For six straight Olympic Games, from Sydney in 2000 to Vancouver in 2010, I was the Toronto Star’s Olympics editor/organizer on the ground. I would get our credentials and housing set up and then, on the ground, coordinate our assignments for the reporters and make sure everyone had what they needed to get the job done, including getting media tickets from the Canadian Olympic Committee to cover the big events that had limited media seating. I also would write most of our web stories, usually off a television set in the Media Centre, where I spent 99% of my time. Read more
Canada
Toronto has once again set a new visitor record with 28.1 million visitors in the city, topping 2018’s 27.5 million visitors.* Visitors to Toronto spent $6.7 billion in the destination in 2019, including restaurants, attractions, transportation, retail and accommodations – nearly $200 million more than in 2018. The new visitor numbers showcase the strength of Toronto’s visitor economy that experienced a decade of growth with more than 4 million more visitors added over 10 years. “Toronto’s visitor economy continues to be an economic engine for the city, and that benefits all of us. This is a sector of Toronto’s economy Read more
I get a lot of pretty boring press releases across my desk every day. But this one I like; a look at some places in the world that haven’t yet been overrun by tourists with selfie sticks. It’s from the folks at Intrepid Travel, who run great trips all around the world and know a thing or two about over-tourism. Here’s what they sent along today. I’d add a few other places to the list if anyone asked me, including The Azores (think Portugal meets Ireland meets Hawaii), Slovenia in Europe, Western Australia, the Hawaiian island of Molokai and, here Read more
As someone who has covered Canadian tourism full time for a dozen years now, this is great news. Northwest Territories, which hasn’t been terribly active in seeking visitors over the years, has launched a new campaign based on the theme “NWT Will Change You.” And they’ve hired Punch Canada, a major public relations/marketing firm, to help out. I think it’s terrific, as this an area of Canada just waiting to be explored. I must confess I haven’t been. I’ve talked with their tourism reps before but it never quite seemed to happen. But I’ve always thought it would be a Read more
I love my country. And I love hotels. So this was a natural post for me, courtesy of the folks at IHG. I hope you enjoy these photos. As a global leader in delivering true hospitality, InterContinental Hotels Group launched Views from IHG – a photo series where they asked five Canadian cityscape photographers to capture what ‘True Hospitality’ means in five different cities across Canada – inspired by IHG hotel rooms views and surrounding neighbourhoods – of Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and Fredericton. Photographers featured include: Vancouver: @ggeoffreyy Calgary: @brandonf92 Toronto: @torontoontop Montreal: @ericbranover Fredericton: @marcusrogers100 Each photographer was Read more
