Community. Culture. Pride. Powered by (local) tourism

I spent the first half of my life in Oshawa, Ontario. 

The ‘Shwa was a blue-collar city back then (still is, I guess). Where everybody knew at least one person who worked at General Motors of Canada. 

It was a city that lived and breathed the automotive industry. It wasn’t a tourism destination. 

But in some ways, many of my childhood memories are linked to local tourism experiences.

Memory making is placemaking

In the ‘90s, the City of Oshawa hosted the GM Picnic, an annual fair along the waterfront. It had everything. Rides and games, food trucks, live music and performances, you name it.

My whole family would go. Same with most families from Oshawa and the surrounding communities. As we got older, my friends and I would meet up and act like wildlings, eating popcorn and ice cream and spinning the tea cup ride so fast at least one of us got sick.

Everybody loved the GM Picnic, everybody looked forward to it. I’ll never forget it.

Another example is R.S. McLaughlin House (aka Parkwood National Historic Site), Oshawa’s very own mansion. It’s featured in television shows like The Handmaid’s Tale and movies like X-Men and Billy Madison. (FYI: several of my cousins were extras in Billy Madison.)

An aunt worked in the Tea Room of the estate, so my mom took me there often. The place is astounding and the grounds are incredible. It blew me away. 

I tell people about the McLaughlin House to this day—like right now—and I haven’t lived in Oshawa for 20+ years. 

What goes around, comes around

The more I think back, the more I find tourism tied to great childhood memories. From exploring Sandbanks Provincial Park and sliding down the ice at Winterlude to attending my first concert at a Detroit amphitheatre (Doobie Brothers btw).

Each is considered a tourism asset to those individual destinations, and each memory is woven into my life experience. They all had an influence on my lifestyle and left a lasting impression.

Point being, don’t underestimate tourism’s impact at the local level. Not only is it an economic driver and job creator, but it’s a culture maker and community connector, as well.

Which is exactly why it’s so important to empower the communities you work with or operate in. Because a cyclical relationship exists within each destination, where tourism benefits from the community and the community benefits from tourism.

A lotta local love

It’s safe to say the industry has moved into the era of "Destination Stewardship." Because a place can’t welcome guests properly if the hosts (aka the locals) aren't bought in.

The experiences that shaped my childhood didn't happen by accident. They were the result of an active visitor economy funding local placemaking. 

We know tourism dollars often keep heritage sites like the McLaughlin House preserved. We also know they help cover infrastructure upgrades to support waterfront festivals like the GM Picnic. 

And we also have hard data to back up the cultural ROI.

According to a landmark study by Destinations International, investing in local tourism acts as a direct catalyst for broader economic development in a community, improved local quality of life, and a stronger "sense of place" for residents. 

In short, when you build a great place to visit, you inherently build a great place to live. (You also build a great place to work, which we boldly communicated in the Work Doesn’t Suck campaign for the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario.)

Hometown pride as a KPI

Today’s industry treats "resident sentiment" as a key performance indicator akin to hotel occupancy rates and visitor spending. Basically, tracking local impact has become a mandate for Destination Marketing Organizations.

Look at recent data from the Canadian Tourism Data Collective. Destination Canada’s Resident Sentiment Annual Report tracks how Canadians feel about tourism in their own backyards, while the Tourism’s Wealth and Wellbeing Index measures how the visitor economy improves the vitality of host communities.

This proves local approval is a critical metric for sustainability. The reason: a destination's long-term viability is at risk if local communities don't directly benefit from the visitor economy.

Three strategies to earn local buy-in

So, how do destinations turn everyday residents into proud, vocal ambassadors? By showing them exactly how local communities and cultures are supported by tourism.

1. Promote within your own backyard

Don't just prioritize your ad budgets in visitor markets. Run localized be-a-tourist-in-your hometown type of campaigns to remind residents of the incredible experiences right down the street.

We did something similar with Tourism Kingston and the Our City is Your City campaign, where we leveraged traveller data around visiting the United States. Many were rebooking vacations closer to home due to political tensions, so the campaign positioned Kingston as a welcoming place to rediscover Canadian history and culture. 

2. Celebrate the adjacent impact

Clearly communicate the ‘invisible’ benefits of tourism to the public. If a municipal accommodation tax helped fund a new community recreation center, or visitor revenue saved a cherished arts festival, make sure the community knows it.

Need an easier way to report and remit accommodation tax in your destination? Check out ottomat, built by Alphabet® for municipalities, DMOs, and accommodation providers.

Beyond infrastructure, remind residents how the visitor economy supports conservation efforts, acts as a vehicle for Indigenous reconciliation by supporting Indigenous-led programs, and preserves cultural heritage that boosts civic pride.

3. Invite them to the table

You can't build a sustainable tourism strategy for the community without building it with the community. Establish town halls and resident advisory boards so locals have a direct voice in how their home is shared with outsiders.

Stakeholders can’t be ignored when building a tourism brand. It’s why we take the time to consult with residents, business owners, and local leaders during projects for clients. Like the rebrands we led for the Town of Prescott and the Downtown BIA in Ottawa.

Get closer to the heart

There’s a lot of pomp in tourism marketing and advertising. A lot of attention given to marque attractions, brand name destinations, and the visitors who experience them.

But tourism’s ultimate strength is found closer to the heart. It’s the impact it has at the local level. It’s the culture of the place and the people who live there, who take pride in their community and are eager to share it with others.

Want to build a destination that locals love and visitors crave? At Alphabet®, we help tourism brands uncover the stories that foster community pride and visitor appeal. Let's chat about working with your destination.