TOURISM TORONTO
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
2
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
3
Tourism Toronto Offices
4
Board of Directors
6
Toronto & Region Tourism Performance
11
Meeting, Convention & Incentive Travel Sales
14
Consumer Marketing
16
Communications & Public Relations
18
International Leisure Trade Sales
20
Destination Development & Member Care
22
Finance & Administration
24 Corporate Social Responsibility
We zijn blij
2
TOURISM
TORONTO
TORONTO OFFICE
Queen’s Quay Terminal at Harbourfront
207 Queens Quay West, Suite 405
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5J 1A7
Toll free: 1-800-363-1990
Direct: 416-203-2600
www.SeeTorontoNow.com
2014 EXECUTIVE TEAM
MISSISSAUGA TORONTO WEST TOURISM
2560 Matheson Blvd. East, Suite 220
Mississauga, ON L4W 4Y9
Phone: 416-203-2600
Fax: 416-203-3811
Email: [email protected]
Tara Gordon
Vice President, Meeting, Convention and Incentive Travel Sales
OTTAWA SALES OFFICE
1117- I Stittsville Main Street
Stittsville, ON K2S 0C9
Office: 613-836-2333
Cell: 647-204-8155
David Whitaker
President and Chief Executive Officer
Andrew Weir
Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer
Roseanne Longo
Vice President, International Leisure Trade Sales
Mark Herron
Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer
Pamela Laite
Director, Industry Relations
WASHINGTON, D.C. SALES OFFICE
6386 Andrew Matthew Terrace
Springfield, Virginia 22150 USA
Office: 202-986-3737
Fax: 416-203-6753
Mobile: 202-669-3154
3
BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
(As of May 2015)
CHAIR
Heather McCrory, Senior Vice President Operations, America
Fairmont-Raffles Hotels International
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR
Johanne Belanger, President
Freeman Audio Visual Canada
VICE CHAIR
Bob Hunter, Chief Project Development Officer
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd.
BOARD MEMBERS
Cameron Bailey, Co-Director
Toronto International Film Festival
Tina Chiu, COO
Mandarin Restaurant Franchise Corporation
David Connor, Area Managing Director Eastern Canada
Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Peter Doyle, General Manager
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada
Paul Godfrey, President and CEO
Postmedia Network Inc.
Robert Housez, General Manager
Hilton Meadowvale Hotel and Conference Centre
Mark Ive, General Manager
Renaissance Toronto Downtown Hotel
Andy Loges, General Manager
Hilton Toronto
Terry Mundell, President and CEO
Greater Toronto Hotel Association
Riley O’Connor, Chair
Live Nation Canada
Chris Overholt, COO & CMO
Canadian Olympic Committee
Barry Smith, President and CEO
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Dianne Young, CEO
Exhibition Place
Nick Eaves
Howard Eng, President and CEO
Greater Toronto Airport Authority
4
5
TORONTO & REGION
TOURISM PERFORMANCE
In 2014, the Toronto region, including Brampton and Mississauga, welcomed 14.3 million overnight visitors. In all, including visitors who did not stay overnight, nearly 40 million people
came to Toronto last year, generating direct visitor expenditure of approximately $6.7 billion (including $4.9 billion for overnight visitors).
International visitors (including the U.S.) accounted for half of all overnight visitor expentidure and contributed $2.45 billion to the Toronto region economy.
OVERNIGHT VISITORS TO TORONTO (Visitors in millions, expenditure in $billions)
Domestic
U.S.
Overseas
TOTAL
2012
2013
2014
2013 to 2014
Visitors
10.09
10.26
10.46
2.0%
Expenditure
$2.25
$2.32
$2.44
5.1%
2.15
2.17
2.25
3.7%
$1.05
$1.08
$1.15
6.9%
1.38
1.42
Expenditure
$1.08
$1.13
$1.30
15.8%
Visitors
13.62
3.3%
Expenditure
$4.38
13.85 15.7% 14.31
$4.53
$4.90
Visitors
Expenditure
Visitors
11.2%
1.60
12.4%
8.2%
Note: Figures above are Tourism Toronto estimates based on Statistics Canada data.
