Grey Highlands council is receiving a report for information today detailing a Beaver Valley Corridor sustainable tourism strategy.
A report is set to come to council on March 1 by Director of Economic and Community Development Michele Harris, recommending receiving it for information.
The report says in December 2020, council authorized staff to move ahead with a collaborative outdoor adventure tourism strategy.
The Municipality of Grey Highlands, Grey County, the Town of The Blue Mountains, and Regional Tourism Organization 7, with funding from the Tourism Economic Development and Recovery Fund, have partnered up to develop the first ever strategy and three-year action plan for the corridor.
“The strategy seeks to find alignment among stakeholders, understanding that biosphere reserves focus on balancing nature conservation with sustainable development for and with communities,” says the report.
The contract to develop the strategy and action plan was awarded to Bannikin in December 2022.
Attached was a report received by Grey County during a meeting on Feb. 23 by Director of Economic Development, Tourism and Culture Savanna Myers.
It says the corridor, located at the southern tip of Georgian Bay, and cuts into the Niagara Escarpment, includes the Bruce Trail, Beaver River, and several natural landmarks like Old Baldy, Duncan Crevice Caves, and Eugenia Falls.
“To date, limited attention has been focused on realizing the corridor’s place as a strategic regional and provincial asset for rural economic development and diversification. As such, an opportunity exists to research and develop a sustainable tourism strategy and three-year action plan,” says Myers’ report.
To achieve this goal, the strategy will address understanding the tourism aspect of the corridor, gathering insight, input and feedback from stakeholders, identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges for tourism in the valley, creating a strategy with a long-term vision of the valley, as well as actions to take in the next few years, and establish what is required to implement these actions.
The report says the project will be split up into four phases, with the team currently in phase one. Phase two, which will also begin this quarter, includes research and engagement planning. Phase three will focus on market research and landscape assessment in the second quarter, with phase four geared toward developing the strategy and implementation planning, which will occur later this year in the third quarter.
The work is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter, with final reports submitted by the end of the year.
Grey county included $50,000 for this project in its 2023 budget, with $40,000 from its partners assisting to offset costs.
Grey Highlands will be reviewing this report during its meeting on March 1 at 10 a.m.