Three months of work have produced bookable experiences, consumer leads, visitor intelligence and marketing tools that extend beyond a single campaign
GRAVENHURST, ON – September 24, 2026 – A pilot partnership between Tourism Gravenhurst, the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce and Explorers’ Edge is demonstrating how Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) investment and regional tourism co-investment can deliver practical value to local businesses.
Supported by a $25,000 Gravenhurst MAT contribution and an Explorers’ Edge co-investment, the project brings together consumer marketing, travel package development, business support and visitor research. At an open community update on September 23, the partners reported on the work completed since their first business sessions on June 4 and invited operators to help shape the next phase.
The campaign has generated familiar measures of tourism marketing performance: more than 654,000 ad impressions and 11,000 unique link clicks as of September 21. A September travel package contest generated 487 leads. The pilot takes a further step by connecting that interest to bookable local experiences and using the results to guide what businesses and the destination develop next.
“The value of this pilot is that we can follow the work beyond an ad click,” said James Murphy, CEO of Explorers’ Edge. “We’re learning what travellers want, helping businesses build experiences together, giving operators assets they can use themselves and asking whether that interest becomes bookings and local spending. We’ve kept the process open with businesses from the first sessions through this mid-project update, and we’ll continue to share both the results and what we need to improve.”
Early outcomes include:
- Four Gravenhurst experiences in market, connecting accommodations with attractions, outdoor activities and local food, with further package development underway for winter, spring and summer.
- A dedicated consumer audience and 487 contest leads, providing insight into travel interests, preferred package prices and trip-planning timelines for future promotions.
- Visitor exit surveys and geofencing analysis that businesses can use to understand who visits, when tourist demand is strongest and how nearby repeat customers contribute to year-round activity.
- Business-facing marketing support, including campaign assets and tools that help participating operators promote experiences through their own channels.
- Tourism Tip Tuesday, led by the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce, providing practical hospitality ideas for local businesses and front-line teams.
- Four-season photo and video development with Gravenhurst-based Coastline Films, creating content for destination promotion and participating businesses’ marketing.
The visitor findings show why the pilot’s research matters. Among the first 38 exit survey respondents, 80% stayed at least one night and 92% were returning visitors. Geofencing analysis found that people living within 40 kilometres accounted for about 24% of unique visitors but nearly 63% of visits in one data set. Together, these findings can help an operator plan summer weekend capacity, reach travellers from farther away or develop offers for nearby customers who return throughout the year.
This approach reflects Explorers’ Edge’s regenerative tourism work: developing experiences with local operators, encouraging visits across seasons and businesses, and leaving the community with stronger marketing assets and better information for future decisions. Campaign reach and leads are early indicators; package sales, operator feedback, overnight visitation and local spending will be important measures as the pilot continues.
Explorers’ Edge has shared project information and invited feedback throughout the pilot. Businesses and residents can review the June project update, Investing in Gravenhurst Tourism and the September mid-project update, Three Months of Work and What It Means for Local Businesses.
Businesses interested in future packages can contact info@explorersedge.ca. Operators interested in the upcoming Gravenhurst film and photography work can review the current opportunities and participation process.