2014
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PROFILE OF TORONTO’S OVERNIGHT VISITORS
2014 Overnight Visitors by Origin
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KEY INTERNATIONAL MARKETS (Overnight Visitors in Thousands)
250
240
230
220
210
200
190
180
170
160
150
140
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2012
2013
2014
China
U.K.
India
Japan
Germany
France
Italy
Note: Numbers are derived from Statistics Canada data. The 2014 numbers are Tourism Toronto estimates based on Statistics Canada data.
7
Australia
S. Korea
Brazil
Mexico
TORONTO & REGION
TOURISM PERFORMANCE
Hotel Average Daily Rates ($) - Monthly
Hotel Occupancy (%) - Monthly
100
200
80
150
60
100
40
50
20
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
2013
Jul
0
Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
2014
2013
Source: Smith Travel Research
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014
Source: Smith Travel Research
Regional Occupancy (%) 2013-2014
Room Nights Sold (millions) 2004-2014
80
10
8
+0.4%
+1.8%
+4.3%
+4.7%
GTA West/
Airport
GTA East/
North
60
6
40
4
20
2
0
0
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Downtown TO
TO Airport
2013
Source: Smith Travel Research
Source: PKF Consulting
8
2014
TOP NORTH AMERICAN CITIES
According to Smith Travel Research, Toronto continues to be an in-demand and highly valued destination among top North American cities.
Occupancy (%)
2014
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
14
16
17
17
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
Average Daily Rates ($)
City
New York City
Oahu Island
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Miami
Anaheim
Seattle
Denver
Boston
San Diego
Orlando
Nashville
Houston
Toronto
Vancouver
Chicago
New Orleans
Montreal
Washington, DC
Atlanta
Tampa-St
Dallas
Minneapolis-St Paul
Philadelphia
Detroit
Canada
USA
St Louis
Phoenix
Virginia Beach
2013
2014
Change %
84.5
83.8
82.8
76.7
77.4
74.7
72.9
70.8
73.1
71.5
70.5
68.2
69.1
69.4
68.3
67.4
66.9
65.7
66.0
63.1
64.3
64.2
66.7
65.2
62.6
63.3
62.2
61.9
59.8
53.0
84.8
84.4
84.1
78.8
78.3
76.7
75.7
75.4
75.3
74.6
73.7
72.1
71.7
71.4
71.4
69.3
69.0
69.0
68.9
68.2
68.0
67.7
67.4
67.3
65.1
64.9
64.4
64.1
63.1
54.7
0.4
0.8
1.6
2.7
1.1
2.8
3.8
6.5
3.0
4.3
4.6
5.6
3.9
3.0
4.5
2.9
3.2
5.1
4.4
8.1
5.8
5.5
1.1
3.2
4.0
2.5
3.6
3.6
5.4
3.2
2014
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
Source: Smith Travel Research
City
New York City
Oahu Island
San Francisco
Miami
Boston
Vancouver
Los Angeles
Washington, DC
Montreal
Toronto
New Orleans
San Diego
Seattle
Canada
Anaheim
Chicago
Philadelphia
Nashville
USA
Phoenix
Denver
Orlando
Minneapolis-St Paul
Houston
Tampa-St
St Louis
Dallas
Atlanta
Virginia Beach
Detroit
2013
2014
Change %
258.7
209.3
187.4
174.9
164.4
140.2
137.1
144.7
139.3
139.0
142.9
135.9
126.8
133.1
127.3
129.4
121.1
103.6
110.3
108.9
103.2
102.0
101.2
101.2
100.4
90.5
90.6
87.8
88.6
84.1
263.5
221.2
207.8
185.1
177.0
147.6
147.3
145.8
145.8
144.9
144.8
142.6
137.5
137.5
135.6
134.7
122.8
116.9
115.3
114.1
112.6
108.0
107.6
106.9
106.3
96.0
93.6
91.9
90.2
89.1
1.8
5.7
10.9
5.8
7.6
5.3
7.5
0.7
4.6
4.2
1.3
4.9
8.4
3.3
6.5
4.1
1.4
12.8
4.6
4.8
9.1
5.9
6.3
5.6
5.8
6.1
3.3
4.7
1.7
5.9
Source: Smith Travel Research. Canadian cities in $CDN; U.S. cities in $U.S.
