Source: Toronto Star
Stronger world economy and a vibrant downtown contributed to spike in hotel bookings for meetings and conventions in 2014, says Tourism Toronto.
Delta Toronto Hotel. Photographer David Cooper / Toronto Star file photo
The end of the Great Recession and generous words from Vogue magazine are among the reasons that Toronto’s convention industry is booming again, after a swoon brought on by tough economic times, the city’s tourism agency says.
Almost half a million people booked a meeting or convention visit to Toronto in 2014, good for over 600,000 hotel room nights — the first time the city has cracked that threshold.
A resurgent world economy, top-flight hotels, and an increasingly vibrant downtown have all contributed to the convention sector’s growth, said Tourism Toronto spokesman Andrew Weir.
“As Toronto’s reputation and cachet grows — when you have Vogue magazine talking about Queen W. as one of the hippest neighbourhoods in the world — it increases the desirability of that destination,” Weir said.