This week, South Georgian Bay Tourism celebrated 45 years of connecting businesses and creating opportunities for local entrepreneurs in the local tourism sector.
George Weider, founder and former president of the organization, was in attendance at a celebration event on Wednesday night (Nov. 8) at Black Bellows Brewing Co., and reminisced about the time he spent getting the organization up and running 45 years ago.
“I, and several other members of the community and municipal leaders – we thought we needed more focus on the Collingwood and Blue Mountain area. We had tourist associations at the time...but these were large organizations for larger areas. We wanted to focus on the advantages of our area – the mountain and the bay,” said Weider.
“It was an opportunity to bring municipalities together,” he said. “There’s been a continuous improvement in that relationship over the last 45 years.”
“Now, there are a lot of young people bringing new energy to the area.”
South Georgian Bay Tourism was incorporated by Weider and a group of volunteers in 1978, then as the Jozo Weider Tourist Information Centre. In 1982, the organization became the Georgian Triangle Tourism Association, changing names again to South Georgian Bay Tourism in 2016.
“In the beginning, it was a brick-and-mortar information centre to funnel people from the ski slopes. Jozo realized this area was way more than just a ski destination,” current executive director Melissa Twist told CollingwoodToday. “He wanted to be able to capture that.”
Over the last 45 years, Twist says the organization has worked to expand what the South Georgian Bay area is known for.
“There’s still such a misconception that this area is just a ski destination. It truly is a four-season destination,” said Twist. “We have amazing culinary (attractions) and culture. There are things to see and do year-round.”
These days, South Georgian Bay Tourism serves as an education organization serving the Town of the Blue Mountains, Clearview, Collingwood, Meaford and Wasaga Beach. Boasting more than 200 members, the organization works to support local tourism operators and help them to make connections as a group.
“We support them in so many different ways. We’re a community for them to be able to get together,” said Twist.
With the region split up between five municipalities across two different counties, Twist says one of the challenges can be meeting all the operators where they are.
“There’s a lot going on with five municipalities and two counties to bring them together, but we’ve been doing it for 45 years and I hope to see another 45,” she said.
Weider says that while he now considers himself retired and no longer takes an active role in the organization, when he looks to the future of tourism in the region, he sees opportunity.
“We continue to have more people moving up. There are always new opportunities,” he said.
