The Burlington Chamber of Commerce hosted the 2023 Burlington Summer Tourism Kickoff with the Honourable Minister Neil Lumsden on June 13, 2023, at the Art Gallery of Burlington.
Tourism plays a crucial role in the economic development of any municipality.
“Tourism is a powerful economic engine that drives growth, creates employment opportunities, encourages cultural exchange, and preserves our heritage,” says MPP Natalie Pierre.
The Ontario government continues to invest in local arts and the creative economy, supporting the Art Gallery of Burlington, Drury Lane Theatrical Productions, Burlington Performing Arts Centre, among others. Additionally, the government has invested in the Royal Botanical Gardens, Ireland House, Freeman Station, and local festivals like Burlington’s Ribfest and the Sound of Music, according to Pierre.
For example, the province has provided more than $1 million dollars in funding to the Sound of Music Festival since 2018.
Under the leadership of Minister Lumsden, the provincial government continues to support festivals and events across the province, while generating tourism spending, and a positive economic impact.
Cole Horncastle, the executive managing director of John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport, shared some remarks prior to Minister Lumsden’s introduction. Tourism is certainly making its comeback following the decline in travel due to the COVID pandemic. According to Horncastle, air travel specifically is rebounding after noting an increase of 158% in passenger volume in 2022, in comparison to the volume in 2021, with most of that travel occurring between July and December of 2022. When comparing these numbers to 2019, Horncastle says that the volumes reached about 85–90% of that of 2022, and he is anticipating those pre-pandemic 2019 levels to be reached again in 2023.
As Hamilton’s airport continues to grow, they will soon be travelling to key destinations that include Iceland and Europe, with flights connecting to London, Paris, and Amsterdam. They also welcomed back seasonal partners Sunwing and Air Transat in 2022, allowing travellers to reach popular sun destinations, while maintaining their relationship with their year-round partners WestJet and Swoop.
Last month, the airport began their $46.9 million dollar expansion and sustainability project, widening taxi ways, strengthening and expanding the airfield, and increasing de-icing capacity, among others.
Minister Lumsden, elected in 2022, serves as the Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sport. While new to the political role, Lumsden is not new to the tourism, culture, and sport industry. As a retired professional football player who was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2014, Lumsden has spent a great deal of time assessing plays and implementing strategic attitudes to foster meaningful results, be it physical wins or reflective actions. These mindsets have proven to be exceptionally transferrable to all industries.
Lumsden speaks of his “philosophy of win.” To “win” is not to win in a traditional sense, according to Lumsden, but rather implementing a strategy that helps to navigate challenges as they come up, and to develop appropriate solutions. He believes that through this philosophy, which happens to be an acronym that stands for “What I Notice,” we can focus on the little things that impact the overall bigger picture, as that will lead to success. These little things that are noticed can provide opportunities for change and adjustment, and that is what tourism has done.
He does go on to say that the culture component is behind a bit — more specifically the culture of sport and the direction it is taking. Lumsden says that it is within his mandate to change sport culture for the better, and demonstrate a more positive impact moving forward.
For example, Ontario Soccer is going to trial putting bodycams on officials as a result of the harassment received from parents, which is mindboggling for Lumsden as a former professional athlete. Mindboggling because a few full-grown adults are simply incapable of composing themselves in the heat of the moment during a child’s sport. This is the culture component he speaks of that currently lacks and he encourages everyone to do their part, and help with make a positive change.
“Make a difference, in some way, some shape,” encourages Lumsden.
Memories are created and economies thrive through tourism. Tourism, culture, and sport generate $70 billion dollars in economic activity in the province, according to the minister.
The event wrapped up with remarks from the chair of Tourism Burlington, and the executive director of the Sound of Music Festival, Myles Rusak, followed by a tour of the festival grounds.
“Burlington has heart,” says Rusak, who refers to his direct experience with organizations that are volunteer-driven — and more specifically, his own interactions with the Sound of Music Festival volunteers. This year, they have 1,200 volunteers, and last year, these volunteers put in over 6,000 hours to execute the free festival at Spencer Smith Park.
The Sound of Music Festival is Canada’s largest free outdoor festival, and is generously supported by the City of Burlington and the province of Ontario. The festival kicked off on Thursday, June 15, 2023, and wrapped up on Sunday, June 18, 2023.
This year’s bands featured Men Without Hats, Default, Saliva, The Struts, Lindsay Ell, I Mother Earth, Crash Test Dummies, and many more.
