Tourism Burlington

Tourism Burlington, the official tourism organization for the City of Burlington and its surrounding area, had a strategic plan that concluded in 2020. In the face of what would become a globe pandemic the organization needed to pause any work on a new plan, and by the time it was able to do so the state of the world was very different. Tourism Burlington needed to co-develop a new multi-year strategic plan with its Board, staff, and key stakeholders that would be responsive to the new tourism environment and provide tools for managing the destination through social and economic recovery.

Through a highly participatory research and stakeholder engagement process, Bannikin facilitated the co-development of an ambitious but implementable plan to guide the important work of Tourism Burlington in the near future. This project relied heavily on the use of multiple methods to engage diverse stakeholders, and with a foundation of data and insights generated from the research process, Bannikin was able to use a full-day in-person session to facilitate important reflection and discussion on the organization in its current and future states. As part of the process, actionable opportunities to close the gap between the two states were identified, including the need to evolve the organization’s vision, mission, and mandate. The finalized plan, entitled EVOLVED, provides clear direction to Tourism Burlington as well as evidence-based actions to assist it in stewarding the destination into the future.