DURHAM -- Driving north on most major roads in Durham, it only takes a few minutes to reach the “other” side of the region.

Away from the manufacturing and business centres of the five lakeshore communities, Durham is mainly green. From the lengthy nature trails of the Oak Ridges Moraine to the little businesses and picturesque towns nestled amongst the greenery, the region’s northern reaches present a nature-lover’s delight -- and a jewel in the Durham tourism crown.

Brian Buckles, a member of Uxbridge Naturally, understands what a tourism draw the local landscape can be. Along with his colleagues at Uxbridge Naturally and other conservation organizations, Mr. Buckles is working hard to create a series of linked trails that will connect the green spaces in the north with each other and ultimately with the urban centres in the south.

“So you can walk from here to the city of Toronto,” he said, standing on the edge of Timber’s Pit in Uxbridge, a former aggregate pit that was reclaimed and is being revitalized by the Toronto and Area Conservation Authority. “There’s no reason why you can’t go through publicly-owned lands.”

The plan would mean co-operation from the federal government and a commitment from local stakeholders, but Mr. Buckles says the results would be “incredible” -- drawing more people to use and experience the beautiful nature on display in Durham Region.

And more visitors to the local natural sites would be good news to those who make their living catering to the tourism sector.

Just off Hwy. 12, a few kilometres southeast of the historic town of Port Perry, sits the Ocala Orchards Farm Winery. Situated on 100 acres of land in the moraine, the family-owned business takes advantage of its natural surroundings to operate as a tourist destination.

“We deal basically with the tourist industry,” owner Irwin Smith recently told a group of guests gathered for lunch in the winery’s reception room -- known as “The Loft.”

“We have different events throughout the year,” he added. From a harvest festival that showcases the vineyards to an artisan’s Christmas show that features the work of local artists, Mr. Smith and his wife, Alissa, draw in tourists by the bus load.

Because of restrictions placed on wineries by the liquor board, Mr. Smith says it is more profitable for his family to operate the business as a tourist destination than to make money just selling their unique wine.

The goal of Ocala is similar to that of all tourism-related business scattered throughout the eight municipalities that make up Durham: to draw in visitors by offering a unique experience.

More than 500 Durham businesses are included under the tourism industry umbrella and they are a diverse bunch: from hotels, restaurants and farms to museums, galleries and arenas.

Kerri King, chairwoman of the Durham Tourism Leadership Team, thinks the solution to bridging the differences between them may lie in a seasonal marketing approach.

“In different seasons, different things happen throughout the region,” she said. “So, say in the wintertime, we focus on Scugog because we have ice fishing and all the things that happen there during the winter. In the summer we focus on the Jazz festival because that could potentially be a regionwide event or to all the farming initiatives we have going on in Clarington and maybe some of the water stuff going on in Pickering on the waterfront.”

The Leadership Team, made up of representatives from different sectors of the tourism industry, is working together to enhance the overall tourism package by narrowing down the marketing focus.

Andrea Monaghan, manager of tourism for the Region, says that having an identifiable tourism package will help all businesses -- even those not directly included in the marketing brand.

“The core attractions are the reason people do the trip, the main pull,” she said. “But the supporting attractions get the business, too.”

Ms. Monaghan explains what is known in tourism marketing as the “four times” rule: for every hour someone travels to the destination, they want four hours of entertainment.

If they spend 20 per cent of that time at the core attraction, they will spend the remaining time at supporting businesses, such as restaurants and accommodations or other local venues.

“Everyone benefits,” she said.

So the thinking is that if more visitors can be drawn into the region to experience the lakes, trails and cultural festivals -- no matter which the marketing focusses on -- all tourism-related business will be booming.

Bob Shepherd, the mayor of Uxbridge, is a strong believer that marketing the natural and cultural features of his municipality can bring economic prosperity.

Nestled as it is just north of the Oak Ridges Morraine, the town of Uxbridge is perfectly positioned to take advantage of the tourism that results from marketing the trails contained within the government-protected lands.

On a recent tour of the Greenbelt, organized in part by Ontario Nature and Uxbridge Naturally, Mr. Shepherd said the area’s economic development plan is focused on attracting more visitors and less developers.

“I don’t support the philosophy that you have to grow to prosper,” he said. “Culture, heritage and tourism -- that’s our future.”

Click here to read the full series on Durham's tourism industry.