Make the most of the temporary Ontario Staycation Tax Credit and head north! This credit helps families explore the province, while helping the tourism and hospitality sectors recover from the financial impacts of the pandemic.
Ontario residents can claim 20% of their eligible 2022 accommodation expenses for a stay at a hotel, cottage or campground on their 2022 personal Income Tax and Benefit Return. You can get back up to $200 as an individual or $400 as a family!
And that means accommodations are booking up fast–especially in traditional vacation hotspots like Muskoka and the Kawarthas. So if you're one of the thousands of people still searching for an amazing vacation spot this summer, you're in luck.
Note: The tax credit only applies to leisure stays between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022, regardless of the timing of payment for the stays.
Northeastern Ontario is a great choice for your summer vacation. Whether you’re travelling as a family, with friends, or with your partner, and no matter what type of vacation vibe you're looking for, Northeastern Ontario is your best bet for the perfect staycation escape.
Northeastern Ontario is just a little further than most people are used to driving for their vacations. While many people from Toronto, Barrie, Hamilton, and Mississauga will head to the Kawarthas area, or the wide swath of rentals in between Huntsville and Parry Sound, we’re actually only an hour further up the highway.
When you're searching for a spot to stay, check out places like Killarney, Cochrane, Timiskaming, Nipissing, and Manitoulin Island. The further you drive from the big cities, the more options you'll have. We’re not cottage country, we’re the next best thing.
Because we’re a little further off the beaten path, we offer superior isolation, which makes it easier to stay safe. Our towns are less crowded so there are fewer people to encounter in our stores–whether it's the grocery store, the ice cream spot, the Beer Store, or the local shops and outfitters. Our properties also have more space–both indoors and outdoors–so it's easier to maintain social distancing when there are other guests around.
The lodges, camps, outposts and resorts here have been preparing for this summer—many of them counting on the business brought in by locals during these difficult times. And all those preparations are paying off. We know that our accommodations take your safety extremely seriously. Contact-free check-in, staggered meal times, and staff dedicated to constant sanitizing of high-touch surfaces. You can feel comfortable travelling here.
While a lot of activities in Southern Ontario are all about being social (bars, restaurants, cultural institutions), we’re proud to be a little anti-social. Fishing, hiking, paddling, road trips, and sitting on a deck chair watching the sunset–these are the activities that define a trip to Northeastern Ontario.
Whether you’re taking your son or daughter on their first fishing trip, or going for a morning paddle solo, you’ll find it's super easy to stay outdoors in our remote paradise–far away from other folks with the same idea.
Finally, there’s one unassailable reason why people from Ontario love to travel to our region–and that is our spectacular natural beauty. While the landscapes of the Canadian Shield, our lakes, rivers, streams and boreal forest can be found throughout Ontario, we do it best (sorry to brag). It's precisely the lack of people here that makes our region both safer, and more beautiful than anywhere else. If ever there was a place to get away from it all, it's ours. And we're ready to welcome both new and returning visitors.
There are so many places to check out in Northeastern Ontario–we suggest you try our website at www.NortheasternOntario.com or try one of these links below if you have your heart set on something specific - see you soon!
Learn more about the following activities in our region:
For information on travelling safely to Northern Ontario, check out this article. It offers some helpful tips on how to keep yourself and the local community safe.
