Explorers' Edge (RTO12)

The 3rd Annual Big Applause Awards celebrating employee excellence in Algonquin Park, the Almaguin Highlands, Loring-Restoule, Muskoka, west Parry Sound district and South Algonquin have been announced! 👏 In 2024, we had the most nominations ever, and the gratitude for and pride in their fellow employees by the nominators was exceptionally heart-warming. 💞 What a great way to head into the holiday season, by honouring these amazing colleagues who exhibit awesome aptitude and attitude every day. 🏅 Please join us in giving some Big Applause to the following recipients: Amanda Lamorie, Store Manager - The Wahta Station / Mrs. H's Fish & Chips Angela Jenkins, Front Desk Manager - Port Cunnington Lodge and Resort Bernard Lepage, Owner/Captain - B. Lepage Fishery Curtis Wood, Bartender - Boston Pizza Debbie Kerr, Manager - Rosseau General Store Holly Besseau-Onion, Tourism and Cultural Development Officer - Town of Bracebridge Jennifer Brockett, Economic Development Coordinator – Tourism - Town of Gravenhurst Jennifer Wood, Lead Baker/Senior Management - Humble Pie Bakery & Pizzeria Kevin McMurray, Employee - Parry Sound Bikes Laura Bowles, Rooms Division Manager - Muskoka Bay Resort (multiple nominations!) Lori Reynolds, Director of Operations - Taboo Muskoka Resort Madeline Taverner, Prep Chef - Well Fed Inc Marshall Gaudet, Sous chef - Muskoka Bay Resort Matthew MacKenzie, General Manager - Muskoka Bay Resort Meghan Pratt, Executive Director - Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce   Melissa Whittle, Director of Sales and General Shenanigans - Muskoka BeerSpa Randy Brown, Owner - Birdman of Bala Sarah Beaton, Food and Beverage Manager - Muskoka Beer Spa (multiple nominations) Sarah Dowler, Guest Service Representative - JW Marriott The Rosseau Muskoka Resort & Spa Sarah Hardie, Social Media Director - Near North Aviation, Seguin Seanan Megyesi, Owner - Boston Pizza, Parry Sound Veronica Ewing, Brew Crew Barista - Northern Perk, Parry Sound Thank you for your exceptional work in the regional tourism & hospitality industry!! Enjoy your $100 gift certificate! 👏 👏 👏 👏

EXPERIENCE ONTARIO ZOOM SESSION ALERT! The 2025 Experience Ontario funding program from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Gaming (MTCG) supporting the province's festivals and events is now open and accepting applications until December 19 at 4pm EST. It's a tight window for applying this year. To make the process as easy as possible, Explorers' Edge will host an information Zoom session with Laura Ross, Regional Development Advisor - Tourism, on Monday, December 9th at 2pm. Join us for a 1/2 hour overview of the program, including what's new, as well as info on the three tiers of funding. To register for this session, CLICK HERE: https://lnkd.in/gMDQFi2J Registrants for the session will be sent the Zoom link on Monday, December 9 at 10am. Additionally, the MTCG has posted a helpful video to explain the 2025 program. To view it, CLICK HERE: https://lnkd.in/g7DjRE6R

NOTICE OF OFFIC CLOSURE: About 3 ft of snow fell in 48 hours, and a lot of it where our office is located. We will be closed until Tuesday, December 3 to allow staff to dig out. Huge thank you to all the hydro, plow and first responder workers working tirelessly to keep everyone safe! It's going to be an epic winter for outdoor adventure in the region - that's for sure!

The Women in Tourism gathering at the RTO12 Regional Summit sold out - twice! Thank you to everyone who registered; we look forward to welcoming you to Windermere House on Summit Eve. (The night’s proceedings will be emailed to registrants shortly.) We are very pleased to announce that Her Worship Mayor Ann MacDiarmid of Seguin Township will be joining us to be interviewed by Sarah Hardie, Marketing Intern at the Parry Sound & Area Municipal Airport. This conversation evolved out of regional women in the tourism & hospitality industry expressing a desire for mentorship opportunities, and Sarah will be speaking to Mayor MacDiarmid about her experiences in municipal politics and her thoughts on Women in Tourism. Thank you for registering! See you there!

Big congratulations to the regional winners at the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario's Summit awards this week including Tall Pines Music & Arts Festival (Tourism Event of the Year - founder Kevin Goodman pictured), Muskoka Steamships and Discovery Centre's Misko-Aki: Confluence of Cultures exhibit (Indigenous Tourism Award - GM Wendy Fairbairn pictured) and the Bala Cranberry Festival (Culinary Tourism Event of the Year)!! Explorers' Edge is pleased to have supported both the Tall Pines Music Festival and the Misko-Aki exhibit with funding from our Partnership Program. Congratulations to all the winners!

Explorers' Edge's 2024 Regional Tourism Summit is taking place Wednesday, November 6th at Windermere House (est. 1870) on beautiful Lake Rosseau in Muskoka! With the themes of "Product Innovation & Rural Strategy", we are very pleased to hosting a group of exceptional speakers, including Andrew Siegwart, Paul Pepe, Trevor Norris, Mike Jacobs, Val Hamilton, Kelly Haywood, Angela Pollak, Amy Taylor, Todd Lucier, Hilary Chambers and more. For more details and a complete agenda, click here: https://lnkd.in/gZXdtZ7B

Join Explorers’ Edge staff in conversation with outdoor adventure expert Colin Bruce to chat about visiting Canada’s oldest provincial park in the most beautiful season of all! Get tips on how and when to travel, and hear about some more great places to check out this autumn to view the spectacular fall foliage - the best in Canada. A special Zoom presentation on Tuesday, September 10 from 6pm to 7pm EST. Prize giveaways during the event as well! Click to register 👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻 https://lnkd.in/gwyzTMrd

Up next in our Positive Impact Spotlight: Diamond Waters Sailing on Georgian Bay at Parry Sound. Check out all the great things Larry Woolner and crew are doing to ensure the company embraces sustainability in all areas.

Regional tourism businesses are invited to attend an informative Zoom session to learn more about the growing fly fishing market! Explorers' Edge (RTO12) will host expert angler Mark Melnyk from The New Fly Fisher show, who will provide insights for introducing this outdoor adventure product at your property. You’ll also learn about the opportunity to potentially participate in an episode of the show in the upcoming months, which will be developed in partnership with Destination Ontario northern avid marketing team and Explorers’ Edge. Increasingly popular (especially among women), this lucrative outdoor adventure activity is building exponentially in Canada. Find out why and what’s involved to introduce it as part of your property offering. Date: Thursday, August 22 Time: 4pm to 5pm Guest Speaker: Mark Melnyk, Producer, The New Fly Fisher follow the link register for this event and receive a Zoom Link https://lnkd.in/g677tmGe #productdevelopment ExploreON | ExplorezON

Explorers’ Edge Awarded Travel Agency Status: Explorers' Edge is extremely pleased to announce we've been awarded travel agency status by the Travel Industry Council of Ontario. This innovative social enterprise will target high yield visitors to create revenue that will impact our sector and our communities. With the pilot launching in the upcoming months, this long-term project is an important component of the organization's regenerative tourism strategy. Details about the pilot will be announced at this year's Regional Tourism Summit in the Fall, including the phased approach to track and build conversions and economic impact over the coming years, as well as the unique selling platform to optimize conversions. #regenerativetourism #destinationdevelopment #innovation #socialenterprise #ruraltourism #dispersionstrategy #highyieldvisitation #gamechanger