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Bid To Lure Visitors Hits 'Strike Three'
9/11, Sars... now high dollar hurts efforts
Chris Wattie And Puja Uppal
National Post
Saturday, November 10, 2007
The high dollar is the final blow to Toronto's efforts to lure back American tourists, and it's time to move on, the chairman of the city's economic development and tourism committee said yesterday.
''It's three strikes and you're out, and I think we're there now. We're out, that's it,'' Councillor Kyle Rae said.
Tourism officials said they are bracing for another dramatic drop in visitors from the United States over the next few months, as the effects of the surging Canadian dollar begin taking a bite out of the $4.5-billion tourists spend in the city each year.
Mr. Rae said the city needs to focus on Europe, Latin America and Asia. Toronto Board of Trade figures show an increase of 7.2% in overseas tourists for the first half of this year over last and a 1.4% increase in Canadian visitors, more than making up for a 9% decrease in U.S. tourism.
"Our overseas visitors are up considerably, particularly from Mexico and China. And 80% of our tourists now are from other parts of Canada," said board spokesman Glen Stone.
"Even last year, when the Canadian dollar was low, the number of American tourists coming to Toronto had gone down dramatically," Mr. Stone said. "That number has been going down steadily since 2003 ... and there's no question the dollar will add to that."
Jim and Sofia Alexopoulos, who have run a hot dog stand just outside the Eaton Centre for 25 years, said yesterday their business has never been this bad.
"This year I have been down because no American people," Mr. Alexopoulos said. "No more tourists here."
"Usually we see those big tour buses but we have not seen any this year."
Julio Batres, the manager of Cucina restaurant in the entertainment district, said he has already seen one effect of the higher loonie: American customers getting irate when told they have to pay extra to settle their bill in U.S. dollars.
"They get extremely upset," he said. "They then start talking about how America is great."
Mr. Stone said the climbing Canadian dollar is just the latest in a long line of obstacles the city's tourism industry has had to overcome.
Tourism, which is tied to an estimated 100,000 jobs in the Toronto area, was hit hard by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and had not really begun to recover when the SARS scare devastated business less than two years later.
But the bad news just kept coming. The power blackout in 2003 and last year's announcement of restrictions on travel between Canada and the United States piled onto earlier factors to produce a 15% drop in U.S. tourists coming to Toronto since 2000.
"It's been a very rough road," Mr. Stone said. "You've got to feel for these people - they've just started to recover from all that and now the dollar starts going up."
"It's just been one thing after another."
Cabbie Abdul Shekih said he has noticed a lot fewer tourists in the back of his taxi and empty streets that were full of shoppers just a few months ago.
"A lot of tourists are not coming here, and people are not going shopping," he said. "A lot of people are giving American dollars. They are trying to get rid of the American dollar."
Andrew Weir, a spokesman for Toronto Tourism, said the industry hopes to overcome the anticipated drop in U.S. tourists by focusing on what he calls "high-value travellers."
"Our marketing efforts are focusing on those travellers that leave a more significant economic footprint," he said.
Last month, Tourism Toronto and the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corp. launched a new campaign to target wealthy Mexicans and Britons. Tourism Toronto launched a Spanish language Web site, www.torontotourismmexico.com, in addition to earlier Web sites in Japanese, Chinese and Korean.
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BY THE NUMBERS
IN 2000
18.3 million
number of visitors to the Greater Toronto Area.
3.2 million
number of visitors who came from the United States.
$3.9-billion
amount spent in Toronto hotels, restaurants and shops.
IN 2006
19.7 million
number of visitors to the Greater Toronto Area.
2.7 million
number of visitors who came from the United States.
4.5 billion
amount spent in Toronto hotels, restaurants and shops.
Bid To Lure Visitors Hits 'Strike Three'
9/11, Sars... now high dollar hurts efforts
Chris Wattie And Puja Uppal
National Post
Saturday, November 10, 2007
The high dollar is the final blow to Toronto's efforts to lure back American tourists, and it's time to move on, the chairman of the city's economic development and tourism committee said yesterday.
''It's three strikes and you're out, and I think we're there now. We're out, that's it,'' Councillor Kyle Rae said.
Tourism officials said they are bracing for another dramatic drop in visitors from the United States over the next few months, as the effects of the surging Canadian dollar begin taking a bite out of the $4.5-billion tourists spend in the city each year.
Mr. Rae said the city needs to focus on Europe, Latin America and Asia. Toronto Board of Trade figures show an increase of 7.2% in overseas tourists for the first half of this year over last and a 1.4% increase in Canadian visitors, more than making up for a 9% decrease in U.S. tourism.
"Our overseas visitors are up considerably, particularly from Mexico and China. And 80% of our tourists now are from other parts of Canada," said board spokesman Glen Stone.
"Even last year, when the Canadian dollar was low, the number of American tourists coming to Toronto had gone down dramatically," Mr. Stone said. "That number has been going down steadily since 2003 ... and there's no question the dollar will add to that."
Jim and Sofia Alexopoulos, who have run a hot dog stand just outside the Eaton Centre for 25 years, said yesterday their business has never been this bad.
"This year I have been down because no American people," Mr. Alexopoulos said. "No more tourists here."
"Usually we see those big tour buses but we have not seen any this year."
Julio Batres, the manager of Cucina restaurant in the entertainment district, said he has already seen one effect of the higher loonie: American customers getting irate when told they have to pay extra to settle their bill in U.S. dollars.
"They get extremely upset," he said. "They then start talking about how America is great."
Mr. Stone said the climbing Canadian dollar is just the latest in a long line of obstacles the city's tourism industry has had to overcome.
Tourism, which is tied to an estimated 100,000 jobs in the Toronto area, was hit hard by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and had not really begun to recover when the SARS scare devastated business less than two years later.
But the bad news just kept coming. The power blackout in 2003 and last year's announcement of restrictions on travel between Canada and the United States piled onto earlier factors to produce a 15% drop in U.S. tourists coming to Toronto since 2000.
"It's been a very rough road," Mr. Stone said. "You've got to feel for these people - they've just started to recover from all that and now the dollar starts going up."
"It's just been one thing after another."
Cabbie Abdul Shekih said he has noticed a lot fewer tourists in the back of his taxi and empty streets that were full of shoppers just a few months ago.
"A lot of tourists are not coming here, and people are not going shopping," he said. "A lot of people are giving American dollars. They are trying to get rid of the American dollar."
Andrew Weir, a spokesman for Toronto Tourism, said the industry hopes to overcome the anticipated drop in U.S. tourists by focusing on what he calls "high-value travellers."
"Our marketing efforts are focusing on those travellers that leave a more significant economic footprint," he said.
Last month, Tourism Toronto and the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corp. launched a new campaign to target wealthy Mexicans and Britons. Tourism Toronto launched a Spanish language Web site, www.torontotourismmexico.com, in addition to earlier Web sites in Japanese, Chinese and Korean.
---
BY THE NUMBERS
IN 2000
18.3 million
number of visitors to the Greater Toronto Area.
3.2 million
number of visitors who came from the United States.
$3.9-billion
amount spent in Toronto hotels, restaurants and shops.
IN 2006
19.7 million
number of visitors to the Greater Toronto Area.
2.7 million
number of visitors who came from the United States.
4.5 billion
amount spent in Toronto hotels, restaurants and shops.