnership with the regional tourism organization, Ontario’s Southwest, to develop a variety of travel tools and publications to suit the needs of the travelling public. Last year (2013) saw the introduction of the Cruise the Coast waterproof motorcycle map, Ontario’s Southwest Culinary Guide and Waterfronts & Wineries Group Tour itinerary. Tourism Sarnia-Lambton has worked with Southwestern Ontario Tourism Corporation (SWOTC) to redevelop the existing publications and create two new maps in 2014.

Highlights of TSL Consumer Shows Exhibitor: Fusion, London Boat Show, London’s Wine Show,

Sarnia/Lambton Chamber of Commerce Rural Trade Show, & Sidewalk Showcase, Artwalk 2014, International Motorcycle Show, Toronto, International Offshore Power Boat Festival

Product Development/Sponsorship Inclusive Tourism “Breaking Barriers To Business” Project Hosted 2nd Annual Tourism Summit Food Day Canada Farm Dinner, Breakfast on the Farm, Festival

of Good Things, International Powerboat Festival, International Wakeboard Tour, Doors Open Lambton County, International Silver Stick AGM, President’s Reception at Ontario Motor Coach Association Conference, Communities in Bloom

Event Committees Canadian National Pigeon Show,, 3 on 3 Hockey Challenge,

Ontario Coaches Association NCCP Super Clinic, Hockey Canada’s World Under 17 Hockey Championship, Sarnia-Lambton Chamber of Commerce – Queen’s Park Delegation, “Still Standing” CBC TV Show taping April 2014 at Oil Springs, 100th Sarnia Anniversary Committee – 1st Outdoor Downtown New Year’s Eve Celebration

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Globe & Mail (readership 1,098,000) Explore Ontario supplement May 15 2014 1/3 page advertisement and 5 themed articles Globe Travel section ¼ page ad June 10, July 19th, July26, August 9th and Sept 13th 2014 All ads include digital leader boards and banners Horizon Travel Magazine (readership 250,000) •Monthly 100,000 publications, insert/drop in Toronto Star and national Post •Full page ad and editorial •Online banner •Digital commercial for Toronto Union Station, 300 TTC screens at 69 stations, Eaton Centre, Sherway Gardens and Square One food courts AAA Living Michigan (readership 1,642,000) Spring campaign generating 1,000 new leads and increasing consumer profile database Honda Indy Toronto Souvenir Program 3 Day event –Only Canadian Stop 100, 000 in attendance CTV Commercial 52 spots throughout July & August

Major Advertising Campaigns

•Attractions Ontario Passport •Blue Water Visitor Guide •Circle The Lake Tour Map •Crossings Magazine •Daytripping Magazine •Eat Drink Magazine •Festival of Good Things Program •Grand Bend Travel Guide •Indiefest Program •Ontario Colleges Athletics Assoc. •Ontario Motorcoach Association •Ontario Parks Visitor Guides •Sarnia Sting Yearbook •SCRCA Visitor Guide •Silverstick Program •Summer Fun Guide •SWEA Conference Program •WU17 Program

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Sample of TSL Advertising in 2014

Partnerships Are Key

Partnership with our 1,000+ Tourism Partners we work with on a daily basis.

Chamber of Commerce Networking Group Chatham Kent Tourism City of Sarnia City of Lambton Shores Sarnia Communities In Bloom County of Lambton Food Day Canada Home Depot Industry Canada Lambton College Liveinlambton.ca Local Immigration Partnership Local Photographers Ministry of Transportation Ontario Southwest Tourism Organization (RTO1 Partners) Ontario Ministry of Tourism & Culture Ontario TIC Centres

Ontario’s Fun Connection Physician Recruitment Taskforce of Sarnia Lambton Real Canadian Super Store Southwestern Ontario Tourism Corporation Sarnia-Lambton Business Development Corporation Sarnia-Lambton Chamber of Commerce Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island Town of Petrolia Township of Brooke-Alvinston Township of Dawn Euphemia Township of Enniskillen Township of Plympton-Wyoming Township of St. Clair Township of Warwick Village of Oil Springs Village of Point Edward And many more...

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Over the years, Tourism Sarnia-Lambton has concentrated on building strong partnerships with tourism businesses and other key organizations throughout Sarnia-Lambton. These relationships play an integral role in working as a team to promote and attract visitors to our area. The success we achieve through partnership demonstrates our commitment and common goals of showcasing Blue Water Country.

STATISTICS

Measures & Markets

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Source: PKF Consulting Inc. with reproduction and use of

information subject to PKF Disclaimer and Restrictions as

detailed at www.pkfcanada.com

Table 427-0001 Number of international travellers entering or returning to Canada, by type of transport, monthly (persons)(1,7,10,11)

Survey or program details: International Travel Survey: Frontier Counts - 5005 Geography Sarnia, Ontario Traveller characteristics United States residents entering Canada

2013 2014 Jan 50,937 47,779 Feb 46,027 44,602 Mar 66,610 55,381 Apr 63,431 72,285 May 97,119 97,096 Jun 127,207 123,368 Jul 167,319 160,085 Aug 168,153 162,374 Sep 92,287 92,097 Oct 84,749 87,309 Nov 67,677 66,852 Dec 74,493 77,632 Jan-Dec 1,108,022 1,088,874

