INDUSTRY INSIGHTS & UPDATES FOR DECEMBER 16, 2021

ONTARIO REINSTATES CAPACITY LIMITS FOR LARGE VENUES

The province is reinstating capacity limits for large event, sports and entertainment venues starting on Saturday in an attempt to curb climbing COVID-19 cases. Provincial officials announced Wednesday afternoon that capacity at indoor facilities that can host more than 1,000 people will be limited to 50% starting Dec. 18.

They include event and meeting spaces, concert venues, theatres, cinemas, racing venues, studio audiences in commercial film and television production, museums, galleries, aquarium, zoos, science centres, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens, casinos, bingo halls, other gaming establishments, fairs, rural exhibitions, and festivals.

Minister MacLeod held a technical briefing this morning around the change. On the call she reiterated that the expected timeline for capacity limits is 6-8 weeks. Next week, the Minister will be convening an advisory committee. 

Full regulations with additional details will be made available by the ministry tomorrow.

ACCESS EXPEDIA BOOKING TRENDS

This week, Destination Toronto hosted the final virtual EDGE event of 2021 alongside Expedia Group. The session unpacked early indicators and booking trends for the year ahead featuring a presentation by Vas Kolovos, Market Manager at Expedia. Looking for insights into how customers feel about travel in 2022, and how they are searching, booking and purchasing? Visit the Research & Insights Terminal for an exclusive presentation by Expedia that explores who the ‘the new traveller’ is.

CITY APPROVES PERFORMANCE VENUE AT EXHIBITION PLACE

OverActive Media and Exhibition Place have achieved a significant milestone for a brand new performance venue expected to book 180-200 events for Toronto. The approval by City Council this week marks the final review and approval required at the municipal level, bringing the venue vision one step closer to fruition, with a scheduled for completion mid-2025.

The venue will be owned by Library Hotel Collection as an addition to Hotel X and would be co-operated with OverActive Media. The new venue would also become home to two of OverActive’s esports teams, Toronto Ultra of the Call of Duty League and Toronto Defiant of the Overwatch League. 

This venue creates an even greater opportunity to position Toronto at the forefront of the surging world of esports. Toronto will host the Esports Travel Summit in both 2023 and 2028, further advancing that key strategic positioning for the city.

NEW ARTICLE: AIR ACCESS FROM U.S. TO TORONTO INCREASING, BUT GAPS REMAIN

Destination Toronto’s Business Intelligence team is keeping a close eye on key visitor source markets, including air capacity from the U.S. While air access from the U.S. is increasing from cities like New York and Washington D.C., other U.S. cities have yet to see their direct service restarted. Read a breakdown of the recent changes to air travel by Nemanja Davidovic with the Business Intelligence team.

NEW ARTICLE: RETURNING HOSPITALITY WORKERS PRIORITIZING SAFETY, DIGITAL MARKETING

Digital marketing skills and workplace safety are drawing the greatest interest among new and returning members of the hospitality workforce, based on the early response to the new Hospitality EDGE program. With 3 months’ experience running the new workforce development program for the Toronto Region, Destination Toronto’s Manager of Workforce Development, Kathryn Dalziel, shares some of the key trends and response.

REMINDER: TAKE PART IN THE SHOWLOVETO SURVEY

Created by the City of Toronto, ShowLoveTO is an initiative designed to inspire local tourism, foster community engagement, support local businesses, and encourage economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The City of Toronto has commissioned The Strategic Counsel to undertake a survey to gather feedback on ShowLoveTO. City of Toronto is looking for your feedback on this initiative through this five minute survey, which will be shared with City Council to help determine future City of Toronto programming initiatives. The survey is open until December 19. 

Canada issues non-essential travel advisory: The federal government is once again warning Canadians against non-essential travel abroad. Officials announced Wednesday that Canadians, regardless of their vaccination status, should avoid non-essential international travel, an advisory in place for the next four weeks before reassessment. No restrictions were put in place on incoming visitors. 

Toronto approves masking bylaw extension: Toronto City Council has approved the extension of COVID-19-related temporary bylaws in the city, including masking. The vote will keep the bylaws in place until at least April 2022, when the council will meet again to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the city.

Immersive Frida coming in March: “Frida: Immersive Dream” will highlight the life and work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in an exhibit opening this March by Lighthouse Immersive, the same creators behind the popular Immersive Van Gogh.

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