9
Rendering: Union Pearson Express Station in Skywalk (© Metrolinx)
10
MEETING, CONVENTION & INCENTIVE TRAVEL
(MC&IT) SALES
2013
2014
Change
Definite Room Nights Booked
593,979
640,345
+7.81%
Major Conventions Room Nights Booked
195,706
294,020
+50%
Tentative Room Nights Developed
1,688,971
1,697,802
+0.52%
The international congress and corporate segment secured 76,998 total room nights
against its 2014 annual goal of 81,400 total room nights, an increase of 24%
over 2013 results. The international corporate segment’s key focus in the developing
markets of China and India remains directed toward large sized incentive and
meeting programs moving anywhere from 250 to10,000 participants in the Direct
Selling, Manufacturing, Automotive, ICT, Finance and Insurance industries. Our
European approach remains concentrated around the U.K. with development into
other important, continental markets such as Germany. Latin America, with an
emphasis on Brazil and Mexico, will still be on the agenda through 2015, and will
be evaluated for potential expansion of resources in the future. International congress
efforts will focus on the Toronto region’s competitive strengths in education, research,
entrepreneurship, medical and innovation.
The MC&IT Convention Sales and Client Services Division is responsible for
generating room nights from targeted and diverse market segments through the
implementation of innovative strategies and solicitation of convention and meetings
business that will grow hotel occupancy and revenues for stakeholders across the
region. The Client Services team assists event planners with a myriad of promotional
and logistical support to bolster the overall client and delegate experience to ensure
that Toronto’s best customers attend, extend their stay and return with a future event
or for leisure travel.
The team has been driving results to ensure a robust definite pipeline of meetings,
conventions and corporate incentive groups coming to the Greater Toronto Region.
The MC&IT sales team secured 640,345 total room-nights in future bookings in
2014, with a projected direct visitor spending in Toronto of approximately $523
million, continuing the trend of strong growth over the last six years.
The North American association segment produced 261,000 definite room nights in
2014, posting strong results again from within the national and provincial association
business unit. Looking at 2015, in order for Toronto to sustain its strong position as a
preferred destination and to grow its fair share of the domestic association market,
Toronto must continue to assert itself with innovation and elevate buyer relationships to
avoid having Toronto assessed on price alone. Developing multiple-year commitments,
as well as focusing prospecting efforts on the union, healthcare and the aboriginal
markets will be essential to achieving this segment’s 2015 objectives.
In 2014, MC&IT produced business from within Tourism Toronto’s key city targets
and vertical segments and established successful partnerships to create key points
of difference to support bid strategies and, along with our stakeholders, 85 future
meetings were booked with more than 1,000 total room nights representing 300,087
total definite room nights for future years. As well, a total of 16 Major Conventions
of more than 1,100 peak nights each were booked for future years, representing
204,062 total room nights of base business for Tourism Toronto stakeholders.
The U.S. association segment has endured some difficult years recently as Toronto
competes head-to-head with top-tier destinations and battle the ever present “Buy
American” political sentiment, the under blocking of contracted room nights and
a steady stream of objections related to crossing the border. In 2014, the U.S.
association segment produced 169,307 definite room nights, a remarkable increase
of 126% over 2013 results, as a result of a recalibrated sales approach to key
segments in geographical areas, coupled with healthy corporate profits, amplified
management confidence and increased job development within the membership
base of U.S. associations.
The corporate segment exceeded its annual goal by 13% having secured 172,477
definite room nights in 2014. It will deploy sales strategies in 2015 in tandem
with Invest Toronto, aligned with key business sectors, such as financial services,
ICT, green energy, food and beverage, and manufacturing as well as direct selling
companies, a market that has picked up momentum over the past few years.
11
MEETING, CONVENTION & INCENTIVE TRAVEL
(MC&IT) SALES
Over the last 12 months, MC&IT has continued our strategy to diversify our business
mix to generate broader appeal and stand out from the competition. We now
have a well-diversified account base and are no longer over-exposed to any one
business sector of the economy or market territory. We remain focused on building
shoulder and need periods and continue to evaluate, fine-tune and implement an
eight-year pace strategy to ensure a healthy pipeline of definite business across
the region. Converting more customers by establishing and measuring conversion
goals has yielded strong outcomes with Tourism Toronto stakeholders starting the
year off with 16 major conventions on the books, each with 1,000 peak nights and
more representing 272,000 total room nights, along with 425 meeting bookings
representing 273,000 total room nights.
