City Wins Award for Tourism Initiative

At the Destination Northern Ontario Summit held in Sault Ste. Marie this past November, the City of Greater Sudbury was presented with the Industry Leader for Workforce Development and Training Award for its Tourism Familiarization (FAM) Tours.

This award recognized three Sudbury Tourism Customer Service FAM Tours held in 2018.  FAM Tours are trips organized by travel providers to educate and promote the destination’s products, attractions and services.

“I want to congratulate City staff for receiving this award in recognition of their hard work and success in delivering our FAM tours,” said Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger. “Growing our local tourism industry is something we’ve made great strides in over the last number of years and City Council wants to continue to bolster and showcase all that Greater Sudbury has to offer as a Tourism destination.”

As part of the award-winning FAM Tours, staff worked with local tourism partners to visit activity centres, attractions and local businesses in the community. Employees at each stop updated groups on the upcoming tourist season, and participants sampled the sights, sounds and taste experiences of Greater Sudbury.

“Our FAM tours are one example of the many initiatives led by the City’s Economic Development division to promote Greater Sudbury,” said Meredith Armstrong, Acting Director of Economic Development for the City of Greater Sudbury. “The Customer Service FAM tours are designed to get outside Tourism industry leaders and organizations excited about what we have to offer in our community.” 

These recent FAM Tours helped generate new business for participating partners, with one business receiving bookings within days of the tour.

The most current data from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport indicates that Greater Sudbury had 1.25 million visitors in 2016, with total spending estimated at $193 million.

The Northern Ontario Tourism Summit offered more than 24 workshops and sessions specifically designed to increase sales and marketing efforts, enhance tourism products and prepare for workforce development challenges.

For more information, visit www.northernontariotourismsummit.ca.

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