Toronto tourism is sagging is because there is nothing new to do or see here. Toronto has become a stopover on the way to somewhere else. The city has become ugly and dirty.
I cleaned up my property, mowed the lawns, trimmed the bushes, washed down the driveway and sidewalks, etc. and my neighbors were out doing the same thing so we are doing our bit.....who is dropping the ball?
As workers in the Toronto hospitality industry, our hotel staff and I are very worried.
Tourism has declined drastically in the past few years: According to the Greater Toronto Hotel Association, hotel occupancy rates were at 70.23 per cent in 2004, 70.14 per cent in 2005 and 69.77 per cent in 2006.
Historically, July and August have been two of our busiest months; now downtown hotel occupancy is running at approximately 68.9 per cent.
New hotels are still being built in downtown Toronto but Toronto's existing hotels can't fill their rooms, and all hotels are being forced to reduce their average daily rate in order to stay competitive. Hotels with 2- or 3-star ratings now find themselves competing for business with the 4- and 5-star hotels as the gap in room rates narrows.
Tourism can feed this city. It brings in cash, jobs, vibrancy. Recently, the public has been inundated with news reports about escalating taxes, provincial downloading and the dire financial straits of our city. It needs to be emphasized that visitors to Toronto spend money. Tourists stay in hotel rooms (and pay taxes), eat in restaurants (and pay taxes), shop (and pay taxes), travel by TTC, taxi and rental cars (and pay taxes). Tourists create jobs. When visitors come to Toronto, everybody wins.
But why would tourists want to come to Toronto now? There is nothing new or exciting happening. It's always the same old thing: Ontario Place, CN Tower, Toronto Eaton Centre. For anyone who has visited Toronto before, it's a "been there, done that" situation.
There have been a few new additions, such as the Chinese Lantern Festival and BMO Field, which is home to Toronto FC Soccer Club and recently hosted the FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
Pay attention: We need new attractions to help entice tourists to come and stay in our city. Tourists spend money, they tell their friends who come and spend their money. Tourists help drive the city's economy.
There are many excuses for the lack of tourism to Toronto: U.S. passport requirements, the value of the Canadian dollar, the price of gas. Don't let that fool you – the reason Toronto tourism is sagging is because there is nothing new to do or see here. Toronto has become a stopover on the way to somewhere else.
The city has become ugly and dirty. We used to be known as the cleanest city in North America. "Toronto the Beautiful" is no more.
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