Tourism marketing investment

CORNWALL – Cornwall and Seaway Valley Tourism received a $76,500 investment from the federal government on Friday.

The funds are for a marketing campaign to promote tourism in the local area for winter activities.

Guy Lauzon, MP for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, made the announcement.

“Our government is committed to creating jobs and supporting the people, communities and businesses of southern Ontario,” said MP Lauzon. “These types of investment will continue to stimulate the economy today and help our local tourism industry.”

“These are significant funds for us,” said Mike Lalonde, executive director of Cornwall and Seaway Valley Tourism.

The marketing funds will be used for television, radio and newspaper advertising in Montreal, western Quebec, Ottawa, Hawkesbury and northern New York to promote the area as a weekend getaway destination.

While Alight at Night promotions have wrapped up for this season, Lalonde says they are working to promote some of the other wintertime activities such as the area nature trails available for snowshoeing and cross country skiing, snowmobiling, and when the time comes, the opening of various sugar shacks around the region.

The funds are from the government’s Southern Ontario Development Program, which  was established to promote economic development, economic diversification, job creation and sustainable communities in Southern Ontario. Overall funding for the SODP is $100 million in 2009-10.