Muskoka Tourism Marketing Agency (MTMA) permanently closed the Highway 11 Visitor Centre (342 ON-11, Kilworthy) on October 10th,2022.
Each year the Visitor Centre had seen a steady decline in the number of visitors and requests for information, with a 75% decline in visitation since 2015.
This significant decline is due to several factors including the growth of smartphones and internet access to assist with GPS navigation and increased pre-planning prior to arrival in Muskoka.
With the closure of the Visitor Centre, MTMA will reallocate the saving towards innovative marketing tactics to key markets to attract more visitors to the region.
MTMA will also support each Township’s Chamber of Commerce visitor centre along with high-traffic spots like resorts and attractions with print and digital resources to encourage visitors to move
around the different communities in the region.
“It’s a competitive market to ensure travellers choose us as their destination of choice and we need to create innovative and impactful marketing campaigns to grow our awareness and leads to our tourism operators. MTMA is focused on maximizing our funding along with fostering strategic partnerships to create campaigns that showcase Muskoka as the must-experience destination in Ontario every season of the year,” commented Val Hamilton, Interim Executive Director of MTMA.
The lease agreement for the building was a two-part agreement between MTMA, the District of Muskoka, and the Town of Gravenhurst (Gravenhurst) with the termination of the lease effective April 1, 2023.
MTMA will enter a lease agreement with the Muskoka Airport in early 2023 for a small office space for the organization that will be used exclusively for administrative purposes.