TWEPI unveils visitor guide at Staycation Expo

Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island unveiled their 2024/2025 Official Visitor Guide today ahead of the 10th annual Staycation Expo at Devonshire Mall this Friday and Saturday.

It marks the unofficial kick-off to the return of the tourism season in Windsor Essex.

The guide features all new content, engaging new diverse and drone photography, and buyable experiences to entice locals and visitors alike to explore the Windsor-Essex region in an authentic way.

"We took the opportunity to highlight the regions’ largest tourist attraction Caesars Windsor as the focus of our Official Visitor Guide to not only profile our top tourist attraction, but also capitalize on the brand recognition that Caesars Windsor brings with it," said Gordon Orr, CEO of Tourism Windsor Essex.

"Visitors are looking for trip planning inspiration, and our Official Visitor Guide is the ultimate tool to make that planning easy. Highlighting buyable experiences, one-of-a-kind itineraries and 280+ businesses, it is our most-packed guide ever, and will be a hot commodity on shelves and in businesses this year."

Orr said this year's cover highlights the region’s top tourist attraction, Caesars Windsor, noting Caesars Windsor is celebrating 30 years of gaming in Windsor this year.

"This year marks Caesars Windsor's 30th anniversary and we thank Tourism Windsor Essex for profiling prominently our casino on the front cover of their official visitor guide for the region. We value our longstanding partnership with them as both our organizations recognize how the introduction of gaming 30 years ago positively changed the tourism and hospitality landscape and helped put Windsor Essex on the map" said Kevin Laforet, president and CEO of Caesars Windsor.

"This milestone year has given us the opportunity to reflect on the incredible impact we've had on our community as the first commercial gaming casino in the country and the tremendous effect we have had as an economic generator and job creator. The evolution of our property over the last three decades has been a testament to our commitment to our employees, our community and our customers,” Laforet added.

The Staycation Expo runs during mall hours on Friday April 26 and 27, with officials saying it an event that encourages local residents to explore the great things to see and do in their own backyard.

The Expo features 50+ exhibitors profiling key attractions, tour operators, wineries, craft breweries, a local artisan market, summer festivals and more exhibiting inside Devonshire Mall, plus the first chance to pick up a copy of the 2024/2025 Official Visitor Guide.

“We've become kind of a destination out in the county,” stated Randy Ure, owner of Ure’s Country Kitchen in Malden Centre, between Amherstburg and Harrow.

“There's a lot of great tourism along the lake, but there's not a lot for kids to do. So we really are trying to appeal to kids and families,” Ure explained.

Ure noted the family run business has been open for 4 years and that they have been a part of the Staycation Expo for the last 3 years.

“People really enjoy it!”

He continued, “We find people are looking for things locally that they can do without going too far. You come out our way, you can hit the beach, you can have Holiday Beach, Colchester, and then people end up at our place for the golf or the ice cream. Sometimes they come early and do breakfast and then they go off and do other things.”

Devonshire Mall General Manager, Chris Savard said about 40,000 people come to the mall regularly between Friday and Saturday throughout the year, with tourism officials noting 52,000 people stopped by in 2023.

“Some of the best vacations are actually right here in our own backyard,” Savard said.

LaSalle Mayor Crystal Meloche told CTV News, “Supporting local is extremely important. We learned that during COVID and coming out of COVID. I think it's even more important that we support our small businesses and learn what's in our own backyards.”