Cornwall Tourism Development Fund

The Cornwall Tourism Development Fund (TDF) was established in 2019 to support efforts to grow the tourism economy in the City of Cornwall. The Tourism Development Corporation of Cornwall (TDCC) exists to administer the TDF and support tourism development in the city of Cornwall.  The TDCC is independent of the City of Cornwall municipal government and operates at arms length from it. The TDCC is governed by a Board which is comprised of 3 members who have no direct connection with the tourism industry. It is supported by the advice of the TDF Advisory Committee, whose 11 members have experience with tourism related enterprises and activities.

The TDF is funded by the Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT), charged to visitors on hotel or inn stays at a rate of 4% of the total room cost.  The MAT is collected by the City of Cornwall from the hotels and inns quarterly. The City of Cornwall and the TDCC operate through a service agreement to administer the MAT funds.  The service agreement states that the City will provide 50% of the MAT collected in the previous year, less a 10% administration fee to the TDCC to administer through the TDF. (10% administration fee is collected and retained by the City on the full amount, then the net is divided 50/50 between Cornwall Tourism and the TDCC) The City will also provide the Tourism Coordinator to act as a resource to assist in administering the fund.


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Additional Application Resources

Definitions

Cornwall Tourism Marketing Plan 2020

2020 – 2025 Tourism Strategy

Signed Service Agreement

Funding Agreement

Terms and Conditions

Applications may be made for specific events, activities, tourism businesses and new tourism infrastructure development. Funds may be requested for a project as a whole, or for a specific sub-project that will add value to the overall project.

To be successful, applicants must meet the criteria set out in the guidelines and follow the application process.  Applications are to be submitted on a per project basis.  There is no limit on the number of applications one organization can submit, however only 1 application may be submitted per project per year. Recurring events, example Farmer’s Market every Sunday for the season, should be submitted as 1 project.

Applications must be received a minimum of 75 days prior to the project commencing.

Applications are submitted and reviewed on an ongoing basis

There will be a 10% hold back of all funds awarded, that will be released upon satisfactory submission of a follow up report.  If a follow up report is not submitted, the applicant will be in jeopardy of ineligibility of approval for funding for a minimum of 12 months post follow up report due date.

Please note the Tourism Development Fund is a discretionary program with a limited funding allocation. In some cases, a project that meets all program criteria may not be approved for funding as other projects may more effectively meet the criteria.

All funding shall be for future projects.  Retroactive funding will not be considered.

All awarded applicants will be required to;

  • Sign a Funding Agreement outlining the terms of receiving the funds
  • Submit a follow up report a maximum of 120 days post project completion. 10% hold back of funds will be released upon satisfactory submission of the follow up report.
  • Acknowledge the support of the Tourism Development Fund in advertising and media efforts and display where appropriate in any publicity the Fund’s logo which will be made available to the applicant.

Successful applications made for a new tourism infrastructure development will be required to provide basic follow up details for a minimum of 5 years following the funding to allow the TDCC to measure the contribution to the tourism industry over time.

City of Cornwall Application policy

Applications will not be received where the City of Cornwall is the primary applicant, unless the application is for a potential anchor attraction or another significant tourism asset development.  Applications where the City of Cornwall is a partner, but not the main applicant will be received and evaluated on the same basis as all other applications.

Application Guidelines

The project must take place in, or demonstrate a significant impact on the city of Cornwall. Projects must be able to demonstrate their ability to increase tourist attendance, overnight stays and visitor spending in Cornwall.  Details on how the project will be marketed outside the city and to potential tourists will be required, as well as any innovative strategies for improving the quality of the project or increasing visitor attendance and spending.

Projects must be financially responsible and should not count on the TDF for the success of their project.  Receiving funds once does not guarantee funding in the future.

Applicants will be required to demonstrate how the funds will be used.

Applications that are requesting funds each year for an annual event are encouraged to highlight any new features and how the event intends to grow, or why it has reached its capacity.

Funding Allowances

Festivals and Events

1 Day max $5,000

2 Day max $10,000

3 Plus days max $25,000 ($15,000 max for repeat applicants)

Tournament

Local / regional = Max $7,500

Provincial/ national/international = Max $25,000 ($15,000 max for repeat applicants)

Conference / Convention

Local / regional = Max $5000

Provincial/ national/international = Max $10,000

New Start-Up business or New tourism asset for an existing business

Max = $25,000

Second application tourism business

Max = $15,000

Criteria

Mandatory Requirements

Applications must be able to demonstrate that the event, activity, product or infrastructure development (project) meet all the following conditions;

  • Has the potential to draw tourists to the area, keep tourists in the area longer and or make the tourists experience positive and memorable
  • Is complementary to the Cornwall Tourism Strategic Plan
  • Will enhance the profile of Cornwall

Criteria for Evaluation

Applications meeting the mandatory requirements will be reviewed and evaluated by the TDF Advisory Committee, and the TDCC Board using a scoring matrix based on the following criteria;

  • Description of the project (business, event, tournament etc.)
  • Marketing and other efforts used to draw tourists to the area
  • Economic impact on the city and overnight stays
  • Capacity for increased; tourist spending, profile or exposure of Cornwall, and or tourism assets
  • Professional and experienced personnel / organizer(s)
  • Sound budget and business strategy / plan

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To discuss any concerns or questions during the application process please contact:

Amy Malyon
Tourism Development Officer
City of Cornwall
100 Water Street East
Cornwall, ON
K6H 6G4
613-930-2787 ext. 2285
amalyon@cornwall.ca

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