The Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation (OTMPC) and the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) together hosted the 2009 Ontario Tourism Summit held at Caesars Windsor, September 29 - October 1, 2009.

More than 400 delegates from Ontario's tourism industry attended this year's Summit. Themed 'The Road Ahead' the 2009 conference focussed on actionable strategies and tactics to move the industry forward on a path to growth and prosperity and worked to answer a number of questions: What does the road ahead look like for the tourism industry in Ontario? As competition among travel destinations continues to escalate and consumers look for the next authentic tourism experience, what can the industry do to be a destination of choice?

This year's roster of speakers included: Don Drummond, TD Bank Economist; travel trends expert Peter Yesawich from Ypartnership; UK's Christopher Rodrigues, Chair of VisitBritain; the Canadian Tourism Commission's Michele McKenzie; and Randy Williams, President of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.

To help pave the 'road ahead' for delegates a series of panel sessions, workshops, presentations and networking opportunities were included. The Tourism Awards Gala held the evening of September 30th recognized innovation and excellence in the tourism industry.