Tourism Opportunities Forum

📍 Centennial College Event Centre in Scarborough (937 Progress Avenue)
📅 December 8, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Understand | Engage | Navigate

Ontario's destinations and municipalities increasingly recognize tourism as a driver of economic prosperity, investment and community vitality. But translating tourism ambition into successful projects requires more than market potential, available properties and strategic plans. It also requires understanding the communities where development takes place.

Tourism growth can bring new opportunities, but it can also generate concerns about housing, infrastructure, congestion, environmental impacts and community character. Even well-planned investments can encounter unexpected opposition, creating challenges for municipal leaders, tourism organizations, developers and local businesses.

We'll explore what it takes to move promising ideas forward, attract investment and build destinations that benefit both visitors and the communities they call home.

How can communities build support for tourism growth before challenges arise? And how should leaders respond when development ambitions encounter public resistance?

This one-day conference will explore the role of resident sentiment, community engagement and municipal leadership in shaping successful tourism development. Through expert insights, practical examples and interactive discussions, participants will examine how to:

Understand their communities: Identify resident priorities, perceptions and concerns that influence attitudes toward tourism development.

Build community readiness: Engage residents, councils, businesses and other stakeholders early to strengthen trust and inform better development decisions.

Navigate opposition and competing interests: Respond effectively when projects face resistance, public controversy or unexpected challenges.

Advance responsible tourism investment: Balance economic opportunity with community well-being, ensuring tourism development delivers meaningful local benefits.

Participants will leave with practical approaches they can apply in their own communities, whether preparing for future tourism investment or navigating a challenging development issue today.