July 15, 2010
The Ontario Garden Tourism Coalition’s (OTGC) mission is to put the province’s gardens on the map of public consciousness.

The coalition was the brainchild of Michel Gauthier and Carol Cowan. It became a reality after this year’s Canada Blooms, resulting from the first-ever garden and tourism conference in 2009.

Landscape Ontario is the home base of the new organization.  

“I think we could easily double garden tourism numbers in five years,” said conference founder Gauthier, who also manages the VIA Rail Garden Route program, with which LO is also associated.

Membership is comprised of botanical gardens, public gardens, garden focused communities (i.e. cities, towns and municipalities that pride themselves in their horticultural offerings, such as, but not limited to, Communities in Bloom members), garden trails, allied industry members and more.

“Currently we are working to raise grant monies for an OGTC strategy and action plan, much the same as the Ontario wine and culinary industries did a number of years ago, and then implemented with great success,” said Gauthier.

For more information, contact Carol Cowan at 416-929-1066.

 

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