“The momentum of the past several years and repositioning of our product has propelled Toronto into another strong year,” said David Whitaker, president and CEO of Tourism Toronto. “Although not without some challenges, in 2011 we continued to focus on high-value visitors from the U.S. and looked to key overseas markets such as China, India, Brazil and Western Europe for growth.”
In fact, travellers from China (34.5-per-cent increase), India (13.2 per cent) and Brazil (9.2 per cent) were part of the fastest-growing overseas market visiting the city. Likewise, U.S. visits increased 2.7 per cent, as high-value urban dwellers stayed longer and spent more.
Toronto now ranks third in growth in North American at 3.4 per cent — behind New York City and Nashville — and is among the top 10 in occupancy among major North American cities, with more than 37,000 rooms. Its newest luxury properties such as the Ritz-Carlton Toronto, Thompson Toronto and Le Germain Maple Leaf Square, are contributing to the larger room count. Meanwhile, the Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto, Shangri-La Hotel Toronto and new Four Seasons Hotel Toronto are set to open in 2012.
