As a four-season destination, Barrie relies on tourism as an important economic driver. The numbers help tell the story of its importance. In 2023, Barrie welcomed nearly 10.3M visitors who contributed over $839M to our local economy.
Of these visitors, 9.7M were day-trip visitors* who contributed over $776M in local spending, while 582,585 overnight stays in a Barrie Commercial Accommodation contributed nearly $63M to our economy.
Invest Barrie's Tourism Development portfolio applies the strategic tourism lens across internal functions at the City, including arts and culture development, special events, recreation, parking, communications, planning, and parks, and aligns with the City’s Official Plan.
Tourism Plans & Projects
Community Benefits of Tourism
A healthy tourism economy supports a community and its residents in numerous ways. Hotels, restaurants, retail shops, taxi drivers, artist studios, resorts, festivals, tour companies, rental providers – they all benefit from a healthy tourism economy.
Ultimately, a successfully implemented tourism plan results in more people becoming aware of and attracted to the city, increasing the draw of permanent residents. Done strategically, attracting tourists that are aligned with our local talent needs turns the visitor of today into the employee or investor of tomorrow.
Other ways tourism benefits Barrie’s residents include:
- Spin-off investments by the private sector resulting from City investments can add to the economic strength of the community including additional hotels, restaurants, retail, and entertainment operations.
- The City can expect a return on investment in the form of business and property tax revenues, which helps fund services.
- The citizens of Barrie also benefit by way of improved and new infrastructure, new businesses, and new activities and services.
Balancing Residents' and Tourists' Needs
A healthy and sustainable tourism program is one that addresses the long-term health of the community, beginning with its residents. Public consultations and community engagement are used to understand and incorporate those needs into decision-making.
Frequently Asked Questions
*Day-trip visitors of specific geofenced areas including Centennial Beach, Downtown Barrie, Essa Road Interchange, Georgian Mall / Travelodge, and Park Place / Sadlon Arena. Source: Tourism Barrie via Environics, BP Analytics.