Investigate the feasibility of expanding the Economic Development Department to include a tourism and culture division for the Town of Innisfil.

• Timeline: 2024
• Status: In Progress
• Progress: This strategic action item is contingent upon additional staff support which has not yet received budgetary approval.
• Impact: While dedicated tourism resources have not yet been approved, staff successfully achieved $25,000 in tourism related grants in 2025. This allowed the Town to begin building tourism related photo and video inventories, develop an Innisfil Tourism Strategic Plan and Asset Map, and host Innisfil's first Tourism Summit.

Hire an additional economic development staff person to support the development and implementation of the Township’s economic development agenda.

• Timeline: 2025
• Status: In Progress
• Progress: The consideration of additional staff for the Economic Development Department was considered through the 2025/2026 budget and was not considered by Council to be corporate priority at that time. This will be raised for consideration once again through the 2027/2028 budget.
• Impact: To be determined.

Undertake a hotel or accommodation feasibility study to evaluate the success of a hotel and related businesses (bed and breakfasts, campgrounds, recreational vehicle parks, and vacation rentals) in Innisfil. The study can also explore the viability of Innisfil as a destination for alternative accommodations through unique experiences such as farm stays, bed and breakfasts, glamping and cycle pods.

• Timeline: This action is targeted to begin in 2026.
• Status: Not yet initiated.
• Progress: This strategic action item is contingent upon additional staff support which has not yet received budgetary approval.
• Impact: Impact to be presented on project completion.

Make tourism, culture, and economic development integral to all key decisions made by Town Council and Staff Administration by adding a new section to staff reports to address “Economic Development Considerations”.

• Timeline: This action is targeted to begin in 2026.
• Status: Not yet initiated.
• Progress: This strategic action item is contingent upon additional staff support which has not yet received budgetary approval.
• Impact: Impact to be presented on project completion.

Develop a tourism and culture logo and branding guidelines to establish a cohesive marketing approach.

• Timeline: 2025
• Status: Complete
• Progress: Three internal visitor and consumer targeted brands and logos have been developed to support tourism related promotional activities.
• Impact: In 2025 two of the three brands were employed. The "Taste of Innisfil: Relax. Refuel. Repeat." brand was used on a new Lakeside Dining Campaign which resulted in more than 400,000 marketing impressions and more than 9,700 engagements.  The "Shop Innisfil: Your Daytrip Destination" brand was used for a holiday shopping campaign that resulted in 155 engagements at the "Shop Innisfil" photo booth. As a result of undertaking this work internally, a total of $75,000 in Capital Funding remained unspent and can be reallocated elsewhere.  

Engage with the artists, creative entrepreneurs, and artisans to understand their business needs in order to support business, retention, expansion and attraction within creative and cultural industries.

• Timeline: 2025
• Status: Complete
• Progress: The Innisfil Tourism Strategic Plan and Asset Map project was initiated in 2025 and members of the arts and culture community were invited to attend and provide insights during the community consultation exercise. 
• Impact: The community consultation for this resulted in 36 attendees and 147 "votes'' through the in-person community consultation exercise and 40 online survey responses. Members of the local business community and in particular the arts and culture community were invited to take part in a Placemaking Initiative in the Spring of 2025. Approximately 19 local businesses and artists took part.

Use market segmentation data to enhance marketing and promotion of Innisfil’s tourism and culture assets.

• Timeline: This action is targeted to begin in 2026.
• Status: Not yet initiated.
• Progress: In 2025 geofencing data was compiled to better understand visitor patronage at Innisfil destinations and places of origin. A total of four key destinations were reviewed resulting in valuable data which will guide future marketing efforts.
• Impact: A total of four key destinations were reviewed resulting in valuable data which will guide future marketing efforts. As a result of new marketing efforts there were approximately 10,963 visits to the Town's new tourism webpages.

Leverage technology to engage visitors in self-guided exploration and activities along with visitor service activities.

• Timeline: This action is targeted to begin in 2026.
• Status: Not yet initiated.
• Progress: This strategic action item is contingent upon additional staff support which has not yet received budgetary approval.
• Impact: Impact to be presented on project completion.

Establish an Innisfil Tourism Network and develop destination development tools and marketing materials to attract the desired target market segments.

• Timeline: 2025
• Status: In progress.
• Progress: The Innisfil Tourism Strategic Plan and Asset Map project was initiated in 2025, and members of the arts and culture community were invited to attend and provide insights during the community consultation exercise. 
• Impact: This resulted in the creation of a new Innisfil Tourism Network. Currently 53 stakeholders have been identified as participants of this network. In 2026 staff intend to develop terms of reference and membership guidelines to formalize this network.

Leverage Innisfil Beach Park and private agricultural lands to provide tourism and value-add agri-tourism experiences such as Farm to Table dining experiences, rural event venues, farmers market snack boxes.

• Timeline: This action is targeted to begin in 2026.
• Status: Not yet initiated.
• Progress: This strategic action item is contingent upon additional staff support which has not yet received budgetary approval.
• Impact: Impact to be presented on project completion.

In partnership with the County, leverage Rural Economic Development (RED) programs to explore funding and programs that can support downtown revitalization efforts and the upgrading of tourism wayfinding infrastructure. Signage should showcase the unique identity of Innisfil’s neighbourhoods while providing a cohesive brand for the Town of Innisfil.

• Timeline: This action is targeted to begin in 2026.
• Status: Not yet initiated.
• Progress: This strategic action item is contingent upon additional staff support which has not yet received budgetary approval.
• Impact: Impact to be presented on project completion.

Work with Tourism Simcoe County to market unique attractions within Innisfil, speak with existing tourism providers in Innisfil to understand the value proposition and what is needed to further support tourism.

• Timeline: 2025
• Status: In progress.
• Progress: The Innisfil Tourism Strategic Plan and Asset Map project was initiated in 2025.
• Impact: Staff were able to successfully secure 4 grants totalling $25,000 in funding to support the development of tourism related initiatives. In November 2025 Innisfil's first Tourism Summit was held whichresulted in 36 attendees and 147 "votes'' through the community consultation exercise.