Smiths Falls destination plan positions the community as an active canal town
Smiths Falls is looking beyond day trips and event traffic with a new three-year destination plan that treats every visitor as a potential future resident, business owner, worker or investor.
The plan, presented to committee of the whole May 25, positions Smiths Falls as an “active canal town” and sets out a strategy to improve tourism marketing, collect stronger visitor data, build a dedicated visitor audience and connect tourism more directly to economic development.
Council received the plan for information.
Manager of economic development Ingrid Bron said visitation is a key part of economic development and one the town has sometimes overlooked.
Bron said every visitor who comes through the welcome centre, engages with the town online, attends a hockey game or takes part in an event is a potential future resident, investor, worker or business owner.
She said the plan builds on the town’s existing strengths, including the Rideau Canal, trails, events, cultural spaces, the downtown, the waterfront, the new bridge, the railway museum and Heritage House Museum.
“Visitation is a key pillar of economic development,” she said.
Smiths Falls destination plan was prepared with Hawn Consulting and includes a three-year marketing strategy, search engine optimization guidance, a dashboard reporting tool and a stronger focus on measuring the return on tourism spending.
Tourism, arts and culture co-ordinator Jeff Murphy said the plan is not only about attracting tourists, but about understanding all visitors who come to Smiths Falls for different reasons.
“The goal here is that we’re going to take visitors, turn them into return visitors, and turn those return visitors into future residents, future business owners, future investors,” Murphy said.
The first year of the plan is focused on building the foundation, including clarifying the town’s tourism story, improving data collection and getting key performance indicators in place. The second year is expected to focus on growth, including a bilingual marketing approach aimed at Western Quebec. The third year is intended to mature and scale the strategy, with more detailed reporting to council on the impact of tourism spending.
Murphy said the town’s social media accounts are performing well, with more than two million impressions in 2025 and an average post reach of about 6,300 unique individuals or accounts. He said paid media is also performing at a competitive rate.
However, he said the audit identified gaps, including weak traffic to tourism pages on the municipal website, a newsletter that performs well but is too locally focused, and limited real-world data showing whether online engagement is translating into visits or spending in the community.
The plan recommends positioning Smiths Falls as a younger, more open and progressive destination compared with some neighbouring communities, with a focus on recreation, events, inclusivity, heritage transportation and the Rideau Canal.
Coun. Jennifer Miller supported the plan, calling it a good operational plan and technical review, but said more work is needed to include local assets such as Paddle and Pedal, the town’s museums and additional community events.
“I was glad to see we referenced Le Boat. It fits nicely with the canal focus,” Miller said. “We also have Paddle and Pedal, which I think would be a really nice addition there.”
Miller also said the Railway Museum draws thousands of visitors each year and should be reflected more strongly in the strategy.
Coun. Dawn Quinn also pointed to the Railway Museum, Bike Night, Ribfest and the new pedestrian bridge as existing attractions the town can build on.
“There’s low-hanging fruit that can grab ahold of and start to make them feel more welcome, come back here and stay again,” Quinn said.
Quinn said the Railway Museum is already drawing visitors from outside Canada through overnight stays in its caboose and events such as high teas and the North Pole Express.
Mayor Shawn Pankow said the plan is useful because it identifies both the town’s strengths and its shortcomings.
“You have to understand where your shortfalls are before you start planning where you can start to improve,” Pankow said.
He said Smiths Falls has strong natural and cultural assets, including Heritage House Museum, the Railway Museum, public spaces, the waterfront, the new bridge and improved parks. He said the town has seen examples of people first visiting Smiths Falls and later moving to the community or opening businesses.
“One thing we have not done a good job of is that data collection,” Pankow said.
Coun. Chris McGuire said he liked the strategic approach and the focus on measurement, but said the plan still needs a detailed review.
McGuire said families appear to be underrepresented in the audience strategy, particularly given the Railway Museum’s ability to draw family day trips and Christmas visitors.
He also said the strongest observation in the report is the need to separate civic messaging from tourism messaging, but said the recommendations around websites and social media need more work.
The town currently has a municipal website and an Experience Smiths Falls brand, while the Experience Smiths Falls website is operated by the chamber. Murphy said the consultants identified that brand confusion, and staff are in discussions to address it as part of future work on a tourism microsite.
Coun. Peter McKenna said he supports the direction of the plan but wants it to stay fresh over the three-year period. He also asked whether the strategy could help the town say no to tourism initiatives that do not align with its goals.
Bron said the data should help staff and council understand which events and programs provide the best return on investment. She said the town also has to consider capacity, noting her experience in B.C., where some destinations became overtouristed and did not have the facilities or accommodations to support demand.
“We have to make sure that our capacity matches our plan,” Bron said.
McKenna also said Smiths Falls should not lose sight of its role within the broader region and should continue working with regional tourism partners.
Bron said the town will continue working with Lanark County Tourism, Leeds Grenville tourism partners and the Rideau Canal corridor to identify Smiths Falls’ niche while remaining part of a larger regional tourism package.
Council received the destination plan for information. Staff said further discussions will continue with town departments, the Downtown Business Association, Chamber of Commerce, Railway Museum and other tourism and business partners before the plan is finalized and implemented.
Keep connected to your community—Read the latest Smiths Falls news.
