Seasons of
OpportunityFour-Season Visitor Economy Strategy

Prince Edward County’s visitor economy is a genuine strength and a real vulnerability. Hospitality jobs grew by 52% between 2019 and 2024, the business count has risen steadily, and the County’s arts and cultural workforce outpaces both provincial and national averages. Ours is a community with momentum.

Yet the benefits of that growth are concentrated in a narrow seasonal window. Average annual hospitality incomes sit around $23,000. Many businesses face pressure to sustain operations through quieter months, and workers navigate real income unpredictability. Business Retention and Expansion Survey findings confirm what many already know: seasonality is the most persistent barrier to growth and stability in The County.

While downtown Picton often seems bustling, that same sense of vibrancy isn’t experienced in other downtowns and communities throughout the County. What benefits one part of the County can benefit all, and what limits one part, limits all.

Recognizing this shared reality, Seasons of Opportunity will create solutions to address the challenge.

Seasons of Opportunity is a community-led project to develop a comprehensive, practical four-season visitor economy strategy for Prince Edward County. Grounded in local data and community knowledge, the project will:

• Conduct a detailed needs assessment of the current visitor economy.
• Identify strengths, gaps, and seasonal opportunities across all four seasons.
• Develop practical, actionable tactics focused on business development and year-round viability.
• Produce a clear strategy with focused priorities that partners and community can align around and act on.

Being undertaken collaboratively by key County economic and community development organizations, this isn’t another report to sit on a shelf. The partners developing this strategy are the ones that will implement it — working together to strengthen and diversify the County economy.