Elgin-St. Thomas Tourism has provided three separate contributions of $2000 to support local festivals and events.
The County of Elgin and City of St. Thomas encourage groups to celebrate the area’s unique culture by holding special festivals and events in the County and City. In support of this goal, the Community Festival and Event Partnership Program (CFEPP) offered contributions to community groups that take it upon themselves to organize festivals and events that are economic drivers for the community.
Successful applications for 2011 included: Port Stanley CanFest, The Elgin County Railway Museum’s Railway Nostalgia Weekend, and Culture Days at the Arts & Cookery Bank. Applicants selected best met the Elgin-St. Thomas Tourism Marketing Plan goals of increasing the number of people that visit the area, increasing the duration of their stay, and increasing the money that they spend while in Elgin-St. Thomas. Using the Province’s Tourism Regional Economic Impact Model, the County’s Economic Development Department determined that the supported events had a total economic impact of $595,677 for the Elgin and St. Thomas economy.
"Support for these type of festivals and events is extremely important," said Economic Development General Manager Alan Smith, "They generate significant economic gains by attracting visitors from outside the area who spend their dollars in Elgin and St. Thomas."
The Community Festival and Event Partnership Program has successfully been in operation for two years and Elgin-St. Thomas Tourism hopes to offer the program again in 2012.
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