City of toronto premier-ranked tourist destination project

CITY OF TORONTO PREMIER-RANKED TOURIST DESTINATION PROJECT

Research Report

"MAKING TORONTO THE BEST IT CAN BE"

December 2007

This project was facilitated in partnership with the City of Toronto, Employment Ontario and funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Ontario Ministry of

Tourism

Toronto's Premier-ranked Tourist Destination Project

Prepared for: The City of Toronto

PRTD Project Staff: Judy Morgan, Director, Tourism Development & Research, City of Toronto Ned Sabev, PRTD Project Manager, Policy and Research Consultant, City of Toronto

PRTD Research Team: Matt Alyea ? Tourism Researcher, Database Coordinator, Report Writer Alfia Chan ? Tourism Researcher, Database Coordinator Stefanie Gnys ? Tourism Researcher, Report Writer and Editor Jacquie Menezes ? Tourism Researcher, Communications Coordinator, Report Writer Lela Simovic ? Tourism Researcher, Administrative Assistant, Report Writer William Young ? Tourism Researcher, Report Writer and Editor Lee Hootnick ? Tourism Researcher, Report Writer Hilka Glaze ? Tourism Researcher Valerie Hudson ? Tourism Researcher Hoffer Lee ? Tourism Researcher Candace Jones ? Contact List Developer Mariusz Hladun ? Contact List Developer Alla Petrenko ? Contact Database Developer

PRTD Project Consultant: Richard Innes, BRAIN TRUST Marketing & Communications

Thanks also to City of Toronto staff: Donald Eastwood, General Manager, Economic Development Culture & Tourism Duncan Ross, Executive Director, Economic Development, Culture & Tourism Rob Richardson, Manager, Partnership Development, Parks, Forestry & Recreation Alicia Bulwik, Sector Advisor, Economic Development, Culture & Tourism Vita Sinuk, Research Analyst, Economic Development, Culture & Tourism Eirine Papaioannou, Supervisor Special Events, Economic Development, Culture & Tourism Ron Nash, Economic Partnership Advisor, Economic Development, Culture & Tourism Monica Kucharski, Senior Coordinator Promotions, Communications, Economic Development,

Culture & Tourism Karina Patterson, Communications & Marketing Consultant Communications, Economic

Development, Culture & Tourism Debbie Muldoon, Supervisor Communication, Social Development, Finance & Administration Eric Johnson, Designer 2, Social Development, Finance & Administration Ted Niles, Promotion & Communications Officer, Communications, Social Development,

Finance & Administration Don Sugden, Supervisor Web Services Corporate, Communications, Public Information Creative

Services Jennifer Britten, Web Editor, Public Information Creative Services Katja Hetmanchuk, Web Editor, Public Information Creative Services Katherine Chislett, Director, SSHA Housing & Homelessness Supports Jerry Belan, Program Standards & Development Officer, Parks, Forestry & Recreation Laura Elkin, Coordinator Programs, Economic Development, Culture & Tourism Bill Falkiner, Supervisor Golf Courses, Parks, Forestry & Recreation

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................1

METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................5

CITY OF TORONTO COMMUNITY PROFILE .......................................................11

PRODUCT DIMENSION ..............................................................................................18

Distinctive Core and Supporting Attractors.......................................................................18 Quality and Critical Mass ..................................................................................................66 Satisfaction and Value .......................................................................................................82 Accessibility.......................................................................................................................90 Accommodation Base ........................................................................................................99

PERFORMANCE DIMENSION ................................................................................102

Visitation..........................................................................................................................102 Occupancy and Yield.......................................................................................................109 Critical Acclaim ...............................................................................................................111

SUSTAINABILITY (FUTURITY) DIMENSION .....................................................118

Destination Marketing .....................................................................................................118 Product Renewal ..............................................................................................................128 Managing Within Carrying Capacities ............................................................................146

PERFORMANCE SUMMARY....................................................................................166

GLOSSARY: BASIC CONCEPTS AND TERMS .....................................................169

BIBLIOGRAPHY ..........................................................................................................174

STAKEHOLDERS COMMITTEES AND CONSULTATIONS ..............................188

APPENDICES

Appendix A - Findings from the PRTD Surveys .............................................................192 Appendix A-2 ? Content Analysis from the PRTD Surveys............................................206 Appendix B ? Demographic & Psychographic Profiles of Travellers .............................208 Appendix C ? BIA Listings with Associated Activities ..................................................215 Appendix D ? Food and Beverage Tables........................................................................216 Appendix E ? Toronto Imagery/Text in Media................................................................217 Appendix F - City of Toronto Tourism Industry 2007 Cluster Maps ..............................218 Appendix G ? Housing Market Information ....................................................................220 Appendix H ? Internationally Recognized Artists ...........................................................221 Appendix I - Inventory of Tourism Assets in the City of Toronto...................................226 Appendix J ? Performance Summary for Toronto's PRTDF Project ..............................230

INTRODUCTION

What is the Premier-ranked Tourist Destination (PRTD) Project?

