Report to Rapport au: Finance and Economic Development Committee Comité des finances et du développement économique 5 July 2016 / 5 juillet 2016

Transcription

1 1 Report to Rapport au: Finance and Economic Development Committee Comité des finances et du développement économique 5 July 2016 / 5 juillet 2016 Submitted on June 28, 2016 Soumis le 28 juin 2016 Submitted by Soumis par: Steve Kanellakos, City Manager / Directeur municipal Contact Person Personne ressource: Saad Bashir, Director, Economic Development and Innovation / Directeur, Service de l innovation et du développement économique , x / Saad.Bashir@ottawa.ca Ward: CITY WIDE / À L'ÉCHELLE DE LA VILLE SUBJECT: Ottawa Tourism Summit File Number: ACS2016-CMR-OCM-0025 OBJET: Sommet sur le tourisme d'ottawa REPORT RECOMMENDATION That the Finance and Economic Development Committee receive this report for information. RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT Que le Comité des finances et du développement économique prenne connaissance du présent rapport à titre d information.

2 2 BACKGROUND The City of Ottawa and its partners in the local tourism and hospitality industry have committed to positioning Ottawa as the national epicentre of celebrations for the 150 th anniversary of Canada s Confederation in Significant resources have been dedicated to the creation and delivery of a comprehensive portfolio of events and attractions that will provide a unique celebratory experience in the capital, and increase the influx of tourists coming to Ottawa in 2017 by an estimated 1.7 million additional visitors. In order to ensure that the economic benefits of these investments are sustained beyond 2017, Mayor Watson announced in the 2015 State of the City address that the City would host an Ottawa Tourism Summit that would bring together tourism stakeholders to determine long-term growth strategies for the local tourism sector. Councillor Jean Cloutier (Alta Vista Ward) was appointed Chair of the Summit. Given the economic importance of tourism to Ottawa, the Economic Development and Innovation (EDI) Department was tasked with planning and executing this event. EDI partnered with Ottawa Tourism, the city s Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), to undertake this event. The Economic Club of Canada, an Ottawa-based event planning organization, was retained to assist with the broader logistics of the Summit (e.g., event registration, marketing, venue setup). The Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association and the Shaw Centre sponsored the event. The Ottawa Tourism Summit was held on May 30, 2016, marking the start of Tourism Week in Canada. In total, 281 representatives from the tourism industry, local business community and government attended the sold-out event. DISCUSSION The Ottawa Tourism Summit was held at the Shaw Centre in the Trillium Ballroom. The official program for the day was divided into two parts: the Tourism Outlook Luncheon and the DestinationNEXT Workshop and Long-Term Tourism Strategy Session. Both parts required registration to participate. Part 1 Tourism Outlook Luncheon The luncheon portion of the Summit featured an armchair discussion between Mayor Watson and Michael Crockatt, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ottawa Tourism, and a panel discussion with tourism industry insiders.

3 3 Councillor Cloutier moderated the armchair discussion between the Mayor and Michael Crockatt. The focus of this conversation was on the following themes: identifying Ottawa s strengths as a destination; providing a vision for what Ottawa as a destination will look like in five years; and presenting ideas for what can be done to achieve this vision. On the topic of what sets Ottawa apart as a destination, both Mayor Watson and Michael Crockatt highlighted the city s many attractions, natural beauty, distinct cultural experiences, and sense of community. Looking to the future, Mayor Watson talked about a number of major capital investments that will be coming to fruition over the next five years that will change the face of Ottawa and enhance the visitor experience including: the Light Rail Transit (LRT), making it easier to travel from the east, west and south of the city; the Innovation Centre at Bayview Yards (ICBY), that will act as a magnet for local and international business travellers; the redeveloped and expanded Arts Court, that will provide a new home for the Ottawa Art Gallery; and the beginning of the LeBreton Flats redevelopment, that will provide Ottawa with a new downtown sports and concert venue. Michael Crockatt echoed many of the Mayor s sentiments, and added that there are two particular niches Indigenous tourism and Francophone tourism that Ottawa could be particularly well positioned to take advantage of over the short to medium term. To achieve this vision for Ottawa, both the Mayor and Michael Crockatt talked about the need for partnerships between the City (and other levels of government), Ottawa Tourism, members of the tourism industry, and the broader community. More specifically, Michael Crockatt said that Ottawa Tourism and its partners across the city need to approach the development of Ottawa as a destination the way smart businesses run their enterprises by incorporating unconventional tactics, thinking about brand character, linking with other strong brands that are ideologically aligned, and playing to the destination s strengths. It is this type of creative thinking and these strategic partnerships that will allow the plans for Ottawa s future as a destination to be realized sooner rather than later. Following the armchair discussion, Guy Laflamme, Executive Director of Ottawa 2017, moderated a panel discussion on how Ottawa can best leverage the 2017 celebrations, as well as emerging trends in tourism to build long-term strength in the industry. The panel featured the following speakers: David Goldstein, President and CEO, Destination Canada; Charlotte Bell, President and CEO, Tourism Industry Association of Canada

