Beaver Valley Sustainable Tourism Strategy

Grey County has worked with partners to develop the first sustainable tourism strategy and three-year action plan for the Beaver Valley Corridor. This corridor runs north from the village of Flesherton through the Niagara Escarpment, through the communities of Kimberley and Eugenia to the town of Thornbury.

Grey County is a renowned four-season tourism destination. The popularity of our region is growing year over year as visitors discover our beautiful scenery and unique offerings, but visitor amenities and tourism infrastructure are limited. The Beaver Valley is a cherished corridor within the County and it is important to our communities that this region is respectfully enjoyed. It’s also important to understand the value the Beaver Valley holds. Project partners recognize the need to frame tourism development and management in a way that balances the economic, social/cultural, and environmental needs and opportunities for tourism, while responding to and recognizing visitor needs.

The Beaver Valley Sustainable Tourism Strategy was supported by Grey County Council on October 26, 2024 and the Municipality of Grey Highlands and the Town of The Blue Mountains at meetings in November. 

Strategy

Staff Report October 2023

Strategy Recommendations

The strategy has been developed over several months and following robust engagement with partners, landowners, community members, interest groups and service clubs in and connected to the Beaver Valley corridor. 

This strategy is all about balance. There are only two strategic opportunities for a reason. Both sides are equally important and will take incredible attention and resources to achieve. Project partners understand that our sphere of control is limited, so the opportunities and goals are meant to focus on our roles and responsibilities, while also leaning on others who will play an important role in collectively realizing the shared vision.

1. Partner alignment and collaboration
2. Tourism development

Strategy Objectives

The Beaver Valley Sustainable Tourism Strategy and supporting action plan was developed to address the following objectives:

1. Understanding the background and context surrounding tourism in the Beaver Valley Corridor.
2. Gathering insight, input, and feedback from a diversity of stakeholders.
3. Identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges for tourism in the Beaver Valley.
4. Co-creating a sustainable tourism strategy with a long-term vision for the Beaver Valley Corridor and confirming actions for the coming years.
5. Establishing a clear understanding of the roles, responsibilities, and resources needed to implement an action plan.

Strategy Process

Several factors inform the need and timeliness for this project, including considerable growth in recent years, planned re-development of significant properties in the Beaver Valley, and infrastructure and space constraints. These factors require action to mitigate negative visitor impacts and resident conflicts.

The project involves four phases. We are currently wrapping up Phase 2.

     Phase 1: Project Initiation, Management, and Communications (complete)

     Phase 2: Research and Engagement Planning (complete)

     Phase 3: Market Research and Landscape Assessment (complete)

     Phase 4: Strategy Development and Implementation Planning (complete)

Several categories of stakeholders have engaged across the project. This includes, but is not limited to, visitor-facing businesses, residents from rural areas across the corridor, community groups, and tourism organizations and partners active in the area.

Strategy Endorsed By Partners

The Beaver Valley Sustainable Tourism Strategy has been supported by all four project partners, Grey County, the Municipality of Grey Highlands, The Town of The Blue Mountains and Regional Tourism Organization 7 (RTO7). Partners are working together to begin implementing the plan. 

Partners

Grey County, the Municipality of Grey Highlands, the Town of The Blue Mountains, and Regional Tourism Organization 7: BruceGreySimcoe partnered and received funding from the Province of Ontario to develop the Beaver Valley Sustainable Tourism Strategy and three-year action plan.

The project partners engaged Bannikin to facilitate the research and strategy development process. Bannkin is a Canadian-based professional services company operating in the tourism space and specializing in strategy, development, and public relations. As part of their strategy and development work, Bannikin relies on community-based and participatory research to inform decision-making around capitalizing on tourism development and management opportunities.