In 2014, the sport segment achieved a goal of 129,870 definite room nights.
Domestically, amateur sport event hosting continues to be a driver for smaller
communities across Canada with limited convention space availability and existing
sport facilities to drive economic growth through tourism. Post PanAm Games, Toronto
can anticipate similar sport event hosting growth opportunities which many domestic
destinations already enjoy, but on a larger scale and with higher profile professional
and international sporting events. Redirecting resources and focus onto major
sporting event rights holders is a logical next step for building future incremental room
night business for the destination.
CITYWIDE CONVENTIONS BOOKED IN 2014 WITH 1,100+ PEAK NIGHTS
TOTAL ATTENDEES
YEAR
NormanD Productions LLC
ACCOUNT
1500
2015
Shoppers Drug Mart
2400
2016
Sport Alliance Ontario
3500
2016
Perfect China Co. Ltd
5000
2016
International Symposium on Viral Hepatitis and Liver Disease (ISVHLD)
3000
2018
Microsoft Corporation
15000
2018
Rendezvous Canada
2000
2019
Society Of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC)
1500
2019
Meeting Professionals International
2500
2019
American Educational Research Association-AERA
14400
2019
Society for Vascular Surgery
3000
2020
Association For Manufacturing Excellence
2500
2020
Society For Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT)
8000
2023
Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS)
7000
2024
13500
2025
7000
2026
American Psychiatric Association
American Bar Association
12
13
CONSUMER
MARKETING
Hotel / Attraction Searches
2013
2014
Change
260,292
383,347
+47.3%
Further seasonal and themed marketing was delivered through a multi-faceted
approach to curating and creating meaningful content on the site and by using web
search investments to attract visitors to that content. Existing member content and
assets were curated around special occasions and holiday weekends (i.e. Valentine’s
Day, March Break, Family Day). Leveraging the paid search program, original
content was created in response to consumer demand and search queries. Priority
was given to foundational content concentrated in dining, nightlife and shopping
categories. Guest bloggers continued to contribute to the “My Toronto” section of the
site, providing third-party endorsement and exposure to a broader audience as well
as a powerful extension of the site into social channels.
Throughout 2014 Tourism Toronto elevated its ability to compete in a more sophisticated
digital marketing environment, by improving its own core digital assets and by using
more robust technology and strategies to target consumers. These strategies led to
a substantial increase in hotel and attraction searches on the SeeTorontoNow.com
website, totaling 383,347 searches, up 47.3% over the prior year.
The first part of this effort was to increase accessibility of Tourism Toronto’s websites
in several key ways, with a goal of making the online experience available, easy
and convenient to anyone, anywhere, anytime and any way. The nine websites,
including the eight foreign-language versions of the site, were relaunched with a
fully “responsive” design, meaning the site will load and display for easy reading
and navigating on any kind of device from a desktop to a tablet to a phone. Given
the growing use of mobile devices for travel searching and purchase, this is a vital
step. At the same time accessibility legislation in Ontario called for an improved
website infrastructure, requiring that all content be accessible to a full range of
abilities (including, but not limited to, assisted devices), which SeeTorontoNow.
com was upgraded to meet. Following the implementation of the JackRabbit hotel/
attraction referral engine at the end of 2013, the site widgets were extensively tested
and modified to maximize the opportunity for referrals to participating hotels and
attractions, helping achieve the significant increase in hotel and attraction searches.
In addition to regional-market campaigns, WorldPride presented a special marketing
opportunity. Tourism Toronto created a series of videos serving a dual purpose of
driving attendance to the 2014 festival and developing legacy assets that speak to
the brand and status of the destination, building on the halo of WorldPride. Similarly,
Tourism Toronto leveraged the opportunity presented by TIFF to capture the energy of
the festival, along with endorsements by A-list celebrities. Footage was edited into
a new video that mixes festival highlights and celebrity comments with the broader
story of this cosmopolitan city. These videos were important tools for the ongoing
social media strategy and generated more than 2 million views.
