Does anybody really like aquariums? And if Atlanta has the world's largest--the first I've heard of it by the way--then what does that say about their value as tourist attractions?

What Toronto really needs is a new museum dedicated to modern art.
 
Blovertis said:
Does anybody really like aquariums? And if Atlanta has the world's largest--the first I've heard of it by the way--then what does that say about their value as tourist attractions?

What Toronto really needs is a new museum dedicated to modern art.
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The aquarium is more of destination for families. It's good to be able to attract a wide variety of visitors.
 
Exactly. Art is great, and I LOVE the AGO... In fact, I too would love for Toronto to have more art institutions in its future.

However, it's pretentious to assume that nobody else should be interested in aquariums. We need to draw a diverse range of people to the city.
 
I was at the Aquarium in the Mandalay Bay hotel in Vegas. It was interesting walking under, and over the the tank. The smaller fish have room to roam. I have a problem with places like Marineland that keep dolphins and whales in a tank. It would be like one of us being restricted to and area the size of your bathtub. If they plan on doing that, then i'll never visit the place. Being an aquarium, and not a so-called entertainment venue like Marineland, i don't expect them to go that route, but we'll wait and see.
 
EnviroTO said:
I can't disagree more that Burlington is the best location. Niagara Falls is a good location, and downtown Toronto is a good location. It needs to be located where vacationing / stay-cationing people are already located.
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I don't think you understand just how many tourists travel between Toronto and Niagara in the tourist season. It is a perfect stop mid-way and you barely would have to venture far from the highway.

As for the location, the lands are on offer to Burlington and have been set aside for development as a tourist attraction. The site itself could be gorgeous as it essentially forms a sand-bar causeway that runs through with water on both sides, against the backdrop of the Niagara Escarpment.
 
bmiller said:
I was at the Aquarium in the Mandalay Bay hotel in Vegas. It was interesting walking under, and over the the tank. The smaller fish have room to roam. I have a problem with places like Marineland that keep dolphins and whales in a tank. It would be like one of us being restricted to and area the size of your bathtub. If they plan on doing that, then i'll never visit the place. Being an aquarium, and not a so-called entertainment venue like Marineland, i don't expect them to go that route, but we'll wait and see.
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bravo :D i happen to be a major anti-marine land person myself, i don't think i'll visit anyways though. i'm not a big ripleys fan
 
I, for one, welcome our new fishy overlords. I'd totally see an acquarium, and in fact have wished for Toronto to have one for years. It can be a valuable teaching tool for the younger generation about the oceans and conservation.
 
Blovertis - The difference is that Atlanta's aquarium is their main tourist attraction. In our case, this aquarium will only be an attraction that adds depth to our product and hopefully offers people a reason to stay another day. A similar example is the New England Aquarium in Boston, which is by no means the quintessential attraction in Boston but is still very popular (1.3million visitors annually) despite being half the size of this proposal. We're going to get a really good attraction here and it's certainly not in lieu of a museum of any sorts (and I'd certainly love to see more museums in the city, particular a Toronto/Ontario museum)

Tewder said:
I don't think you understand just how many tourists travel between Toronto and Niagara in the tourist season. It is a perfect stop mid-way and you barely would have to venture far from the highway.

As for the location, the lands are on offer to Burlington and have been set aside for development as a tourist attraction. The site itself could be gorgeous as it essentially forms a sand-bar causeway that runs through with water on both sides, against the backdrop of the Niagara Escarpment.
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It's true that millions travel between Toronto and Niagara, but do you think you'd be more likely to attract people if an aquatium was built in one of those two nodes, or between them? If you put it between the two you're taking a lot more risk as the aquarium becomes something that people might stop and see if they have time rather than a feature amongst many attractions. They also might not even be aware that the aquarium exists if they're only researching Toronto and Niagara Falls, and we all know that tourists tend to have somewhat regimented schedules which might not allow for the flexibility that comes with seeing a "Burlington Aquarium" sign on highway and deciding to stop and see it. Also, the distance between the two cities is so short, people don't really need a midway point to get out of their cars for a while. You might as well suggest that this thing be built in Kingston if that's your reasoning.
 
I still think the Aquarium should be on the water, like Chicago's and Boston's. It's just a natural fit for an aquarium.
 