% chg -2.9% -1.7% Jan Jul 618,650 600,596

% chg -2.9%

GTA & Michigan

25,000

ONRoute Travel

Centres 10,000

20 Brochure Racks Locally

Welcome Packages

Online and inhouse centre

requests

800.265.0316

TO TIMES

2014 Bulk Distribution of TSL’s Travel Guide & Map April 1, 2014 -March 31, 2015

Locations Travel Guides

Maps

Chamber of Commerce 1,755 1,190

Tourism Information Centres 30,200 25,205

Tourism Businesses 20,030 10,530

Municipal / Government Offices

2,250 1,050

TOTAL 54,235 37,975

Measures & Markets

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

Janu

ary

Febr

uary

M

arch

Apr

il M

ay

June

Ju

ly

Aug

ust

Sep

tem

ber

Oct

ober

N

ovem

ber

Dec

embe

r

2013 2014

Website Visits 49% increase in visits

Top 3 Visits by Country in 2014:

Canada, United States,

Brazil

800.265.0316

TO TIMES

Favourite Pages in 2014: Events,

Accommodations, Sarnia/Point Edward

Community Page

Top 3 Landing Pages in 2014:

Homepage, Events, Sarnia

Christmas Parade

Measures & Markets

28

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

Likes Engaged Users

Facebook

2013

2014

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Followers Average monthlyRTs

Klout Score

Twitter

2013

2014

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Subscribers Open Rate Click Rate

2013

2014

Industry Average

Facebook experienced an average monthly growth of 13% and doubled the amount of “Likes” in one year to 1,300. Facebook had an average monthly reach of 12,297 users.

Twitter experienced steady growth in 2014 and doubled its follower count from the previous year to 964. There was an average of 335 impressions per tweet.

Doubled Twitter

followers in last 12 months.

Doubled Facebook Likes in last 12

months.

Average over 22,000

tweet impressions

a month.

E-Newsletter Open Rate is 10.6% higher than industry

average

E-Newsletter subscribers have tripled

in last 12 months

30 subscribers 6000 views

Over 200 pins with mapped

locations Over 80 followers

& 330 pinned images from TSL

website

Measures & Markets

TSL- 2014 Consumer Inquiry Statistics

29

Ontario Travel Centre 2014 Visitor Statistics

Ontario Lottery Gaming Corporation- 2014 Visitor

Statistics

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

2013

2014

500000510000520000530000540000550000560000570000580000590000600000610000

Visitors

2013

2014

Measures & Markets

65000

70000

75000

80000

Walk Ins

2013

2014

0500

1000150020002500

Motorcoach(Travellers)

2013

2014

0

20

40

60

Motorcoach(Coaches)

2013

2014

Organization/Facility Attendance

MUSEUMS Lambton Heritage Museum 20,994 Moore Museum 4,062

Oil Museum of Canada 3.644

Sombra Museum 1,947

Stones ‘N Bones Museum 9,666

TOTAL 40,313

THEATRES

Imperial Theatre 64,707

Victoria Playhouse Petrolia 28,720

Huron Country Playhouse 51,157

TOTAL 144,584

JNNAG Exhibition Visitors 10,470

Program Participants 7,214

TOTAL 17,684

2014 Visitors to Lambton County Museums, Theatres & Judith &

Norman Alix Art Gallery

Sampling of Welcome Packages Over 8,400 Distributed in 2014 for events such as:

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Event Delegates

Canadian National Pigeon Show 100 Central American Latino Conference, Toronto 50 International Silverstick (Girls & Boys) Alvinston, Sarnia, Watford 3,331

International Student Packages – Lambton College 360 Int’l Silver Stick Conference 150 Invade The Close Car Show 75 Kid’s Training Day – Bluewater Anglers 150 L.S.D.S. Golf Tournament 144 Ladies Auxiliary Cribbage Tournament 150 Lambton College Mobile Summit 250 Naval Association Conference 25 Sailfest 100 Sarnia Lawn Bowling Tournament 100 Sarnia Lion’s Club Meeting 300 Sarnia Street Machine – Cruise in the Park 500 Shoot ‘N Scoot Motorcycle Event 150 Theatre Ontario Festival 150 Toronto National Job Fair Expo 100 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge 300 Water’s Edge Soccer Tournament 720 Western Ontario Section Figure Skating Competition 325

Special Event Attendance Alvinston Maple Syrup Festival 800

Brigden Fair 40000

Brooke-Alvinston Fall Fair 3000

Canada Day Sarnia 30000

Fusion 3300

Grand Bend & Area Studio Tour 4500

Grand Bend Concert Series 22000

Greekfest Sarnia 3000

Hobbyfest Sarnia 4000

IHRA Mopar Canadian Nationals, Grand Bend 19000

International Offshore Powerboat Festival 2000

Mackinac Breakfast Under the Blue Water Bridges 45000

Mooretown Craft Sale 2035

Petrolia & Enniskillen Fall Fair 1675

Pinery Provincial Park Road Race 447

Plympton Wyoming Fall Fair 1326

Return of the Tundra Swans, Grand Bend Area 1094

Sarnia Artwalk 25000

Sarnia Kidsfest 8000

Sarnia Ribfest 10000

Special Event Attendance Sarnia Street Machines – Car Show (Decreased attendance due to bad weather)

1500

Sarnia Street Machines – Hot August Nights 4000

Sarnia Waterfront Program 4400

Stratford Spectacular Grand Bend Motorplex 9000

Tourism Sarnia-Lambton’s Celebrate Tourism Week BBQ 700

Watford Cornfest 3000

Watford Maple Syrup Festival 1000

TOTAL 234,277

Over 500 events in 2014. Below are some examples & their attendance.

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