The Toronto Escapes partnership program (with OTMPC, Air Canada and the GTAA)
continued for its sixth year, with an aggressive digital campaign targeting U.S.
travellers. Total air tickets sold through TorontoEscapes.com increased to 25,225
in 2014 from 19,134 in 2013. In addition, the return on investment for the TOGA
partnership in 2014 rose to $15.89 per $1 invested.
Consumer marketing campaigns targeted the summer and fall seasons in regional
markets to motivate and convert travel. At the core of each campaign was a
sophisticated digital media plan that enabled Tourism Toronto to create dozens of
unique display ads and serve them to highly targeted consumer segments on the
websites they frequent. Through daily monitoring of results, the team was able to
optimize the best-performing ads, thereby maximizing the return on the campaign
investment. This careful targeting and high repetition of the most effective messages
also helped drive the increase in web activity and hotel/attraction searches.
14
15
COMMUNICATIONS
& PUBLIC RELATIONS
2013
2014
Change
Media Hosted
470
544
+16%
Earned Media Value
$43.0 M
$46.6 M
+8%
journalists to experience and write about WorldPride and Toronto’s inspiring diversity,
resulting in more than 80 published stories in markets from Mexico to Germany to
Australia.
Toronto’s profile continued to grow in 2014. Media Relations efforts delivered
worldwide media coverage valued at $46.6 million in advertising equivalency, or
103% of the goal of $45.3 million for the year. This coverage came as a direct
result of Tourism Toronto and its partners hosting 544 media from over 20 countries
throughout the year. The focus for Media Relations remains on the established global
Key Cities as well as regional markets in Canada and the U.S.
As the countdown clock to the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games ticked down,
the team led several major dedicated press tours for key media from the priority
PanAm countries (Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and both English- and Spanish-language
media from the U.S.). These press tours leveraged the relevance and timeliness of
the Games to deliver a broader story about the diversity and vibrancy of the Toronto
region. At the same time, advance work with the rights-holding broadcasters has been
an important part of the Games preparation to maximize the pre-Games coverage.
The commitment in Key Cities starts with active investment in relationships with
targeted media. The team conducted in-market media missions in nearly all the
priority markets in 2014, typically early in the year in order to generate press tours
to the destination in the peak seasons. New in-market representation was established
in London, Berlin and Tokyo, along with continuing partnerships in Mexico City, Sao
Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and the Chinese markets Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Closer to home, relationships that have been established with key reporters and
editors in Canada and the U.S. border-state region continue to pay dividends. While
some of the media coverage in this region highlights the overall Toronto experience,
stories in this region tend to be more focused on specific events or seasons, such as
special offerings for March Break, summer or the holiday season. Media Relations
efforts in this area are closely aligned with Consumer Marketing and Web Search to
drive more active searches and conversion of near-term travel to Toronto.
In the spring, Tourism Toronto led its first media mission into Tokyo to establish direct
relationships with targeted media including broadcasters, major lifestyle magazines
and online hubs. Also in the spring, Tourism Toronto supported the OTMPC-led China
microfilm project at its high-profile launch in Beijing and subsequently hosted a social
media tour in Ontario with the film’s star actor to extend the story and the reach.
While in Beijing, the team also held media briefings for key journalists that resulted
in substantial coverage later in the year including two major national broadcasters
– CCTV6 and Beijing TV – with a combined viewership over 100 million people.
Even closer, the team continued its efforts working with local Toronto media to
highlight the importance of tourism and meetings to the economy, the jobs created
by the sector and the success being achieved for our destination. Over the course
of the year, stories on tourism growth as well as specific events and issues helped
sustain media, stakeholder and public confidence in our industry.
WorldPride in Toronto offered a significant opportunity to showcase Toronto’s true
inclusiveness. It was a powerful message not only for the worldwide LGBT community
but also for the millions of consumers for whom diversity and inclusiveness are
respected attributes in a destination. While some of the media relations initiatives
around WorldPride occurred in advance to drive greater visitation for the week
of WorldPride itself, the greater value in the media profile is the long-term brand
association that was generated through the extensive global coverage. Tourism
Toronto, along with OTMPC, hosted a “mega-fam” of more than 30 international
Our dialogue with members continued through our bi-weekly newsletter, Tourism
Now. This is an essential membership communications tool that keeps member
businesses informed about Tourism Toronto activities and, most importantly, provides
a key link through which members can become more actively and directly engaged
in sales and marketing programs.
