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
Canadian tourism
Canada has a new, heart-felt tourism slogan. The new slogan, “For Glowing Hearts,” was officially unveiled this week at Destination Canada’s Rendez-vous Canada event in Toronto, an annual tourism extravaganza that brings together thousands of sellers, buyers and media folks to celebrate Canadian tourism – and book new visits to bolster our economy. Destination Canada, the national tourism marketing agency, has tapped into what it means to be Canadian and evolved its brand to inspire even more international travellers to visit Canada. The tagline For Glowing Hearts, which was inspired by the national anthem, and a distinctive heart-shaped logo, rooted Read more
Woe is the Canadian dollar, eh? Hovering below the 70 cent line, and causing many of us who like to vacation in the U.S. no end of worry.The price of oil is seemingly to blame, what with barrels going for an unheard of $30 or so these days. As oil prices have cratered, so has the loonie, sparking all sorts of business headlines about what the government should do. At the risk of repeating an age old mantra of mine, I’m disturbed by the lack of talk about tourism. Oh, sure, there’s the odd story about how our dollar is Read more
They were calling it “the lost decade.” Tourism officials gathered in Toronto last week for the annual Canadian Tourism Marketing Summit. And it wasn’t pretty talk. This country is in desperate need of a new tourism strategy. So far, the Harper government in Ottawa seems oblivious. We thought we were perhaps riding high after the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. But the statistics tell a very sad story. In 2002, Canada ranked eighth in the world in international tourist arrivals, with 19.6 million visitors. That was good for number eight in the world. By 2011, the year after the Vancouver Games, Read more
At first I meant it as a bit of a joke. After watching Justine and Chloe (and Maxine) Dufour-Lapointe race in the freestyle skiing event at the Sochi Olympics on Saturday and seeing Justine win gold and Chloe silver, I mentioned on Twitter that the Canadian Tourism Commission should enlist them immediately as ambassadors for travel to Canada. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Lest we think these girls were only noticed north of the border, I can tell you that my Dad lives in California and read about the D-L girls and saw them Read more
