Niagara-on-the-Lake is synonymous with “wine country,” but the well-known tag line won’t be part of the town’s first official tourism strategy despite a recommendation by the town’s tourism committee, as well as a consultant hired by the town, to include it.
“When you hire a consultant and bring in a bunch of really well-known tourism experts as the committee … it is odd for a municipality to then not take the advice,” said Tim Jennings, executive director of the Shaw Festival, who was part of the tourism committee. The committee worked on the strategy for more than a year.
”The thing in common to all of us is wine country,” said Jennings, noting the festival’s tag line of “Great theatre in the heart of wine country.”
“That is how all of our customers from across the tourism industries know this area now, like Sonoma Valley, like some of the great wine regions in France,” he said. “And so we wanted to focus in on that.”
Council passed the revised strategy in April with a vision statement that read, “Niagara-on-the-Lake is an extraordinary destination, known for its natural beauty, food and wine, and unrivalled cultural experiences.”
The phrase “extraordinary wine county destination,” had been removed in favour of “food and wine.”
Jennings said he understands that council members want to be more inclusive, but said council has never fully explained how removing the “wine country” tag line will help the town reach its tourism objectives.
Yet that vision statement will be key to how the town’s independent marketing organization, Tourism NOTL, will spend it’s half of the millions that Niagara-on-the-Lake has allocated to the organization as part of the municipal accommodation tax, which is charged on hotel and motel stays as well as any other short-term accommodation.
The tax has brought in nearly $4.75 million since it was introduced in 2022. The town has yet to access the funds but will use its half of the money to spruce up infrastructure such as public gardens, parks and sidewalks, said the town’s Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa. Tourism NOTL received its half of the accommodation tax for the first time last year.
The funds, together with the town’s new tourism strategy and vision statement, will give the organization a much broader marketing focus than just “wine country,” said Zalepa, noting the region is also renowned for its orchards, national parks, historic sites, the Shaw Festival and historic heritage areas.
“In any marketing strategy you need to identify who your customer is and what messages will entice them to come and visit,” said Zalepa. “This broad strategy the town has created gives the marketing agency, Tourism NOTL, this broader envelope to work under.”
Craig Youdale, the dean of Niagara College’s school of culinary arts, said a slogan “can be an opportunity to identify yourself from others in a competitive field, especially if the tag line is unique,” and that it doesn’t have to capture everything a town has to offer.
Some critics see the all-inclusive tag line as watering down a brand that has the potential to attract tourists in the same way as the world-renowned vineyards of Napa Valley in California. The wine region uses the tag line ”Cheers, The Good Life,” to emphasize its wineries, as well as experiences such as sunrise balloon rides or “simply savouring a glass of cabernet with friends overlooking a spectacular view.”
”Niagara-on-the-Lake — it’s a world-class wine region and destination,” said Vincent Ong, the vice-president of government and industry relations for Niagara’s Peller Estates winery, who says the area has more than 40 wineries, 9,500 acres of vineyards, as well as amazing culinary experiences and luxury accommodations.
“But I think leading with being a world-class wine-producing region has always been the catalyst,” said Ong. “And it’s a base that when you combine with those other amazing offerings, it’s what makes the region stand out and differentiated.”
The vision statement in the official tourism strategy doesn’t mean the tag line “wine country” can’t be used.
“I don’t think the wineries will give it up,” said Ong. “I think it’s imperative to our prosperity as an industry. And again, we think of it as our competitive advantage.”
