Tourism Strategy | Municipality of Kincardine

Project Overview

The Municipality of Kincardine is developing a Tourism Strategy to guide how tourism grows and evolves in a way that supports residents, strengthens local businesses, and enhances the visitor experience.

The strategy is being informed by input from residents, visitors, businesses, youth, and special event organizers through surveys and tourism conversations taking place throughout the summer and fall of 2026.

Tourism Survey Closed September 14, 2026

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Tourism Strategy Survey. The feedback and data collected will help inform the development of the strategy and guide future tourism priorities in the Municipality of Kincardine.

The next step is to bring this input together through sensemaking workshops in November 2026, helping identify key themes, opportunities, and priorities to inform the draft Tourism Strategy, expected in December 2026 or early 2027.

Why this project matters

Tourism is one of the three main economic pillars in the Municipality of Kincardine and an important part of our community identity.

Visitors support a wide range of local businesses and contribute to our economy. Using Statistics Canada’s tourism industry definitions through Lightcast Analyst, Kincardine’s tourism sector supports over 800 jobs, $16.5 million in wages, and more than $85 million in sales.

As we develop a new Tourism Strategy, data from the public survey will help inform the work by identifying what is working well, where opportunities exist, and what matters most to our community.

The Tourism Strategy will help guide:

Shoulder season tourism opportunities
Sustainable tourism practices
Tourism investment and partnerships
Experiences across the Municipality
Growth that reflects our community values

Whether you live here year-round, run a business, organize events, or visit often, your perspective will help inform the future of tourism in Kincardine. Together, we can build a strong and sustainable tourism future that supports our economy, protects our assets, and fosters community pride.

Tourism Strategy

Developing a Tourism Strategy for the Municipality of Kincardine

The strategy is being informed by input from across the community. A range of engagement activities are taking place throughout 2026 and into early 2027:

Visitor, resident, business and special event surveys: July 1 to September 14, 2026
Youth surveys: August 2026
Tourism conversations: August to October 2026
Sensemaking sessions: November 2026
Draft Tourism Strategy: December 2026 or early 2027

Feedback gathered through the surveys, conversations and other engagement activities will be brought together during the sensemaking sessions to identify key themes, opportunities and priorities for the Tourism Strategy.

Resident Survey - Closed September 14

As a resident, you experience our community every day. You know what makes it special, where it thrives, and where there may be pressures or opportunities for improvement. As the Municipality developed its Tourism Strategy, resident perspectives helped inform how tourism can enhance quality of life, reflect shared values, and contribute positively to a strong and vibrant community.

Residents were invited to share their perspectives on what was working well, what could be improved, and what they would like to see in the future. This feedback will help guide tourism priorities, investments, and how tourism evolves in a way that builds local pride and community support.

The Tourism Strategy Resident Survey was open from July 1 to September 14, 2026. Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate and help shape the future of tourism in the Municipality of Kincardine.

Visitor Survey - Closed September 14

Whether you visited the Municipality of Kincardine for a day, a weekend, or a seasonal stay, your perspective helped inform the development of the Tourism Strategy.

Visitors were invited to share what brought them to the Municipality, what they enjoyed, and where there may be opportunities for improvement. This feedback will help guide future tourism experiences, services, and amenities, while supporting our community and protecting what makes this place special.

The Tourism Strategy Visitor Survey was open from July 1 to September 14, 2026. Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate and help shape the future of tourism in the Municipality of Kincardine.

Business Survey - Closed September 14

Local businesses are at the heart of tourism in the Municipality of Kincardine, and their insight was an important part of developing the Tourism Strategy.

Businesses were invited to share their experiences, opportunities, and challenges, including seasonal demand, staffing, marketing, collaboration, and visitor trends. This feedback will help shape a more sustainable and resilient tourism economy.

The Tourism Strategy Business Survey was open from July 1 to September 14, 2026. Thank you to all the local businesses that took the time to participate and share their perspectives.

Special Event Organizer Survey

As we develop a new Tourism Strategy, we want to hear directly from special event organizers. Events are a big part of attracting and shaping the visitor experience.

Your input will help us strengthen collaboration, enhance the visitor experience, and explore opportunities to grow and diversify events throughout the year in a sustainable way that is aligned with community priorities.

Currently there are two opportunities to share your input:

1. Share your thoughts by completing our Tourism Survey specifically tailored for special event organizers. Complete the survey today!
2. Join us for an online roundtable discussion on:

Date: Thursday, September 17, 2026
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: online - RSVP

A link for the online roundtable discussion will be sent with registration confirmation closer to the event day.

We look forward to working with you to create a Tourism Strategy that supports a vibrant, prosperous, and sustainable future for the Municipality of Kincardine.

What we heard

Data Sensemaking Workshops

Over the past several months, we have been gathering input to help shape the Municipality of Kincardine’s new Tourism Strategy through surveys, conversations and engagement with residents, visitors, businesses, special event organizers and other community partners.
Now it’s time to make sense of what we heard.

You are invited to participate in a Tourism Strategy Data Sensemaking Workshop, where we will bring together the information collected and work collaboratively to identify the key themes, insights and opportunities that should help shape the strategy.

During the workshop, we will explore questions such as:

What is the data telling us?
What stands out or surprises us?
Where are we seeing common themes, opportunities or tensions?
What should we protect, improve, grow or change?
Based on what we heard, what should our tourism priorities be?

The goal is not simply to review the results, but to work together to turn the data into meaningful insights and begin identifying the strategic priorities and potential actions that will guide tourism in the Municipality of Kincardine over the coming years.

Your perspective and experience will be an important part of that conversation, and we hope you can join us.

Tourism Strategy Data Sensemaking Workshops:

Choose one date that works well for you and register today.

Sunday, November 8, 2026
2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Municipal Administration Centre - Council Chambers
Monday November 9, 2026
6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Davidson Centre – Miller room
Thursday November 12, 2026
7:30 to 9:30 a.m.
Municipal Administration Centre - Council Chambers

Register for a Sense Making Workshop

Contact the Project Team

Lorie Fioze
Manager, Strategic Initiatives
Municipality of Kincardine
519-396-3491 x 7145

Kirston Zandwyk
Tourism Coordinator
Municipality of Kincardine
519-396-3491 x 7160

Project Partners