On this month's newsletter of "Working Together":

• Tourism Chatter: new partnerships & celebrations
• 2023 Tourism Awards are OPEN
• Register Now: Tourism Season Kick-Off meetings
• Tourism Innovation Grant Applications open until March 1st
• Attend OSW's Virtual Workforce Week
• OSW Tourism Conference is less than a month away!

• Beachville Museum is a finalist in Ontario Southwest's 2022 Tourism Innovation Awards for Innovator of the Year. Congratulations Beachville Museum! Read the news release here
• A romantic collaboration between Golspie Dairy and Habitual Chocolate for Valentines. Habitual Chocolate is selling hand rolled truffles made with Golspie Dairy Crowdie in 6 different flavours. Golspie Dairy is selling jars of chocolate crowdie, made with Habitual Chocolate..YUM
• Woodstock Art Gallery has teamed up with five local restaurants (sixthirtynine, Charles Dickens, Ironworks Kitchen, Finkle Street Tap & Grill, & Crabby Joes Bar & Grill) to provide a creative experience that combines local cuisine and artful activities - tickets are still available
• We have been working away on Lillordag, aka Little Saturday; the Swedish tradition of celebrating midweek. It is a way to step away from the day to day, pausing when the day is done. We've got some great partners participating in this promotion: Indigo Lounge, Early Bird Coffee, Habitual Chocolate, Dwell Urban Boutique, Olde Bakery Cafe, Two Guys and a Whisk, Kintore Coffee Co., Coyle's Country Store, Brickhouse Brewpub, Woodstock Art Gallery and Noods Pasta!

Do you have news to share? Email Emily

The Oxford Tourism Awards are back this year! Apply before March 31st, 2023!

Nominate yourself using our online forms OR nominate a business you admire, and we will follow-up with them to fill in the blanks on the nomination form. This year's award categories are as follows:

• Tourism Partnership Award
• Best New Tourism Product Award
• Special Event of the Year Award

Join us for a 1 hour virtual session to learn about Tourism Oxford’s plans and partnership opportunities for 2023.

Each kick-off meeting will share details about:

• 2022 highlights and the annual business plan
• Trends in the industry and target audience
• New opportunities for marketing and other partnerships
• Training and workshops for the year
• Programs:
• Oxford Fresh
• Rural Routes
• Destination Making (NEW in 2023!!)
• Photo and Video Partnerships

Make sure you sign up and attend one of the virtual sessions below!

The Oxford County Tourism Innovation Grant is back for another year! Tourism Oxford has teamed up with Community Futures Oxford and Rural Oxford Economic Development to award three grants of $3,000 to local businesses that will develop or expand tourism experiences in Oxford County in 2023.

With growing interest in domestic travel destinations, it is important to offer exciting and innovative visitor experiences to motivate longer stays and increase year-round visits. The Oxford County Tourism Innovation Grant encourages businesses to consider growing revenue through tourism.

Businesses that meet the eligibility criteria are invited to apply for the Oxford County Tourism Innovation Grant by March 1, 2023. 

To inspire your application, read about our 2022 grant recipients here.

Spending time learning is an investment! That's why Ontario's Southwest (OSW) is bringing you a virtual Workforce Week dedicated to presenting topics that are important for tourism operators to know.

To ensure these important workshops are accessible for all budgets, OSW is covering the cost so that it's free for to attend any of the sessions. Sessions include:

• Content Creation: from the Small Business Perspective
• 2SLGBTQ+ Diversity and Inclusion: Creating a Welcoming & Accessible Workplace
• HR Practices to Attract Talent in a Competitive Market
• Financial Literacy: Introduction to Revenue Management

Don't Miss Out on the Southern Ontario Tourism Conference!

The 2023 Southern Ontario Tourism Conference (SOTC) will be presented by both Ontario’s Southwest (OSW) and Hamilton Halton Brant Regional Tourism Association (HHBRTA) from March 6-8, 2023!

This conference will be offered both in-person and virtually. However, there is a maximum capacity of 250 for the in-person conference. If you wish to attend in-person, we recommend purchasing your tickets soon!

• You Need to Know This - Previous Newsletter
• Tourism Innovation Grant, networking events, inclusive tourism and social media resources
• Check out our Resources Page for some valuable information - Learn more here

• Tourism Industry Association of Ontario - Sign Up
• Ontario's Southwest Industry Newsletter - Sign Up

Your cheerleaders in Tourism,

Emily, Karlee & Meredith

Tourism Oxford | 519-539-9800 x3355 | tourism@oxfordcounty.ca |

Consumer website: www.tourismoxford.ca

Industry website: www.oxfordcounty.ca/business-in-oxford/tourism

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