Dear Members and Partners,
I was recently reading, “The day we will always remember from here on is the day the world stopped travelling”. These are challenging times for the global tourism industry and we are not the exception. Since I started as President of Tourism NOTL I have been talking of how essential the tourism value chain is for our town.
Now that the world has stopped travelling and we can “enjoy” the deafening silence of a grounded planet we will realize how crucial Tourism is to our economy and quality of life.
We should be soon preparing for the recovery because nothing lasts forever and together we will come out of this stronger.
There is a lot more to come from your Chamber and Tourism NOTL team. The value of our industry will be even more apparent in the recovery phase.
I have also read “travel is the most progressive expression of human curiosity”. I have no doubt that Niagara-on-the-Lake’s tourism industry will recover and we will bounce back once again as one of the best destinations in Ontario and Canada.
As a membership based organization we are not immune to the hurt everyone in tourism is going through.
Our hearts and thoughts go out to the people who have been affected by the coronavirus and we appreciate and thank the healthcare workers and communities that are on the front lines working to contain the COVID-19.
We acknowledge our members challenges for their businesses and employees. We also acknowledge our visitors stress that comes with the uncertainty of cancelling or rebooking existing travel plans.
It’s a difficult and stressful time for all of us.
At the Chamber, we have implemented measures to ensure that our operations and staff remain available to provide service to visitors and members, while respecting the hygiene and social distancing practices requested by the circumstances.
Technology helps and allows our team to work from remote, as the situation dictates. During this time, to get in touch with the Chamber or Tourism NOTL, please email
tourism@niagaraonthelake.com
or call 1-905-468-1950.
While we all work together to contain this virus, THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND TOURISM NOTL will continue to support its members with information, direction, support and flexibility. We will continue to post any updates on our newsletter and website as they become available.
Thanks to all of you that have answered TIAO’s survey, the precious frontline information is crucial to advocate in the right direction. Please stay tuned to further surveys in the coming weeks.
Eduardo R. Lafforgue and The team of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce and Tourism NOTL