Stratford Sport Tourism Strategy

In the summer of 2022, the City of Stratford partnered with investStratford and Destination Stratford to develop a comprehensive Sport Tourism Strategy that will help to strengthen Stratford's appeal as a sport hosting destination, and maximize the benefits of our tourism economy.

The project, funded by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario via RTO4, assessed the City’s current tourism assets, gathered information through public consultations and provides a strategy for growth and next steps.

The Sport Tourism Strategy project aims were to:

• determine the economic impact, and the size and scope of existing sport tourism opportunities – including an inventory of capital assets (infrastructure) and human assets (volunteer groups, local sport associations)
• explore the potential to expand those existing opportunities and to identify new areas for growth, complete with financial and socio-community impacts, effects and outcomes
• consider and recommend technology tools that link sport bookings to tourism assets, amplifying the visitor experience with local retail, food/beverage and accommodation providers
• provide a needs analysis for growth and potential funding opportunities

Public and stakeholder engagement occurred in the fall of 2022 to help inform the final Stratford Sport Tourism Strategy, which has been presented to City Council, and is now available in the Documents section at right.

This project is funded by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.