The purpose of the Premier-ranked Tourist Destination Project is to determine the current strength of Toronto's tourism industry. The process also identifies gaps and opportunities, which need to be addressed in order to improve Toronto's competitive position within the tourism marketplace.

The Premier-ranked Tourist Destination Framework (PRTDF) was developed by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Recreation (now the Ministry of Tourism) in 2001 to assist regions in assessing their destination. The framework is summarized in the PRTD workbook, which sets out the research and consultative methodology and leads the region through a series of questions probing its product, performance and futurity (which the Toronto project has relabelled "sustainability") dimensions. The workbook has been designed to guide users through a threestage process of evaluation, interpretation, and planning. Copies are available for downloading at premier-ranked.ca.

The following table indicates these stages and their respective steps:

Table 1.1 Project Process

Evaluation: Interpretation: Planning:

Step 1 - Complete the Resource Audit Step 2 - Measure Destination Product Step 3 - Measure Destination Performance Step 4 - Measure Destination Futurity Step 5 - Complete the Destination Performance Summary Step 6 - Determine whether your Destination is among the Premier-Ranked

Step 7 - Determine the next steps in Tourism Development for the Destination

The project thereby provides:

? An inventory of tourism resources and assets

? A clear appraisal of Toronto's current competitive position in the tourism marketplace

? A benchmark to measure tourism performance and market position

? A solid foundation for a tourism development strategy by creating an action plan of short and long-term tactics

What is in This Report?

This report summarizes Steps 1 through Step 6 of the Toronto PRTD project. Behind this research manual is an extensive amount of information gathered during the course of the project. It outlines the findings from primary and secondary research resources according to the workbook questions.

1

As is further outlined below, Toronto retained the services of a consultant (Brain Trust Marketing & Communications) experienced with applying the PRTD framework in other regions to advise on the research and lead the planning stages of the process. Brain Trust has drawn from this research manual to produce a separate report summarizing the interpretation and planning stages of the project.

The Toronto Premier-ranked Tourist Destination Framework Process

In the summer of 2006, the City of Toronto began the implementation of the Premier-ranked Tourist Destination Project. Support for the project was provided by Service Canada and the Investment Development Office and Regional Services at the Ministry of Tourism as well as by the City of Toronto. In January 2007, tourism researchers were hired as Audit Team members to work on Toronto's PRTD Project. A summary of all the parties involved in the project are as follows:

? Fieldwork by the Audit Team ? Facilitation by BRAIN TRUST ? Guidance from City of Toronto and Ministry of Tourism staff ? Leadership from the Steering Committee (tourism industry leaders) ? Consultation with Sector Working Groups (tourism industry professionals in Attractions,

Festivals and Events, Retail, and Food and Beverage, as well as special advisory group members who were consulted on an individual basis)

Why Toronto?

With a population of over 2.5 million, the City of Toronto is both the largest urban centre in Canada and the fifth-largest city in North America. It is a vibrant city filled with culture, entertainment, performing arts, festival and events, sports events, international cuisine, parks and recreation, first-rate accommodations, and shopping. The city is heralded as having one of the most diverse and multicultural populations in the world. It is positioned as the safest large metropolitan area in North America by Places Rated Almanac.1

Why Tourism?

Economic Benefits

Toronto has a large and diverse economy with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $130 billion in 2006. Since Toronto's economic growth is largely determined by the competitiveness of the region's export clusters, the city's Economic Development Strategy focuses attention on the importance of export-oriented industries, as they bring new wealth to the local economy, which is then redistributed among local businesses and residents through purchases, employment and income. Tourism is a key export industry that plays an important role in the growth of our economy by generating employment, foreign exchange earnings, investment and regional development.

Toronto is the leading tourism destination in Canada, attracting more that 19 million Canadian, U.S. and International visitors annually. In 2004, tourists in Toronto spent over $4 billion, generating $3.2 billion of GDP, over 57,000 tourism jobs and more than $1.7 billion in labour

1 Source: Places Rated Almanac, as mentioned in City of Toronto web page. Toronto's Racial Diversity. Retrieved July 20, 2007 from:

2

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download