Visit our consumer facing website
This website represents Northern Ontario through a magazine-spread style website. Rich in content, the portal is comprised of stories from across the North about our signature landscapes and priority experiences.
Destination Northern Ontario's main goal in its marketing activities is to increase awareness of Northern Ontario as a travel destination and increase conversion in target markets.
Destination Northern Ontario engages consumers through its content program:
- 4 million annual visits to Northern Ontario Travel.
- Domestic traffic to the portal is up 13% YoY with the largest contributor being the GTA.
- 4.2 million visits to partner sites.
- Indigenous content (84+%) and paddling content (22+%) continue to be emerging products of interest across all markets.
- In 2023-24 the Trip Planner tool achieved over 6,000 itineraries downloaded and 125,000 visits, contributing to a 61.5% increase in page views and a 91% increase in itinerary downloads.
In the pursuit of elevating tourism receipts in Northern Ontario, Destination Northern Ontario is set to adapt it's strategies in response to new travel insights and trends emerging in Ontario.
Destination Northern Ontario invests approximately $2 million annually in marketing the region through partnerships, sub-regional marketing activity and pan-northern campaigns.
Destination Northern Ontario works with over 12 travel associations, communities and destination marketing organizations throughout the region to market its priority products and experiences; touring, angling and hunting, culture and heritage, nature and adventure hit domestically, in transborder markets and internationally.
During 2023-24, Destination Northern Ontario leveraged the $3.9 million investment by MTCS to over $9 million in tourism programming.
The organization's e-commerce platform, SimpleRes, demonstrated remarkable growth, with online reservations surging from 1.5 million in the previous fiscal year to approximately $2.1 million in 2023-24. This substantial increase reflects the continued recovery and growth of the tourism sector in Northern Ontario.
Destination Northern Ontario engages consumers through its content program:
- 4 million annual visits to Northern Ontario Travel.
- Domestic traffic to the portal is up 13% YoY with the largest contributor being the GTA.
- 4.2 million visits to partner sites.
- Indigenous content (84+%) and paddling content (22+%) continue to be emerging products of interest across all markets.
- In 2023-24 the Trip Planner tool achieved over 6,000 itineraries downloaded and 125,000 visits, contributing to a 61.5% increase in page views and a 91% increase in itinerary downloads.
Learn more about our marketing strategy
Destination Northern Ontario's Marketing Strategy is a multi-year document that guides pan-northern and sub-regional marketing activities that align with the Framework for Tourism in Ontario from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.
Discover our marketing partnerships
We leverage upwards of $2.2 million in tourism marketing investment in our region each year. Find out how we are currently marketing through pan-northern partnerships.
Our digital asset library
Destination Northern Ontario’s digital asset library offers a diverse collection of images showcasing Northern Ontario's destinations, experiences, and attractions. To access the library, please click below.
Success Stories
"Destination Northern Ontario's initiatives and continued support have played a major role in increasing the length of stay and spend in Northwestern Ontario. The economic development impacts of it's work are visible in the increased visitation in our businesses and communities, and in the increase in public and private investment in tourism infrastructure over the past 6-7 years. Not happy to remain status quo, DNO continues to strategize and plan for continued development, always looking beyond the present to a future vision of economic growth for the north. They are an integral piece of our economic and tourism development in our region, and our organization would likely not survive without them. The upward growth of Northern Ontario’s tourism sector would certainly stagnate if not for DNO’s hard work and support. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.”
- Dan Bevilacqua Executive Director, Superior Country