4 4 (TIAC); Daniel Gélinas, General Manager, Le Festival d été de Québec and the former head of the Quebec 400 th Celebrations; and Katherine Henderson, CEO, Curling Canada. In addition to the aforementioned speakers, the following individuals also provided remarks during the luncheon: The Honourable Bardish Chaggar, Canada s Minister of Small Business and Tourism; Nina Kressler, President and CEO of the Shaw Centre; and Steve Ball, President of the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association. Part 2 DestinationNEXT Workshop and Long-Term Tourism Strategy Session In the lead-up to the Ottawa Tourism Summit, Ottawa Tourism and the City of Ottawa retained the expertise of Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) and InterVISTAS Consulting to undertake an assessment of how Ottawa scores as a tourism destination. The assessment involved an online survey of key stakeholders in tourism, business, education, and government that was conducted in April-May The survey asked questions about governance, attractions, accommodations and visitor experience and was completed by 200 stakeholders impacted by tourism, including businesses, government and academic institutions. The number of responses to the Ottawa survey was the highest of the more than 250 other destinations worldwide that have undertaken this exercise with DMAI. The results of the DestinationNEXT Survey were presented at the afternoon workshop by Paul Ouimet, Managing Director, DestinationNEXT. According to Mr. Ouimet, Ottawa is well-positioned as a tourism destination, scoring higher than many other destinations in the areas of destination strength, which includes attractions and entertainment, events, convention and meeting facilities, brand, national air access, and sports and recreation facilities, and community support, which includes membership strength and support of the local DMO, effective advocacy, and the local workforce. Conversely, the primary perceived challenge for Ottawa as a destination resides in the area of mobility and access (e.g., wayfinding signage). At the conclusion of his presentation, Mr. Ouimet stated that the key strategic challenges for Ottawa in moving forward as a destination will be in avoiding complacency and continuing to evolve the destination to deliver a compelling and authentic marketplace experience. Following the presentation, participants were divided into eight working groups to discuss the results of the research and potential responses. A member of Ottawa Tourism led each of the smaller group discussions, and reported back to the entire

5 5 group at the close of the session. The information gleaned from these discussions will inform Ottawa Tourism s long-term strategic plan. Councillor Cloutier provided the opening and closing remarks of the afternoon workshop. Outcome and Next Steps By all accounts, the Ottawa Tourism Summit was a success. With the luncheon portion selling out, attendance exceeded the expectations of the event organizers. The Summit also generated a great deal of attention in the media, with several news outlets covering the event including CBC/Radio-Canada, the Ottawa Business Journal (OBJ), and Metro News. There was also considerable pickup on social media. For example, the event hash tag Beyond2017 reached 327,901 Twitter accounts, potentially generating exposure to more than 1.7 million users (Source: TweetReach Snapshot for #Beyond2017). Moreover, response from participants was overwhelmingly positive. Moving forward, Ottawa Tourism intends to reflect on the broader strategic implications arising from the DestinationNEXT research, and to develop a strategic plan for tourism in Canada s capital informed by the discussions had during the Summit. The City of Ottawa is committed to working with Ottawa Tourism and its partners in the tourism industry to implement this plan in the coming years. RURAL IMPLICATIONS There are no rural implications to receiving this report for information. CONSULTATION Public consultation was not required as this report is administrative in nature. COMMENTS BY THE WARD COUNCILLOR(S) N/A ADVISORY COMMITTEE(S) COMMENTS Advisory Committees were not consulted as this report is administrative in nature. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS There are no legal implications associated with this report. RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS There are no risks associated with receiving this report for information.

6 6 ASSET MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS N/A FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS There are no financial implications associated with this report. ACCESSIBILITY IMPACTS There are no accessibility implications associated with this report. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS There are no environmental implications associated with this report. TECHNOLOGY IMPLICATIONS There are no technology implications associated with this report. TERM OF COUNCIL PRIORITIES The Ottawa Tourism Summit is connected to the Term of Council Priority Economic Prosperity to promote Ottawa and support growth of the local economy, using Ottawa s unique combination of recreational, social, cultural and business assets, and natural environment and physical infrastructure to attract enterprises, visitors and new residents, while at the same time developing and retaining local firms and talent. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION The following have been submitted as separate documents not attached to this report: Document Annual Report (Ottawa Tourism) Document 2 Rapport Annuel de 2015 (Ottawa Tourisme) Document 3 DestinationNEXT Summary DISPOSITION Economic Development and Innovation will continue to work collaboratively with Ottawa Tourism and its partners in the tourism industry to expand Ottawa s tourism offerings and enhance the visitor experience in the national capital.