Building Collaborative Tourism Opportunities in Sutton

Cantons-de-l'Est © GouvQc Drowster

Building Collaborative Tourism Opportunities in Sutton

CEDEC and Regional Partners Advancing New Visitor Experience Packages

CEDEC has been working with economic development stakeholders in Sutton, Quebec, to activate local and regional tourism by increasing and extending visitor stays and spending through the development and promotion of new tourism experience packages. CEDEC believes that this Venture will help achieve the OLMCQ Ten-Year Collaborative Economic Development Plan targets of creating or filling 1,000 jobs and expanding or developing 250 businesses and social enterprises.  

In April 2026, CEDEC and the Venture Partners met in Sutton to finalize the first of three tourism experience packages aimed at attracting visitors, increasing regional spending, and strengthening collaboration across Sutton’s tourism ecosystem

In April 2026, Sutton Tourism Venture Partners met to finalize plans for the first of three tourism experience packages.

Three Initial Visitor Experience Directions 

Through previous discussions with stakeholders, three preliminary tourism package directions were identified: nature and wellness, arts & culture, and family experiences.  

Each tourism package concept is designed to combine accommodation, a core experience, and optional complementary activities that encourage visitors to spend more time exploring the region and engaging with local businesses.  

  • The Nature & Wellness option integrates accommodations, vineyard experiences, wellness-related activities, cafés, restaurants, and outdoor experiences into a flexible three-day visitor experience. 
  • The Arts & Culture concept focuses on cultural workshops, artisan experiences, galleries, museums, boutiques, and local cultural organizations. 
  • The Family Experience package seeks to connect visitors with outdoor activities, farms, casual dining, and nearby attractions capable of appealing to families and multi-generational travellers. 

The economic development approach CEDEC uses is singularly collaborative. Rather than positioning businesses as isolated operators, the collaborative approach encourages local tourism providers to work together to create integrated visitor experiences that strengthen the region’s overall tourism attractiveness and economic impact.

In October 2025, CEDEC brought together tourism operators and regional development partners in Sutton for an Innovation Conversation to explore a shared economic development objective: building simple, market-aligned tourism experiences that attract visitors, increase regional spending, and strengthen collaboration across Sutton’s tourism ecosystem.

Aligning Market Demand and Supply to Optimize Economic Benefits  

Discussions revealed the importance of flexibility and scalability. Rather than imposing rigid tourism itineraries, the proposed packages are designed to evolve based on market demand and local tourism supply capacity.   

The resulting proposed tourism packages are designed not only to attract visitors, but also to: 

  • Increase local spending. 
  • Support local businesses. 
  • Strengthen tourism partnerships. 
  • Encourage longer visitor stays. 
  • Create broader economic spillovers throughout the Sutton region. 

As a result of this work, restaurants, cafés, cultural organizations, wellness providers, vineyards, outdoor attractions, and accommodation providers are all becoming part of a broader collaborative tourism development Venture. This approach reflects a growing recognition that individual business efforts must be complemented and supported by broader economic development efforts. These broader efforts bring together diverse economic sectors and interests in a common enterprise to leverage existing tourism assets for the benefit of all. 

Next Steps 

The Venture Partners reached agreement on several immediate next steps, which will see these experience packages being developed for this summer’s tourist season. There are pricing structures to confirm and outreach to additional businesses and social enterprises to be done. 

Built into the Model – Measuring Economic Impact 

As the Sutton tourism Venture moves toward implementation, participating partners and stakeholders are increasingly turning their attention toward measuring and assessing the Venture’s economic impact.  

Beyond attracting visitors, the collaborative Venture seeks to better understand how integrated tourism experiences can contribute to  

  • Increased visitor spending. 
  • Longer stays. 
  • Stronger local business revenues. 
  • Expanded market exposure for local operators. 
  • Increased collaboration among tourism stakeholders. 
  • Broader regional economic vitality. 

As partners in the Sutton tourism Venture advance their work, it may also help generate practical insights into how collaborative tourism Ventures can be replicated, adapted, or expanded in other regions of Quebec seeking to strengthen economic development through collaborative, partnership-driven approaches.