Coruscanti Cognoscente said:
I still think the Aquarium should be on the water, like Chicago's and Boston's. It's just a natural fit for an aquarium.
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If we are going to have one it should be first rate and part of the Ontario place/ Ex Grounds redo. Ripleys othe aquaruims look cheesy. Ok for Myrtle Beach, Gatlingburg..but Toronto?
 
Burlington would be a good location, and it would complement the renowned RBG which is one of southern ontario's best attractions. I guess Ripley wanted their name associated with the CN site because of the tower- which it has hyped for decades as the WTFS. A shame in a way, as that location would account for the small size of the aquarium and the more obvious location of such an attraction on lake ontario. I just hope it's more like Monterey not Barnum&Bailey. That said, just build it already before we go through another 30 years of failed attempts!
 
jn_12 said:
Blovertis
It's true that millions travel between Toronto and Niagara, but do you think you'd be more likely to attract people if an aquatium was built in one of those two nodes, or between them? If you put it between the two you're taking a lot more risk as the aquarium becomes something that people might stop and see if they have time rather than a feature amongst many attractions. They also might not even be aware that the aquarium exists if they're only researching Toronto and Niagara Falls, and we all know that tourists tend to have somewhat regimented schedules which might not allow for the flexibility that comes with seeing a "Burlington Aquarium" sign on highway and deciding to stop and see it. Also, the distance between the two cities is so short, people don't really need a midway point to get out of their cars for a while. You might as well suggest that this thing be built in Kingston if that's your reasoning.
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The majority of'tourists' travelling between Toronto and the Falls are from the GTA itself, no? So yes, I think that many would incorporate a stop at a Burlington/Hamilton aquarium as part of a family vacation, or would make it a day trip on its own.

As for foreign visitors it all depends on how the aquarium is promoted and how significant a site it is, as to whether they would seek it out in significant numbers. Bus tours might add it into their itinerary or offer it as an option, and it could be promoted in tourist marketing in tandem with Toronto/Niagara Falls sites. Besides, in this day of google it could be easily arranged that a cursery search of Toronto would yield a Burlington/Hamilton aquarium result. Unlike many other tourist-friendly sites in the GTA (Wonderland, Black Creek, etc) Burlington is easily accessible from Union Station on the Go Train line... and here in 40 minutes!

The idea for Hamilton/Burlington, however, would be to promote the area to GTAers and southwestern Ontario as a solid day-trip or weekend destination in tandem with the RBG, Dundurn Castle and a potential Robert Bateman museum.
 
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Tewder said:
The majority of'tourists' travelling between Toronto and the Falls are from the GTA itself, no? So yes, I think that many would incorporate a stop at a Burlington/Hamilton aquarium as part of a family vacation, or would make it a day trip on its own.

As for foreign visitors it all depends on how the aquarium is promoted and how significant a site it is, as to whether they would seek it out in significant numbers. Bus tours might add it into their itinerary or offer it as an option, and it could be promoted in tourist marketing in tandem with Toronto/Niagara Falls sites. Besides, in this day of google it could be easily arranged that a cursery search of Toronto would yield a Burlington/Hamilton aquarium result. Unlike many other tourist-friendly sites in the GTA (Wonderland, Black Creek, etc) Burlington is easily accessible from Union Station on the Go Train line... and here in 40 minutes!

The idea for Hamilton/Burlington, however, would be to promote the area to GTAers and southwestern Ontario as a solid day-trip or weekend destination in tandem with the RBG, Dundurn Castle and a potential Robert Bateman museum.
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The majority of these trips would have to be done by car, (even the Burlington GO stations are too far north of the lake, so then you're relying on the Bus and the limited service) and that would eliminate the 'easy access' for everyone. Having it downtown TO allows greater access by servicing both car drivers and transit users.
 
An aquarium in Burlington is a non-starter.

Burlington might have its charms, but tourists want to be able to walk out of their hotel and be able to easily reach all of their amenities. If tourists are going to sit on a bus/train/car for an hour plus, it has to be for a major tourism draw. An aquarium is not enough, especially on its own (yes, RBG). Also, putting an aquarium in Burlington presupposes that tourists would want to hit the Falls and the aquarium in one day. If it takes more than one day, they need to find another hotel at one of the end points. This would mean that they are lugging luggage with them... Would you want to stop halfway to see fish? If they are driving, then they will have to consider traffic as well.

Way too many drawbacks.
 
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