Record Breaking 2017 For Toronto

It was a record breaking year for tourism in Toronto, with the region welcoming 43.7 million visitors in 2017. And for the first time, overnight visits in Toronto’s Downtown surpassed the 15 million mark (15.5 million), joined by 28.2 million same-day travellers.

Visitors to Toronto spent $8.8 billion — the most economic activity ever generated by the region’s tourism industry and represents $700 million more in hotel rooms booked, attractions seen and restaurants experienced than in 2016.

There was another milestone set in 2017 – international visits surpassed 5 million for the first time. And visits from the U.S. grew for the seventh consecutive year with nearly 3 million American overnight visitors, spending $1.8 billion.

An additional 2.1 million overnight visitors arrived from overseas markets led by China (319,000) and the U.K. (263,000). Overseas spending accounted for more than $2 billion for the first time, increasing the 2016 spend by $231 million.

Visits from Mexico saw an increase year-over-year. Starting in late 2016, travellers from Mexico no longer require a visa to visit Canada. As a result, visits from Mexico rose by 72 per cent in just one year.

Johanne Bélanger, president and CEO of Tourism Toronto, observed: “More and more, world travellers are seeing Toronto as an exciting urban destination, and we’re seeing that with both a record number of visitors and visitor spending.”

Bélanger continued: ““The campaign we launched last year is tapping into that sense of excitement and confidence. Videos from that campaign – “‘The Views are Different Here” –– have now been seen nearly 43 million times.”

Go to http://www.SeeTorontoNow.com for more.