Stratford is getting $400,000 in federal cash to support tourism recovery in the city.
The funding, which is coming from FedDev Ontario’s Canadian Experiences Fund, will be administered by investStratford for the city’s Economic Response and Recovery Task Force.
It’s meant to help stabilize the hospitality industry that has seen drastically fewer vistors due to COVID-19.
According to Stratford Mayor Dan Mathieson, the city typically sees around 1.5 million visitors each year.
With travel restrictions in place, and the Stratford Festival on hold, Mathieson says this funding is an important first step.
“There are 800 people laid off at the festival, that means there are roughly 3,200 jobs in our community that our suffering, our downtown our retail, our tourism, our hospitality industry is looking for this type of stimulus,” said Mathieson.
Mathieson says they plan to use the funding to bring more visitors to the city once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
