Gravenhurst Tourism Partnership: Three Months of Work, and What It Means for Local Businesses
Thank you to the Gravenhurst businesses and community partners who joined us at Sawdust City Brewing Co. for our September 23 tourism update. Your participation since our first sessions on June 4 has helped move this partnership from discussion into action.
A $25,000 investment through the Gravenhurst Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) program is supporting work designed to bring visitors to local businesses: bookable travel packages, consumer marketing, visitor research and photo and video assets. Rachel, Jake, Jennifer and I shared the progress alongside Kyra and Jared from The Well Known Company.
This was a mid-project check-in. We wanted to show what has been delivered, what the early results tell us and how businesses can put that information to work.
Experiences visitors can book
Gravenhurst packages now connect accommodations with attractions, dining and outdoor activities. A History Lover’s Dream Getaway brings together Bethune Memorial House, Muskoka Steamships and Taboo. Fall Colours on the Water Weekend pairs an overnight stay with paddling and a local food stop.
These packages give visitors a reason to plan more than a single stop. They also give participating businesses a way to recommend one another and reach customers through a shared campaign. More operators can take part as we develop winter, spring and summer experiences.
Marketing that builds on each campaign
As of September 21, the summer campaign had generated more than 11,000 unique link clicks and 654,000 ad impressions. Those figures show reach and interest; they are not a count of bookings or visitor spending.
The campaign is also building a Gravenhurst-specific audience we can reach again with relevant seasonal offers. A September package contest generated 487 leads and told us more about what interested travellers want. More than half selected a combination of experiences, 46% selected food and dining, and 35% selected outdoor adventure. Two-thirds said they would most likely travel with a partner or spouse. Nearly half would consider spending $250–$499 on a packaged experience, and 57% were looking to plan a trip within three months.
That intelligence helps us develop packages around demonstrated interests and tailor future marketing, rather than starting from scratch with every campaign.
What visitors – and visitor movements – tell businesses
Our visitor exit survey offers a different perspective: feedback from people who have already visited. Among the first 38 respondents, 74% came from outside the area, primarily elsewhere in Ontario; 80% stayed at least one night; and 92% were returning visitors. Visitors praised Gravenhurst’s lakes, steamship cruises, wharf, shops, markets and friendly atmosphere. They also suggested more events, stronger downtown connections and clearer visitor information.
Geofencing adds a picture of when people visit and where they travel from. It uses aggregated mobile-location data to estimate visitation patterns, without identifying individual visitors.
The 2025 analysis found that people living within 40 kilometres of Gravenhurst represented about 24% of unique visitors but nearly 63% of visits in one data set. Visitors from farther away accounted for nearly 46% of weekend visits, compared with about 34% of weekday visits. The tourist share was highest in July, while nearby visitors made up a much larger share in December.
A business can act on those patterns. A café or attraction might prepare for more tourist demand on summer weekends while promoting repeat visits to nearby customers throughout the year. An operator could advertise an overnight package to Toronto-area travellers in summer, then shift its fall and winter promotions toward regional audiences. Businesses can use survey feedback to improve signage, plan around events or build an offer with a neighbouring shop or restaurant.
Building assets businesses can use
The partnership is producing tools intended to last beyond one campaign. Tourism Tip Tuesday, led by the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce, shares practical hospitality tips with local teams. Coastline Films, a Gravenhurst company, is helping us create four-season photography, video and a Seasons of Gravenhurst film. The resulting content will help promote the destination and strengthen participating operators’ own marketing.
Would you like your business considered for upcoming filming? Start at our Film & Photography Opportunities page and open the Seasons of Gravenhurst project. It explains the experiences we’re seeking, the fall and winter shoot dates, and how to express interest. Businesses should send their name, location and the experience they would like to showcase to the contact listed on the project page. The team will select participants based on the film’s story and shoot requirements, so submitting an idea is an expression of interest rather than a confirmed filming spot.
Measuring the return
The return on this MAT investment should be judged by what it helps local businesses achieve over time. Packages launched, campaign reach and qualified leads are early measures of progress! The next measures are package sales, business participation, visitor feedback and whether future campaigns turn interest into more overnight stays and local spending. We’ll continue sharing what the results show as the work develops.
Next, we’ll refine the current packages, welcome more operators, keep gathering visitor feedback and compare geofencing findings year over year. Industry sessions in November and a project wrap-up in March will give the community further opportunities to review the work and shape what comes next.
Have an idea for a travel package or another way to participate? Contact us at [email protected]
