Tourism Industry

Aerial View of Kingston Ontario CanadaWith our central location in Ontario on the shores of Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River and Rideau Canal and rich history as the first capital of a United Canada's, Kingston is a true destination city in Canada.  Tourism investment in the community is essential to the delivery of year-round product offerings for the existing community and visitors

The community boasts numerous assets to support the thriving tourism sector:

  • history and culture as Canada's newest UNESCO designated World Heritage Site
  • waterfront access and amenities - from big lake to country streams
  • an abundance of greenspace and natural parkland
  • a thriving downtown arts and entertainment district ranked one of the best in North America
  • 20+ museums, galleries and national historic sites
  • year round line-up of festivals and events
  • premier accommodations and food service providers
  • motivated and skilled labour force

Tourism marketing and development activities focus on the position of Kingston as a destination of choice for visitors, sports events and businesses in the areas of:

  • Leisure Travel with focus on heritage, culture, culinary, art and natural resources
  • Travel Trade
  • Meetings & Conferences
  • Sport Tourism

Kingstonomics

In 2007, 2.4 million visitors went to Frontenac County. Of these visitors:

  • 1.2 million (50%) stayed in the area for one or more nights and the balance,
  • 1.2 million (50%) made a same-day visit to Frontenac County.

The top trip-activities engaged in by overnight visitors to Frontenac County in 2007 were:

  • Shopping (69%)
  • Sightseeing (55%)
  • Visit Friends/Relatives (54%)
  • Any outdoor sport activity (49%)
  • Historic Sites (37%)
  • National/Provincial Nature Parks (33%)
  • Boating (32%) Bars/Nightclubs (28%)
  • Museums/Art Galleries (25%)
  • Fishing (23%)

Same-day and overnight visitors spent $333,338,000 in Frontenac County on tourism-related expenditures/categories including lodging, food andbeverages, transportation, entertainment, and retail during 2007.

The $333,338,000 million in spending by Frontenac County generated $262,525,000 in direct, indirect and induced contributions to gross domestic product (GDP), $163,030,000 of labour income and salaries and, 4,678 part-time, fulltime and seasonal jobs. Total taxes generated as a result of visitor spending in Frontenac County reached $144,085,000 including $8,511,000 in municipal taxes that accrue to Frontenac County

 To learn more about Kingston's thriving tourism sector, please visit the Tourism Kingston website for an overview of industry offerings.

For more information on Kingston´s tourism industry, please contact Rob Carnegie, Director of Tourism Marketing & Development or John-Paul Shearer, Director of Business Development at the Kingston Economic Development Corporation.