With Martha Chapman
23JAN08
Toronto
T.O. To Go!
The setting was perfect: Toronto’s tony Yorkville area blanketed in sparkling snow. The re-incarnated Sassafraz Resto offering a cozy welcome. The good folks from Tourism Toronto waiting there, primed to tell us all about what makes T.O. great.
And amidst all the boo-hoo we hear about the strong loonie scaring Americans away, it was a breath of fresh air to hear how bullish Tourism Toronto is. And how many opportunities there are for pro-active Canadian agents to get on the blower to their clients to suggest a trip to YYZ in the near future.
Take the forthcoming provincial Family Day (Oh! A free long weekend!) – a great excuse to take a break in T.O. Or how about the great musicals We Will Rock You and Dirty Dancing. Cool new hotel brands such as Ritz Carlton and Trump (take that, Motel 6!). A ton of stuff to do during March Break.
And conventioneers, oh la la! What town wouldn’t love to be the choice of the conventioneers of the American Throacic Society, bringing 16,000 visitors to Toronto come May.
“Our visitors are up year over year and we’re enjoying the highest hotel occupancy since 2000,” Andrew Weir, VP of communications for Tourism Toronto told me.
There you go. We are, it seems, quite cool. And nary a mention of us being a New York wannabe. How cool is that?
© Open Jaw