16
ANO 2 - Nº 16 - MARÇO DE 2014
OS 10 DESTINOS MAIS
FOTOGÊNICOS DO PLANETA
ROTEIROS PARA SEMANA
SANTA E CORPUS CHRISTI
TORONTO
TOP
¿DónDe vive
Santa?
Cuando los niños quieren ver a Santa Clos
van a Rovaniemi, en Laponia, Finlandia,
donde vive el personaje más famoso
de estas fechas.
domingo 21 / 12 / 2014
[email protected] / Editora: Laura Pardo
ToronTo, canadá
5628 7294
@reformadeviaje
06
a Las Vegas
Gracias a nuevas atracciones y a su
enriquecida oferta culinaria, más de
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este destino en 2014. Nuevo récord.
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patinar en la pista
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z El Toronto Christmas Market,
dentro del Distillery District.
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bajo cero
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nieve, luces y ¡calorías!
texto y fotos:
Juan Carlos GarCía
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Nathan Phillips Square
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z Entre los artículos más buscados
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rsity
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gran ciudad, en Londres
todo cambia.
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ahora remozados y
convertidos en los comedores
con más onda de la capital.
Todo sobre esta tendencia.
Y hay que mencionar que todos y todas andan en botas con
suela antiderrapante. En su mochila, llevan el calzado presentable.
A unos metros de la CN Tower,
iluminada de rojo y verde como
dicta la temporada, el Lago Ontario se prepara para congelarse. La
inmensa mancha acuática pertenece a un programa gubernamental
que sólo da luz verde para patinar
hasta que expertos en hidrografía y
topografía hayan verificado el grosor de la capa de hielo, por ahí de
enero, y clavado las señales que
demarcan el límite seguro.
Todavía en el andar nocturno
se ven niños, cubiertos hasta los
cachetes, jugando con bolas de
nieve; los adolescentes se reúnen
a chacotear en alguna de las más
de 250 pistas de hielo disponibles.
Patinar es tan común que quien
no lo haga, evidencia su condición
de turista o fuereño recién llegado. Mientras unos afilan navajas
y otros beben chocolate caliente
¡aquí no para de nevar!
Unive
TORONTO.- Poco después de las 6
de la mañana, la aplicación del clima en el celular anuncia 5 grados
centígrados, todo en orden; dos
horas después, ya indica un atemorizante 10 bajo cero, adornado,
al lado, con un copito de nieve: tormenta a la vista.
En la primera nevada de la
temporada anticipamos las imágenes que luego veríamos en la calle:
niños formando muñecos de nieve
en un parque y gente patinando en
una de las tantas pistas de Toronto.
Era el anuncio oficial de que el invierno llegaba y la Navidad estaba
a la vuelta de la esquina.
Abrigados como osos, vemos
la transformación urbana multicolor
en un tapiz blanco interminable: en
menos de un día, la ciudad llegó a
acumular 14 centímetros de nieve.
Árboles decorados, mercados
típicos, vida bajo tierra y costumbres multiculturales, entre la oferta de temporada. Ya de noche, los
torontonianos denotan en su andar
su experiencia en este clima.
Caminan con paso seguro, ni
muy rápido ni muy lento, para no
resbalar entre la grisácea vereda
movediza de agua congelada, que,
mezclada con el lodo cotidiano, se
convierte en una pequeña trampa,
en la acera o fuera de ella.
La gente entra al metro, se
sube al tranvía, llega a los restaurantes o se para a comer un hot
dog, campante, chabacana, muy
acostumbrada a un fenómeno poco conocido en las grandes urbes
de México. El vaho sale con cada
palabra.
En la pasarela subterránea, el
famoso PATH del Downtown, y en
el distrito financiero predominan
los transeúntes con abrigos impermeables de colores neutros con
gorro de felpa. Quien osa por una
tonalidad brillante, como amarillo
o verde, destaca; lo mismo quien
usa gabardina gruesa o abrigo de
tela. Estos últimos deben ser oficinistas, sin duda.
z Uno de los principales atractivos
del mercado es su árbol gigante.
