Redeveloping Lincoln's Destination Marketing Organization

After much consideration and consultation with the tourism industry, the Tourism Strategy and Action Plan identified that the Town plays a key role in moving the industry forward and takes the lead in developing partnerships with public and private sector stakeholders, to ensure job creation in our community. In addition to this change in tourism leadership, the Tourism Strategy and Action plan also recommended:

• The Town of Lincoln continues with a third-party organization to help drive destination promotion and product development. *Similar to the Twenty Valley Tourism Association but with a more narrowed and defined scope.
• Collaborate with public and private sector partners to fund and manage a newly governed Destination Marketing Organization (DMO)
• Review opportunities for greater municipal collaboration when strategically appropriate across West Niagara.

One of the key aspects of this strategic initiative was to determine the Town’s role in tourism for the community. For approximately 20 years, the Town has outsourced tourism development and management to the Twenty Valley Tourism Association (TVTA), officially our Destination Marketing Organization (DMO).

After careful consideration and consultation with the tourism industry, the recommendation is that the Town plays a larger role in managing the destination while allowing a public-private partnership between the Town (and other public sector stakeholders) and our private industry stakeholders to market the Lincoln-centred destination.

On September 18, 2020, the Town of Lincoln and the City of St. Catharines formalized a sub-regional tourism marketing partnership. The partnership has been finalized through the establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between both parties. The agreement expands both municipalities’ capacity to market to a broader audience and combine a shared rural and urban tourism experience.

The MOU will also serve to lay the foundation for a potential joint Destination Marketing Organization to assist with destination marketing and management of the collaborative destination. This partnership recognizes the mutual benefit of promoting our distinct destinations in tandem.