Ontario tourism goes online

All the best tourism attractions and accommodations of Huron, Perth, Wellington and Waterloo Region in Ontario are now only a computer click or a phone call away via a one-stop-shopping and reservation portal — from theatre, accommodations, heritage tours and fine dining, to hiking and relaxing escapes on some of Ontario’s best beaches. “This new online tool simplifies the planning experience for visitors and give them a lot of fantastic ideas to make the most of their getaway,” says Marc Armstrong, chairperson of RTO4 (Ontario Regional Tourism Organization Four) At the same time, it allows us to offer a broader experience, more entertainment and accommodation options, and encourage visitors to stay and have fun even longer in the area.” In addition to the online system, under the three-year agreement with the Stratford Festival, the system will be supported by the Stratford Festival’s call centre which has some 60 years of experience in serving visitors to the region. The comprehensive new online booking system and call centre will link tourism properties and products from across Huron, Perth, Waterloo and Wellington, providing visitors numerous benefits, including a single point of access to the over 300 regional hotels, Inns, B&B’s, campgrounds and attractions as well as wealth of pre-arranged stay-and-play packages custom-tailored to specific interests. In addition to creating a vastly superior user experience for visitors, the new service benefits tourism operators throughout the region. Because RTO4 is underwriting the cost of implementing and operating the new reservation system, tourism operators will not pay users fees and commissions. “The goal is to grow the tourism revenues in the region by raising the profile of the great tourism products we have to offer and making them easier to buy and sell,” says RTO4 chief marketing officer Napier Simpson. Go to http://www.betterweekending.ca for more.