Windsor-Essex not the 'best kept secret' for long, as tourism makes GTA push

The secret is out about Windsor and Essex County's abundance of wineries and natural attractions.

Drivers along Toronto's Gardiner Expressway — including Windsor Morning's Nav Nanwa on a recent visit — would have noticed billboards promoting the region's wineries. A recent BlogTO article touts the attractions of Point Pelee.

It's all part of a new push from local tourism agencies to bring GTA residents down Highway 401 to Windsor.

Jason Toner, director of marketing for Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island (TWEPI), said the buzz first started during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"A lot of (people) gravitated towards Windsor-Essex, they never heard of it before and then we just continued to see that buzz build as they're coming down and learning about ... all those kind of hidden gems," Toner said. "We're leaning into that and then leveraging our marketing dollars to hopefully drive traffic down this year.

"We're putting our dollars where the audience is coming from."

Toner said programs include working with GTA-area content creators to share their adventures in the region with their audiences at home, as well as articles and advertising campaigns sharing attractions like the local winery scene or Point Pelee.

TWEPI is also working with Destination Ontario to kick off an advertising campaign aimed at Michigan, Ohio and upstate New York.

More people than ever are visiting TWEPI's website, even more than pre-pandemic, Toner said. Brampton, Mississauga, London, Toronto, Hamilton and Montreal are all in the top 10 cities from which people are visiting TWEPI's website.

"Everyone talks about that pent up demand of wanting to go somewhere and you know it's just we're riding a good buzz of, 'we're new, we're different, we're more affordable to explore,'" he said.

'Amazing' experience in Essex County for GTA bird watcher

Kate Bieletka recently moved to St. Catharines from Poland, and discovered birding when she arrived in Canada. She heard about Point Pelee's birding scene from a neighbour, her local birding community and from websites touting the region for its exceptional birding.

She visited for the first time last weekend, and said she had an "amazing" experience.

"Actually what really amazes me is how the event (was) well prepared for all the bird watchers," Bieletka  said. "There is lots of information at the visitor centres, but not only that, people were really willing and openly sharing all their spotting of the birds and it was an amazing experience."

WATCH: Point Pelee birders in awe of willow ptarmigan

Bieletka said she found it easy to get accommodations, even during peak birding season, though for next year she'll plan ahead even further to have more options for guided tours.

But in her experience, people including their tour guide, went out of their way to make sure they had a good experience.

"They've actually been very friendly, very patient and extra motivated to make this experience memorable once they learned that we are newbies to to birdwatching and to Point Pelee."

Essex County an affordable destination amid inflation

Inflation can certainly inform where people decide to travel, said Joanne Wolnik, executive director of the Southwest Ontario Tourism Corporation, which has also done recent advertising about Windsor and Essex County.

People might be looking to the region as a more affordable alternative to farther-flung destinations, Wolnik said, adding a survey shows almost half of people think travel is more important to them now than it was before the pandemic.

"It's not just the opportunity to have a change of scenery, but it's everything that comes along with that, whether it be learning about new things, spending time with loved ones, family, friends," said Wolnik. "Although we're seeing the impacts of inflation and how that's impacting spending patterns, luckily travel is still very much valued.

"Cost and value of a trip is still critically important and a big factor when booking trips."

For locals fearing an influx of travelers making your favourite spots crowded and inaccessible, Wolnik said that too is something they take into consideration when looking at marketing throughout the year.

"We want it to benefit local communities. We never want to do it at the expense of local communities," Wolnik said.

She said that could look like pulling attention to less-frequented Ontario parks during the peak summer travel season when popular parks are packed, she said as an example.

"What we want to do is focus on when people aren't coming so that we can create more balance, Wolnik said. "We always want them to be seen as that visitor economy is contributing in a really positive way both to the economics, the social environment and never at the expense of the environment."