Join us for the return of the 1000 Islands Binational Tourism Summit, a one-day event focused on fostering cross-border collaboration and driving sustainable growth in destination communities. This unique summit – the first since border restrictions were lifted – will bring together tourism operators, policymakers, and stakeholders from both the U.S. and Canada to discuss key issues and opportunities facing the region.
The summit will feature a series of dynamic speakers addressing the pivotal role of tourism in supporting right-sized growth in our regional cross-border communities. Attendees will gain valuable insights into innovative workforce recruitment solutions tailored to the needs of the tourism sector.
The summit will offer ample networking opportunities, allowing participants to connect with peers, industry leaders, and policymakers across the border. Attendees will also receive important updates from U.S. and Canadian border law enforcement agencies, providing a better understanding of cross-border regulations and policies affecting travel and tourism.
Be part of this exciting conversation and help shape the future of tourism in the 1000 Islands region!
Event Details:
- November 13, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Doubletree by Hilton, Kingston Ontario
- U.S. rate booking link
- Canadian rate booking link
Program Highlights…more to come!
Future of Vibrant Communities Through the Visitor Economy
Josiah Brown, Famous Destinations
Understanding and embracing our role as visitor economy managers to sustain and propel destination vibrancy. Successfully welcoming – and managing! – visitors to drive small business success, retain youth, develop workforce, manage housing and support industry.
Sponsored by Jefferson County Economic Development
Cultivating a Tourism Workforce:
Shifting from Recruitment to Development
Fatima Finnegan, Vice President, Workforce Initiatives & Industry Relations, Ontario Restaurant, Hotel & Motel Association.
Session host, Kelly Brintnell, Tourism Advisor, Brockville Tourism
The challenges with recruiting and retaining leisure and hospitality staff predate the Covid-19 outbreak. Long maligned as low-paying and low-quality tourism jobs have been a hard sell for decades and the challenges have only grown since 2020, when all industries are challenged across the globe with finding and retaining workers. In this curated – and interactive – session, attendees will hear straight-talk from a tourism employment veteran and learn about proven solutions that transcend the border and are applicable in Ontario and New York. Attendees will guide the conversation through interactive mobile device polling throughout the session.
Kelly Brintnell of Brockville Tourism and formerly the Ontario Tourism Employment Corporation, will curate the discussion with Fatima Finnegan, a hospitality leader with more than 30 years of industry experience and a proven track record with positive contributions to the hospitality industry. Her hospitality management background includes experience from Holiday Inns, Venture Inns, Crowne Plaza, Travelodge Hotels & Quality Inn properties.
Sponsored by WPBS
Short-term Rentals: properly integrating non-traditional lodging into tourism
Andrew Siegwart, President and CEO, Tourism Industry Association of Ontario
Mark Dorr, President, New York State Hospitality and Tourism Association
Krista LeClair, Executive Director, Kingston Accommodation Partners
Short-term rentals are a significant player in the tourism industry even if they’re not as fully integrated as traditional lodging options such as hotels when it comes to regulations and taxation. This session will feature reports from Albany and Toronto on the current state of short-term rental regulation and taxation in New York and Ontario as well as a look at their impact within our region. The panel will then discuss the future of integrating short-term rentals into the tourism and travel space as a full fledged sector the same as traditional lodging, attractions, restaurants and experiences.
Border Crossing Update
Facilitating travel through our binational destination is a 24-hour-a-day job, and both the United States and Canada have made investments to more securely and efficiently process visitors across the international border. During lunch, learn about the latest crossing requirements and best practices for not only land crossing but also water arrivals, check-in phones and more.
Kurt Tennant, Assistant Port Director, Passenger Operations, Area Port of Alexandria Bay, NY
United States Customs and Border Protection officially opened its new state-of-the-art Port of Entry located on Wellesley Island, New York, on July 19, 2022. The main goal of the $215 million expansion was to increase efficiency and improve traffic flow at the country’s sixth busiest crossing; the port processes nearly 600,000 passenger vehicles each year.
“The biggest features of this new facility are the increased space created for queuing traffic and the additional booths to process passenger, cargo and bus traffic. The new port was built about 300 yards south of the old facility. The old port was so close to the border line that there was never any room to queue the vehicles during high volume traffic. This has always caused traffic issues and delays to our neighbors to the north,” said Assistant Area Port Director Kurt Tennant.
Canadian Border Services Agency, Lansdowne, Ontario, Port of Entry
Programs that Work: Learning from Across the Border
We highlight two creative programs that tackled a regional tourism challenge that transcends the border. We’ll examine the challenge and dive into the nuts and bolts of how solutions were created and executed as well as their success. While regulations and programs differ from New York to Ontario, the challenges are the same and solutions might just be found learning what your neighbors across the border achieved.
North Country Tourism Loan Fund
Michelle Capone, Director of Regional Development for the Development Authority of the North Country
More than $2 million in low-interest loans has been distributed to Northern New York tourism operators since 2013 via a unique program that originated locally, was funded at the state level and is administered via a regional public benefit corporation, all with local oversight. This creative approach assists with financing to keep tourism businesses up-to-date and meeting the needs of today’s travelers. Learn how it started, how it’s going and be inspired about future reinvestment in our local tourism businesses on both sides of the border.
Experience Ontario
Mia Robertson, Tourism Regional Development Advisor, Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming
The Province of Ontario directly supports festivals and events that motivate visitors to travel. Similar to New York’s Market NY Events Grant Program, Experience Ontario has been a rousing success. Join us as we examine the impact of provincial investment in local events, how the program is constructed and the types of events that are most often funded. This presentation will inspire applications and should provide inspiration for New Yorkers who are looking within the state for festival funding.
Sponsored by Drum Country New York
1000 Islands International Tourism Council Program Update and Preview
Corey Fram, Director of Tourism
Learn how the Council leverages technology, contemporary marketing tactics and data to market the greater binational 1000 Islands region. Learn about direct advertising-spending attribution, travel trade tactics and plans for 2025 and beyond.