22-05-2025
Town of Innisfil hosts ‘Fall Tourism Challenge' to attract more visitors to the area
The Town of Innisfil Economic Development Office has challenged local businesses to a new Fall Tourism Challenge to attract more visitors to the area.
Anna Kowalczyk-Slowy started up her Bubbly Bites business out of her Innisfil home just a couple of months ago. She offers mobile charcuterie carts for any kind of event.
'There's ups and down's but you definitely have to take the mindset piece. It's a growth mindset. You just keep going, you don't give up,' shared Kowalczyk-Slowy.
Anna Kowalczyk-Slowy
Anna Kowalczyk-Slowy started up her Bubbly Bites business out of her Innisfil home just a couple of months ago. She offers mobile charcuterie carts for any kind of event on May 22, 2025. (CTV News / Rob Cooper)
To help promote local businesses like Bubbly Bites and encourage more tourists, the town has launched a new fall tourism challenge. All winners will be highlighted in a new produced campaign in the fall.
'Essentially what we are trying to do is drive more visitor spending and more visitors to the Innisfil thought the creation of fall experiences, shared Laura Thompson with the Town of Innisfil.
The challenge encourages local business to create new experience packages in collaboration with other businesses in the area. Something that may help bring more people to the town for more than one reason.
'We have a huge opportunity in front of us right now. Historically, we have seen a lot of visitors want to go to the United States for their vacations. Now, we see Ontario is looking inward in terms of Ontario locations and Innisfil is very well situated to capture some of that spending,' Thompson continued.
About one million people visit Innisfil every year. The waterfront, the casino and Friday Harbor are a few of the big attractions.
The entrance to Gateway Casinos
The entrance to Gateway Casinos in Innisfil, Ont. on April, 26, 2024. (CTVNews/Mike Lang)
Bradbury Small Farm raises and sell's it's own beef, pork, chicken and turkey. Teaming up with another local business to offer a days worth of events for visitors is something they are interested in trying out.
'It's just a great way and an opportunity to bring visibility to everyone so people might be here at my farm buying stuff not realizing there's an antique store around the corner or a café in town. They can get a coffee or head to a flower shop right? Having us all work together brings visibility to all of us, said Jeanette Bradbury from Small Farm.
The Innisfil challenge will select the top 12 experiences to be promoted through a new dedicated marketing campaign in September and October.
