There’s S’more to Do in Whitby
Locals are the best ambassadors for tourism, but how do you get local businesses to work together on the tourism offerings in their community and create great tourism products and experiences? To address this challenge, the Town of Whitby began hosting annual Destination Development Networking Events. These events aim to educate industry professionals about the Tourism Strategy implementation by the municipality and create opportunities to identify partnerships and priorities fundamental to shaping Whitby’s visitor economy.
In 2022, the Whitby Tourism Strategy: Destination Whitby was approved, outlining a comprehensive plan to guide the municipality in tourism support, promotion, planning, and development. A key action item is to collaborate with tourism organizations, stakeholders, and businesses through networking events designed to inform, engage, and foster partnerships.
On April 16th, 2024, the Town of Whitby hosted its second annual Destination Development Tourism Networking Event at Dish Play. Over 85 industry professionals attended, including representatives from retail, sports, wellness, culture, education, food and beverage, accommodations, content creators, community partners, and tourism organizations like Durham Tourism and Central Counties Tourism.
The event was titled There’s Smore to Do in Whitby. As attendees arrived, they received S’more to Do branded bags containing an activity kit, a S’more kit (with Thanks for making Smore Memories affixed it to), scannable Destination Whitby key chains and tourism advertising materials. These materials included Whitby Food Guide postcards, Whitby Tourism bookmarks, and window clings. At the entrance, three large tourism banners featuring diverse local photography and the Whitby Tourism tagline “Discover Something New to Enjoy” were prominently displayed.
Whitby’s Mayor, Elizabeth Roy, introduced the event highlighting the pivotal role tourism plays in the town. Manager for Tourism, Lara Toman, followed by presenting Whitby’s 2023 achievements and plans for 2024, culminating in the premiere of the new Whitby Tourism Teaser video. Guest speaker Kenesha Lewis, owner of One More Cocoa, followed shareing her inspiring journey from an online passion project to establishing her gourmet chocolate shop in Downtown Whitby, which earned a spot on Oprah’s Favourite Things list in 2023. Kenesha explained how she draws inspiration from other local businesses to create unique designs and flavours.
After the presentations, attendees enjoyed two of Kenesha’s famous chocolate bon bons (one s’more flavoured) while participating in the networking game “There’s S’more to Do in Whitby.” This collaborative activity aimed to generate new product or experience ideas for Whitby, which were later submitted to the Whitby Tourism team for review.
The event yielded significant outcomes. Connections between staff and industry professionals led to Whitby Tourism materials, such as bookmarks and Food Guide postcards, being displayed in hotel lobbies and at key attractions. Additionally, connections made at the event between a content creator and staff from signature attractions like Thermea Spa Village led to a collaborative Instagram reel, which garnered over 2,000 views. Whitby staff met a representative from the Farm and Founder restaurant at the Royal Ashburn Golf Club – a new restaurant they were not previously aware of. This introduction led to the inclusion of the restaurant in Whitby’s 2024 Food Guide.
Engagement at the event was both inspiring and memorable, showcasing a shared commitment to elevating Whitby as a premier tourism destination. The Destination Development Event successfully engaged, collaborated, and inspired industry partners, reinforcing that there’s S’more To Do in Whitby. The team also looks forward to working with accommodation providers on S’more Kits for visitors that will connect them to the great things to do in our community.
