MINISTER MACLEOD OUTLINES STRATEGY FOR SECTORAL RESILIENCE AND RENEWAL

Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Cultural Industries, presented a long-term strategy for the industry in a post-pandemic Ontario, outlining 15 sectoral priorities including many specifically for tourism and our city. Minister MacLeod made the announcement at the Empire Club of Canada earlier today.

As part of the plan, the minister highlighted key initiatives vital to the success of our sector, including:  

• The redevelopment of Ontario Place
• The importance of competing for events post-pandemic, including a commitment for the province to host FIFA World Cup in 2026
• A renewed commitment to live events
• Kick-starting tourism in the province’s gateway cities (Toronto and Ottawa); and
• Local and hyper local campaigns supporting the industry.

We’ll share more details about the Ministry’s strategy as it becomes available.

THAT’S A WRAP ON WRLDCTY FESTIVAL

Last week, Toronto and many of our thought leaders, artists, innovators and creators took part in WRLDCTY Festival, joining five other global host cities – New York City, Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong and Singapore. The festival brought together thousands of virtual participants over 3 non-stop days of programming.

A first-of-its-kind event, WRLDCTY featured 100 speakers and 70 sessions produced by each destination.

Toronto’s program, curated by Destination Toronto, featured many of the city’s top talent and names including Mayor Tory, Ahmed Ismail, Kardinal Offishall and Haviah Mighty, to name a few.

Destination Toronto’s Business Events team convened a special experience for some of Canada’s key business event professionals and conference meeting planners to participate in the festival live and to meet directly with the organizers afterwards to hear the lessons and learnings from this ambitious event. As meeting planners continue their pivot to virtual conferences over the course of the pandemic, these kinds of learning experiences provide essential professional development and collegial sharing.

Thank you to our partners for making Toronto’s program a success – the Toronto Region Board of Trade, Toronto Global, the City of Toronto’s Economic Development & Culture Division, Toronto Finance International, MaRS, the Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall, and The 194 Group. 

TOGOTORONTO.COM CONTINUES STRONG SUPPORT FOR RESTAURANT INDUSTRY

The reactivated ToGoToronto.com website is helping residents engage with Toronto’s restaurant industry, highlighting takeout, delivery and safe patio dining options currently being offered by participating restaurants.

After two full weeks, ToGoToronto has referred 4,150 leads to participating restaurants – nearly doubling the total week-over-week. The site includes nearly 700 restaurants with more being added daily.

Marketing and social media activities continue to be a priority as we further support the city’s culinary community. Also lending much-valued support has been Mayor Tory who continues to advocate for ToGoToronto and the culinary community on social media and through media interviews over the past two weeks.

Registration remains open and is complimentary for all Toronto restaurants, with new restaurants welcome via the “Add My Restaurant” link. 

Let’s keep supporting our city’s vital restaurant community. Visit ToGoToronto.com and support Toronto’s restaurants today. 

TIAO HOSTS FIRST VIRTUAL ONTARIO TOURISM SUMMIT

This week, the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario hosted its first virtual Ontario Tourism Summit. The summit was a remarkable success bringing together more than 800 industry professionals from across the province. This year’s event featured two days of virtual content with the industry’s recovery efforts being front and centre.

The Summit also included the Ontario Tourism Awards of Excellence, acknowledging work done through the industry. Congratulations to all of the OTA winners including Toronto recipients the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (Sustainable Tourism Award – Large Organization) and The Toronto Zoo’s Terra Lumina exhibit (Tourism Event of the Year).

And congratulations to Beth Potter and the team at TIAO for a remarkable Summit!

SPOTLIGHT ON SOCIAL: HALLOWEEN IN THE 6IX

Destination Toronto continues to work with tourism and hospitality businesses to showcase their offerings this fall. Although many experiences are modified this year, our social platforms have been focused on safe alternatives for Halloween.

• An Ontario Place Haunted Drive-Thru: A takeover featuring the new drive-thru experience at Ontario Place with Arienne of @seeusoontravel and Will of @goingawesomeplaces.
  
  
• Casa Loma’s Halloween Sets: Casa Loma never disappoints for Halloween. This year, Toronto’s most famous castle featured walk through Halloween sets. We sent mommy blogger Yashy and her daughter to see it first-hand.
  
  
• Storm Crow Manor: We partnered to offer a giveaway for a Halloween dinner prize pack at Storm Crow Manor so people can dine safely at home with Halloween-themed eats.

GOVERNMENT UPDATES

CITY APPROVES EXTENDED WINTER PATIO PROGRAM FOR CURBSIDE CAFES AND EXPANDED PRIVATE PATIOS: Toronto City Council has unanimously approved an extension of its winter patio program to April 2021 to provide more outdoor dining options to support local restaurants this winter and into the spring.

CITY APPROVES MOTION TO REQUEST PROVINCE FOR TEMPORARY CAP ON FOOD SERVICE DELIVERY COMMISSIONS: Toronto City Council unanimously approved a motion to request the Province of Ontario to implement a temporary cap on commissions for food service delivery companies. The City does not have the municipal authority to regulate food delivery service companies or cap the fees that they charge.

PROVINCIAL BUDGET SET FOR NOVEMBER 5: The Ontario government will release its 2020 Budget on Thursday, November 5, 2020. It will focus on protecting the health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing much-needed supports to families, workers, and employers, and laying the foundation for future growth, renewal and economic recovery. 

UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENTS:

TIAC TOURISM CONGRESS - COMPLIMENTARY REGISTRATION

Traditionally, registration to attend Tourism Congress starts at $725 however, through the partnership and support of the Government of Canada and the Canadian Experience Fund, TIAC is able to offer complimentary access to the industries must-attend event. 

Join TIAC for two days of thought-provoking content, insights and ideas to help rebuild the visitor economy and navigate the new tourism landscape. The Congress will have a bustling virtual marketplace and plenty of networking opportunities.

Dates: November 17 & 18, 2020.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Be part of something ‘small’ with Little Canada: Scheduled to open in 2021, Little Canada will take guests on an immersive journey through Canada in miniature, offering them a rare opportunity to explore our beautiful country in just a few short hours. Toronto’s newest attraction, now with its sign in place, is set to take over the space at 10 Dundas St. in Yonge-Dundas Square.

Toronto's waterfront will be filled with art installations again this winter: Winter Stations and the Waterfront BIA are back for 2021. The competition, in its seventh year, transforms the lifeguard stations along Toronto’s Woodbine and Kew beaches into impressive works of public art. This year’s theme is, “refuge,” and artists are encouraged to explore what refuge means to them through their designs as they re-examine the importance of public space.