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For immediate release | 19 May 2017
HEADWATERS TOURISM LAUNCHES 2017 REAL HEADWATERS CAMPAIGN:
150 REALSONS!
On Thursday, May 18th Headwaters Tourism hosted a celebratory party at the Caledon Ski Club for friends, partners and businesses who make Headwaters Ontario's premier (and most award-winning) tourism destination.
The occasion: well, Canada is celebrating its 150th birthday, and we decided a party was in order to launch our 2017 Real Headwaters campaign: 150 Realsons. Timed to coincide with the release of the 2017 edition of the multi-award winning Headwaters Four-Season Visitors' Guide in the Globe & Mail, the party provided a chance to tell guests about the dozens of people, places, experiences and treasures that make Headwaters where Ontario gets real!
Close to 200 invited guests, from all across the province came to join in the celebration. Dignitaries included representatives from Dufferin-Caledon MP David Tilson's office; and representatives from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism Culture & Sport; Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs; Ministry of Economic Growth & Development; the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation; a number of Regional Tourism Organizations; and the Culinary Tourism Alliance. Headwaters was also extremely well represented by municipal representatives from the Town of Caledon, County of Dufferin, Town of Mono, Town of Shelburne, Town of Erin and Town of Orangeville, as well as tourism industry stakeholders and partners from across Headwaters.
Highlighting the campaign launch was a Headwaters 150 Realsons video that began with the CBC's "150 Facts About Canada in 150 Seconds" (hosted by CBC Arts host Amanda Parris), followed by a fast-paced, entertaining video, "150 Realsons To Visit Headwaters This Year".
Each year the most anticipated moment of the launch is when the cover image of the 2017 Headwaters Four-Season Visitors' Guide is revealed. This year that honour went to Orangeville comedian, Michael McCreary (aspiecomic.com). Michael was unable to attend the event (he was in Whitehorse, as part of his 2017 North American comedy tour), but joined guests via video as he opened a package from Headwaters revealing that he was the one who "made the cover".
Each year Headwaters introduces the "faces & finds" for the upcoming season and this year 19 new faces joined the list, and 25 new finds were highlighted as part of the campaign. These people and products are the "real" Headwaters deal and showcase the events, happenings and experiences that make a visit to the region essential, this year more than ever as we celebrate Canada's 150th.
The 2017 line-up of "faces of Headwaters" include:
While Headwaters Tourism has highlighted over 150 Realsons that make the region special, the campaign will be turning it over to visitors and residents over the remainder of the year to tell us their Realsons. The Headwaters team will be at events over the summer, and will be asking people to share their messages, photos and videos directly since there really is no better time than 2017, when we celebrate this great country of Canada, to tell us about your Headwaters experience.
As the launch event came to a close, it seemed more than fitting that guests joined Noni Thomas (one of the faces of Headwaters for 2017) in a moving and heartfelt rendition of O Canada.
Headwaters Tourism produced 80,000 copies of the Headwaters 2017 Four-Seasons Visitors' Guide, distributed throughout southern Ontario in the Globe & Mail, and available at locations throughout the Headwaters region. The Guide was created by East Garafraxa's own Touchwood Design, with principal photography by Caledon's James MacDonald.
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For further information please contact:
Michele Harris, Executive Director, Headwaters Tourism
Office: 519.942.0314 | 800.332.9744 - extension 201
Cell: 519.215.2771
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Headwaters Tourism is the recognized destination marketing organization for the Headwaters region of Ontario, providing tourism services on behalf of the regional tourism industry and on behalf of our municipal partners in Dufferin County and the Towns of Caledon, Mono, Shelburne & Erin.
It's 45 minutes from Toronto. It's where Ontario gets real.
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