04
y CN Tower
er Exp
Gardin
puros
pretextos
Esferas de vidrio,
adornos multicolor
y sidras elaboradas con
fresquísimas manzanas
son motivos perfectos
para visitar algunos
pueblitos de México.
02
N
Estávamos
esperando
por você
INTERNATIONAL
LEISURE TRADE SALES
2013
2014
Change
Total Member Leads/Referrals
298*
360
+20.8%
Fams & Client Site Inspections
621
679
+9.3%
Tradeshows/Sales Missions
28
33
+17.9%
Japan saw a consumer-focused campaign implemented to drive foreign independent
traveller (FIT) bookings in the shoulder season and to capitalize on the new non-stop
air service between Tokyo-Haneda and Toronto.
Overseas international markets, in particular key cities in those markets, continue
to be an important source of growth for Toronto’s leisure travel sector. Working
in partnership with leading global tour operators, the Ontario Tourism Marketing
Partnership Corporation (OTMPC) and the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) on
a variety of sales and marketing opportunities kept Toronto top of mind in our key
markets.
Sales training initiatives directed at the growing outbound Chinese travel market
were implemented in partnership with important Chinese trade. As well, Tourism
Toronto partnered with the OTMPC on a China Micro-Film Project to raise the
destination profile and capitalize on this integrated PR, marketing and sales initiative.
In 2014, Tourism Toronto hosted 679 tour operator and trade clients from more than
12 countries who experienced our destination during individual site inspections and
familiarization tours to assist them in packaging and selling the city to their clients.
As part of our U.S. key cities focus, Tourism Toronto developed partnerships with
national selling tour operators that included city package and FIT travel to Toronto.
Toronto was also the host destination for the Student & Youth Travel Association
Annual Convention which brought a large group of U.S.-based student & youth
tour operators and travel planners to the city in August 2014 presenting us with the
opportunity to showcase our destination to these influential travel planners.
Presence in the historically strong U.K. market was maintained with spring and fall
joint marketing campaigns designed to drive leisure bookings from that market. In
Germany we initiated joint marketing programs with key trade partners and our
in-market representative in Sao Paulo, Brazil, worked with travel trade clients and
airline partners to position the Toronto region as a unique, urban destination for
leisure travellers from Brazil.
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DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT
& MEMBER CARE
2013
2014
Change
Total Membership
1048
1059
+1.0%
Retention Rate
87.7%
90.9%
+3.6%
New Members
111
113
+1.8%
DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT
MEMBER CARE
Aimed at improving visitors’ experiences in our destination, several Destination
Development projects advanced significantly in 2014 in concert with key
municipal and provincial partners. The projects focus on the quality and
availability of visitor information, recognizing that this information is vital in
encouraging visitors to consume more experiences throughout the destination.
It also leads to greater sharing of experiences and long-term destination
advocacy and is therefore a priority for Tourism Toronto and its partners.
Membership levels stabilized in 2014 as the member-retention rate climbed back
above the 90% threshold, which compared favourably with our industry peers.
Member value propositions became more evident with a record year for overseas
visitation, total hotel room nights sold and future meeting and convention bookings.
Media relations remains a powerful motivator for memberships as it is a highly visible
and valued benefit when members are included in local and international media
coverage generated by Tourism Toronto. With WorldPride in 2014 and the Pan Am
Games ahead in 2015, more businesses were considering how they can leverage
these opportunities, and Tourism Toronto is well positioned to provide guidance and
value, leading to increased interest in membership among local businesses.
Major projects in 2014 include the Toronto 360 Wayfinding Strategy project,
led by the City of Toronto, which successfully entered its Phase 2 Pilot. Multimodal wayfinding throughout the region will make the city more “legible” for
residents, commuters and tourists alike. Promotion and further enhancement
of the See Toronto app led to a total of 170,000 downloads by the end of
2014. The app features location-based content on things to see and do and
places to dine in Toronto, Brampton and Mississauga while on the go. Tourism
Toronto also continued to expand its partnership with the Greater Toronto
Airports Authority to heighten the sense of arrival for passengers within its new
visitor information centres in Terminals 1 and 3 at Toronto Pearson.
The Member Care team put a special emphasis on raising engagement levels by
increasing events and opportunities for members. The Annual General Meeting was
moved into the fall for the first time to align with the release of the business plan, and
achieved record attendance. A dozen further member events were held around the
region with good attendance and industry partnership.
