Residents’ Voices Shaping Tourism

They aren't. Visit The County is funded by a portion of the Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT), a fee paid exclusively by overnight visitors, not by local taxpayers. By law, Visit The County is mandated to use these visitor-generated dollars to manage and market the local tourism economy. This investment supports our small businesses and strengthens year-round economic stability

Tourism is a major driver of local jobs, small-business revenue, and municipal income from visitor spending. It helps sustain restaurants, shops, farms, arts, and experiences that residents also enjoy, especially outside peak season, keeping our community vibrant and economically resilient.

Visitors spend money at local businesses, supporting wages, year-round employment, and entrepreneurship. That ripple effect helps keep businesses open, strengthens the tax base, and supports community amenities. Strong visitor demand also helps local producers, artists, and service providers thrive.

While Visit The County's mandate is to manage the visitor economy, the Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) creates a massive boost for local services. By law, half of every dollar collected from visitors goes directly to the Municipality to fund projects that improve life for everyone.

Since the MAT started, that visitor-paid revenue has been put to work on things like:
- Our Roads: Over $2 million has been invested in road infrastructure. 
- Public Transit: It funded the Summer Weekend Connector Bus and helped support ride-sharing and taxi programs.
- Better Amenities: It pays for seasonal washrooms, accessible parking on Main Streets, and even managing invasive species on the Millennium Trail.

Beyond the tax dollars, there is a long-term benefit to our community’s future. Many of our local business owners, healthcare workers, and families first discovered The County as visitors. By maintaining a healthy tourism economy, we continue to attract the new residents and investment that keep our community vibrant and resilient.

By managing tourism, not just growing it. We promote responsible travel, disperse visitation beyond peak hotspots, encourage shoulder-season visits, and work with partners on stewardship so The County remains a great place to live and a respectful place to visit.

Our goal isn’t to make peak weekends busier. We focus on shaping demand; encouraging visits in quieter months, promoting midweek travel, and highlighting lesser-known experiences. That supports stable, year-round business without concentrating pressure into the busiest times.

Because that is the law. Under the Ontario Municipal Act, if a municipality chooses to collect a Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT), provincial regulations require that at least 50% of that revenue be dedicated to tourism promotion and development.

Since these funds are legally mandated for tourism, our goal at Visit The County is to ensure that money is used as effectively as possible to benefit residents. We use the portion we receive to:
- Sustain Local Jobs: Marketing The County as a year-round destination helps keep our shops and restaurants busy and our neighbours employed beyond just the summer months.
- Manage the Impact: We use visitor dollars to fund destination management, which includes things like encouraging respectful travel and directing visitors toward lesser-known areas to reduce pressure on our most popular spots.
- Protect the County: By managing the visitor economy professionally, we help ensure that the "County charm" we all love is protected, rather than just exploited.

For more information on the municipal implementation of the MAT visit The County's website.

VTC was created with a specific mission: to build a tourism industry that works for The County, not against it. We see ourselves as being on the same team as residents. Our mandate isn’t just about bringing people here; it’s about prioritizing the livability and sustainability of our community.

We work to balance economic prosperity with the need to keep The County a great place to live by:
- Investing Locally: Through our Community Partnership Fund, we support local initiatives that keep our culture and community vibrant.
- Managing the Flow: We focus on "Destination Management," which is a fancy way of saying we work to disperse visitors across The County and throughout the year. This helps prevent overcrowding in "hotspots" and supports year-round business stability.
- Putting Residents First: We keep local needs at the heart of our efforts. Whether it’s promoting responsible travel messaging or supporting small business owners, our goal is to ensure that tourism contributes to our quality of life without sacrificing the charm of our home.