Ontario’s Highlands Tourism Organization launches member appreciation campaign

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

The Ontario’s Highlands Tourism Organization (OHTO) is celebrating its membership this February with a month-long member appreciation campaign that will recognize current members and welcome new ones.



The campaign launched on Feb. 1 and is open to all Ontario’s Highlands tourism operators.



Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, OHTO’s members have shown their resiliency in overcoming challenges from travel and public health restrictions, and continue to welcome visitors each tourist season.

While our tourism industry has been hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic, our members have continued to adapt and support each other, says Melissa Marquardt, Chief Governing Officer of the OHTO Board of Directors and tourism development officer of the Ottawa Valley Tourist Association.

This campaign is our way of expressing our gratitude to the members who continue to support OHTO, while bringing awareness of what OHTO has to offer and the value of being a member for those who may not have yet joined.




Since the beginning of the pandemic OHTO has continued to be a leader and hub for the tourism community to stay informed about changing regulations that impact Ontario’s Highlands’ businesses and communities, as well as new support programs and resources offered by the federal and provincial governments.

Throughout this challenging time, the greatest challenge OHTO has faced is maintaining connection with Ontario’s Highlands’ tourism operators to ensure they are kept aware of available opportunities.

Nicole Whiting, Executive Director of OHTO said that they have a strong membership of more than 640 tourism operators, organizations and municipalities, but we know there are many more that we need to connect with so we can keep our industry informed about what’s available.



Over the past year, we’ve received over $1 million in funding support from the federal and provincial governments which went directly to local tourism businesses to support COVID-19 adaptations, workforce development and digital marketing.



Moving forward we want to ensure we are reaching every corner of our region with access to funding and programming, and continue to build a stronger tourism industry regionally.

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