About RTO 9
RTO 9 is a regional tourism organization that is funded by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport. RTO 9 actively promotes tourism for the region and works to support and grow the tourism industry through product development initiatives.
Our Vision
To be recognized as the leading strategic tourism partner by destinations in our region.
Our Mission
Foster successful destinations in RTO 9 that set the standard in Ontario.
Our Mandate
To provide strategic leadership to achieve the Vision through its Mission, RTO 9 will focus resources (human and financial) on the following areas of effort: Co-ordination of the diverse interests of the tourism industry within Region 9 in order to build and support a competitive, inclusive and sustainable tourism region through marketing and destination management. The organization will function in partnership with established and recognized tourism and economic development organizations plus other entities within the region and move forward in a spirit of cooperation and collaboration.
Our mandate is to provide strategic leadership to achieve our vision through our mission.
RTO 9 is comprised of tourism industry partners from all areas of the tourism industry within the geographic boundaries of Region 9. It is an independent, industry-led (with emphasis on private sector representatives) not-for-profit organization responsible for working with tourism partners to enhance and grow tourism products, marketing activities, and investment within Region 9 while embracing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusionary practices as well as sustainable tourism practices.
By providing regional leadership and coordination, the organization will help build and support a competitive, sustainable and inclusive tourism region that is able to grow all aspects of tourism and attract more visitor revenues, generating increased economic activity including investment and job creation within Region 9.
Our Guiding Principles
- Every destination has an opportunity to prosper as a result of a collaborative and collective approach to tourism destination development and marketing.
- Recognizing that not all destinations have been created equal and have the same needs, decisions will be made based on the best interest of the collective.
- Engagement with, and input from tourism industry stakeholders and government will drive the Corporation’s activities.
- Destination Marketing Organizations (DMO’s), Destination Marketing Programs (DMP’s), Stakeholders and Municipalities play an important role and the Corporation will count on them to contribute to its collective efforts.
- Recognizing the importance of the accommodations sector, the Corporation will strive to develop initiatives that stimulate overnight visitation.
- The Corporation embraces the principle of balanced representation, where no one destination, organization or sector dominates the Corporation for its own purpose and/or gain.
- The Corporation is committed to exceeding visitors’ expectations, those who visit for pleasure or business for a day or for overnight through the delivery of excellent products, experiences and superior customer service.
- The Corporation will maintain and support existing tourism brands and commitments within Region 9 that have established levels of awareness as a result of demonstrated past investments to destination marketing, and product development and, in reasonable practice as exercised by the Board of Directors from time to time, allocating its resources in a prioritized manner using these guiding principles:
- Resources directed to existing brands where a destination marketing fee was in place (as defined by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport);
- Resources directed to brands that can demonstrate reasonable levels of tourism business and a core group of tourism businesses that generate the majority of their revenue from the visitor market;
- Resources directed to emerging destinations that offer potential to become more viable tourism destinations.