Province injects more money into Cinéfest

The province has ponied up $17,000 for Cinéfest Sudbury through the Tourism Events Marketing Partnership Program (TEMPP), said Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci.

“This funding will help attract more visitors to the 24th Annual Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival,” said Bartolucci in a press release. “Cinéfest is a home-grown success story. Its annual nine-day run is an economic boon to the city, and I am proud of our government’s support of this project.

This funding builds on investments made earlier this year bringing the government’s investment to this year’s festival up to $92,000, he said.

“Cinéfest Sudbury is delighted to play host each September to tourists looking for a world-class event,” said Tammy Frick, Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival’s director. “We are thrilled that this investment from the Ontario Tourism Event Marketing Partnership will enable us to reach new audiences, and will further illustrate that the City of Greater Sudbury is a place to find great cultural entertainment experiences,”

“As evidenced by our ongoing investments, it is clear our government recognizes the importance of tourism to Sudbury,” said Bartolucci. “Festivals and events attract visitors to Sudbury and provide a significant boost to the local economy.”

In 2010, tourism generated over $22 billion for Ontario’s economy and supported over 330,000 people who are directly or indirectly employed by the tourism industry.

Ontario welcomes more than 118 million tourists annually, and has Canada’s largest tourism industry with 42 per cent of Canada’s travellers.