There’s a new face in charge of promoting tourism for Canada’s biggest city. Destination Toronto today announced the appointment of Andrew Weir as President & CEO, effective May 1. Weir has been an integral member of the leadership team at Destination Toronto for the past 18 years, most recently as Executive Vice President. A proven leader in Toronto’s tourism industry, Weir has served on numerous boards across the industry, including Destination International’s DMAP Board and as Chair of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) from 2021-2023. “Having conducted a thorough North American search, we are thrilled to announce Read more
Destination Toronto
A new report finds Canadian hotels are bouncing back nicely from the pandemic. According to str.com, a hotel tracking website based in Tennessee, Canada’s monthly hotel performance improved from the previous month yet again, and room rates reached the highest level since September 2019,. STR’s May 2022 data shows occupancy for the month at 63.4%, which is down a bit from May, 2019 (70.1%). But the average daily rate was up 2.8% to $171.37 CAD. “Overall, May was a strong month for Canada hotels, with many of the segments that have lagged in recovery showing real improvement,” said Laura Baxter, Read more
The Toronto tourism economy is rebounding strongly, but there are plenty of cautionary flags flying in the June breeze. I had a chance to sit down (virtually) the other day with Andrew Weir, Executive Vice President Destination Development for Destination Toronto, to talk about where the city is headed. Nobody’s popping the champagne corks just yet, but they might be thinking of what they might want to order at the LCBO when the time comes. “There’s absolutely a sentiment in the community now that we’re on the on-ramp back to that state of a thriving visitor economy,” Weir said. “I Read more
Michelin and Destination Toronto today revealed an expansion of The MICHELINGuide, with the announcement of the MICHELIN Guide Toronto, making it the first Canadian destination for the selection. A new chapter begins in Toronto, which features global eats and charming cafes as well as high-end dining experiences. It’s a city where top chefs want to establish a presence and where emerging chefs nurture their culinary talent – both drawing on locally produced ingredients unique to Ontario. It’s a very big deal to have a Canadian city in the world’s most renowned restaurant guide, and Toronto deserves kudos for making it happen. Read more
Today is a day to celebrate for Canadian travellers, and for anyone wishing to visit Canada. But it’ll be even better two weeks from now. The Canadian government today (March 17) announced that mandatory border tests for fully vaccinated residents and visitors will be dropped as of April 1. That means Canadians can travel out of the country and not have to worry about finding an expensive COVID-19 test. They also don’t have to worry that they’ll be denied entry to the country because of a positive test result. It also means foreign visitors can avoid pricey tests Read more
