For Immediate Release
Courtice, ON (December 15, 2025) – Central Counties Tourism (CCT) has expanded its Visitor Research Program with the launch of Municipal Overnight Visitation Analysis, a powerful new tool designed to help municipalities and tourism partners across York, Durham and Headwaters, make smarter, data-driven decisions that maximize return on investment (ROI). This enhanced research offering is powered by Environics Analytics, a leader in privacy-compliant, data-driven consumer and market insights.
The Municipal Overnight Visitation Analysis program joins CCT’s existing suite of Visitor Research Programs, Postal Code Analysis and Geofencing Analysis, both of which are widely used by tourism businesses, municipalities, festival and event organizers, attractions, and cultural organizations to understand exactly who their visitors are and where they’re coming from.
“Visitor data is at the heart of smart tourism planning,” said Chuck Thibeault, Executive Director of Central Counties Tourism. “By adding overnight analysis to our research program, we’re giving municipalities the clarity they need to identify opportunities, attract the right visitors, and drive stronger economic impact.”
A New Level of Precision for Municipal Tourism Planning
The Municipal Overnight Visitation Analysis tool tracks all overnight stays from travellers who reside more than 40 km away from a destination, including visitors from across Canada and the United States, whether they stay in paid accommodations or with friends and family.
It equips municipalities with the insights needed to validate marketing efforts, measure impact, and identify untapped opportunities for growth.
Key metrics include:
- Total overnights spent, including repeat nights
- Total visitor volume and economic activity
- Number of overnight trips, regardless of length of stay
- Visitor frequency and repeat-visit tendencies
- Unique overnight visitor counts
- Average length of stay per trip
- Average length of stay per unique visitor
- Visitor profiles (demographic and behavioural insights)
- Top origin markets for targeted overnight growth
“These insights act as a map and compass for our tourism stakeholders,” added Tom Guerquin, CCT’s Research and Development Manager. “Instead of guessing where new opportunities lie, partners can use this data to steer marketing spend precisely toward the audiences most likely to visit and stay longer.”
A Strengthened Visitor Research Program
CCT’s Visitor Research Program now includes three complementary tools, each designed to help partners better understand and attract their visitors:
- Postal Code Analysis — Ideal for tourism businesses, attractions, festivals, events, and municipalities that are able to collect visitor data. Helps identify visitor origin, visit frequency, and seasonal trends.
- Geofencing Analysis — Provides insights into who is visiting a location or event, where visitor data collection is not possible or insufficient.
- NEW: Municipal Overnight Visitation Analysis — Ideal for municipalities to support tourism development and measure overnight visitor impact (when coupled with TREIM).
Together, these tools provide tourism operators and municipalities with unparalleled visibility into visitor behaviour, enabling stronger strategy, investment, and economic development outcomes.
Municipal Overnight Analysis reports start at $1,995 + tax for annual insights, with quarterly, monthly, and historical data available as add-on options. Visit centralcounties.ca/research for more details.
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About Central Counties Tourism
Central Counties Tourism (CCT) was established as a regional tourism organization in 2010 under the framework developed by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Its mandate is to help stakeholders build their capacity which, in turn, grows visitation and vibrant communities throughout the York, Durham, and Headwaters regions. CCT is funded by the Ontario Government and managed as a not-for-profit organization by a voluntary tourism industry board. CCT’s mission is to develop, support and promote tourism within the region.
Media Contact:
Chuck Thibeault
Executive Director,
Central Counties Tourism
cthibeault@centralcounties.ca
