If you or someone you know could benefit from investment from the Town of Lincoln Ontario, the Niagara Benchlands Destination Development Fund is open for the 2024 season, providing much needed financial support to tourism-based businesses and organizations in Lincoln, Ontario.
The Niagara Benchlands Destination Development Fund will be used to help support new and expanded projects, encouraging local businesses and tourism operators to collaborate and foster innovative, capacity-building tourism products and initiatives that have a measurable impact on Lincoln’s tourism economy.
Eligible for funding are tourism-based businesses and organizations within the municipal boundaries of the Town of Lincoln. These include for-profit businesses, not-for-profit businesses, public sector agencies, and private sector agencies contributing to Lincoln’s diverse tourism economic value chain.
Eligible business categories include accommodations providers, culinary businesses, farms and farm markets, outdoor adventure/eco-tourism, retail and shopping establishments, tours and attractions, arts, culture, and heritage ventures, as well as wineries, breweries, and distilleries.
As Ontario’s tourism sector grows, extending visitation into the Fall/Winter shoulder season is crucial to sustainably increasing Lincoln’s tourism capacity, making it a year-round destination. Projects contributing to product development during this shoulder tourism season (September to December) will receive special attention.
“The Niagara Benchlands Destination Development Fund continues to present an exceptional opportunity for local businesses to expand their offerings and reach,” said Town of Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton. “The Town of Lincoln remains dedicated to supporting local businesses, encouraging them to diversify and innovate, while attracting investment and visitation to Lincoln.”
“Lincoln’s tourism industry is poised for continued growth, presenting numerous opportunities for expansion,” said the Town’s Ward 2 Councillor and Chair of the Planning and Development Committee, J.D. Pachereva. “This fund will help enable businesses to continue positioning Lincoln as a premier tourist destination, both nationally and internationally.”
“We are delighted by the response from the business community over the past two years, and we’re excited to offer this funding opportunity again this year,” said the Town’s Tourism Development Officer, Britnie Bazylewski. “Through funding tourism-based projects and initiatives, the Town is actively supporting the tourism industry, enticing visitors to visit the Niagara Benchlands, and driving economic growth, job creation, and investment attraction.”
Applications for the 2024 Niagara Benchlands Destination Development Fund are being accepted until Monday, May 6, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. Interested parties can find the application form and guidelines at Lincoln.ca.
Tourism is a great generator of revenue for local businesses as well as it helps tremendously for the Town to continue to meet the needs of its residents.
For further information about the Niagara Benchlands and to plan your next trip, please visit NiagaraBenchlands.ca
For program inquiries on the Niagara Benchlands Destination Development Fund:
Britnie Bazylewski
Tourism Development Officer, Town of Lincoln
Phone: 289-668-5009
Cameron Rotz
Economic Development Officer, Town of Lincoln
Phone: 289-668-0610
