Tourism Industry
With 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
- Outstanding dining scene with a growing local foods component
- 20+ museums and galleries
- Over 600 historical designated sites
- Year round line-up of festivals and events
- Premier accommodations and food service providers
- Motivated and skilled labour force
Core Attractors Include:
- Fort Henry National Historic Site of Canada - part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- 1000 Island Boat Lines
- Bellevue House (home of Canada's First Prime Minister, Sir John A Macdonald)
- Canada's Penitentiary Museum,
- The K-Rock Centre, 6800 seat sports & entertainment complex
- The Grand Theatre, 800 seat Performing Arts Centre.
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 and beverages, 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. [Source: Statistics Canada]
Additional Tourism Statistics for Frontenac County can be obtained through the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture's website.
 | To learn more about Kingston's thriving tourism sector, please visit the Tourism Kingston website for an overview of industry offerings.
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:
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© 2005 - 2013 KEDCO