The 2014 member publications were again very well received and
www.Seetorontonow.com became more relevant for members due to increased
social media efforts driving traffic, greater accessibility of the sites on mobile devices
and the new hotel/attraction booking engine.
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21
FINANCE
& ADMINISTRATION
Finance & Administration (Finance) includes Human Resources, Information Systems
and Office Services and is responsible for overall financial risk management and
control. Finance works closely with Senior Management, the Audit Committee and
Board of Directors for the most effective and ethical return on investment and valuefor-money stewardship of the Association’s financial resources.
Tourism Toronto is a non-profit, member-based destination marketing organization
and sales agency funded primarily by the Greater Toronto Hotel Association. Since
2010, Tourism Toronto has been designated Regional Tourism Organization 5, with
funding by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, representing the cities
of Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton.
Expenses %
Expenses
%
Revenues %
REVENUE
9.1%
8.7%
7.2%
2.3%
GTHA Funding (59.3%)
MCIT Sales (42.3%)
Marketing (30.4%)
Provincial Funding (29.6%)
59.3%
Finance & Administration (9.1%)
29.6%
Co-Operative Advertising &
Program Buy-In's (6.2%)
Int'l Leisure Trade (8.7%)
30.4%
Communications (7.2%)
Ontario CDF (2.5%)
Member Care (2.3%)
Membership Fees (1.7%)
6.2%
Interest & Other Income (0.7%)
42.3%
2.5%
0.7%
1.7%
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PROGRAM INVESTMENTS AND OPERATIONS
Marketing & Communications (%)
Marketing & Communications (%)
28.6%
Marketing & Content Channels (42.5%)
15.1%
Marketing Alliances (28.6%)
Communications & Media Relations (15.1%)
Creative Services (8.6%)
8.6%
42.5%
Distribution Fulfillment (5.2%)
5.2%
MCIT Sales & International Leisure Trade Sales (%)
6.5%
7.3%
US Sales (30.2%)
30.2%
7.7%
Meeting Incentive Funds (27.5%)
International Sales (20.8%)
Regional Sector Sales (7.7%)
Canadian Sales (7.3%)
20.8%
Client Services (6.5%)
27.5%
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CORPORATE
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Tourism Toronto’s initiatives by staff include work and donations in the GTA as well as
community in areas in which we work and visit. Examples are:
The tourism and hospitality industry plays an important role in the community and
every day our members make meaningful contributions to the social, environmental
and business welfare of our region. Tourism Toronto aims to elevate that crucial role
through a variety of programs in the Toronto region and in other communities in which
we work.
• At the PCMA Annual Meeting in Boston, TT and members helped assemble
bags of groceries, stocked shelves and distributed food supplies to 250
families as part of the Red Cross’s Food Pantry program. The team also
invited clients to paint soup bowls and for every 10 soup bowls painted,
donated a stock pot to the community outreach program. Altogether, we
donated over 100 stock pots and ladles. In addition, Tourism Toronto
and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre donated $5,000.00.
FAMILIES IN NEED
Our signature Relax, Recharge, Renew program has become a mainstay in the
Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton area by every week providing parents of special
needs children a weekend break. Since launching in 2008, the program has served
approximately 400 families.
• To benefit the Canadian Cancer Society, for the IncentiveWorks Show
and CSTA Conference, TT created a unique yellow version of the Toronto
‘T’ pin which were sold at our booth. Over $1,500.00 was raised.
Due to the generosity of our members in the hospitality industry, every week throughout
the year parents are treated to a weekend in Toronto that includes a limousine pickup
at home, two nights in one of our excellent hotels, passes to interesting attractions and
meals at exceptional restaurants.
• During 2014 PCMA Education Conference Stop Market carts were used
as the base for food and beverage carts, resulting in a $1,500.00
donation to the Toronto Stop Market.
• For the holiday season each TT department chose a cause to provide
donations to including the Scott Mission; Evergreen; Sleeping Children
Around The World (bed kits for children); YWCA’s Adopt-a-Family
Program; and Toronto area homeless people who received gloves and
hats.
The initiative has consistently received awards since its inception including:
• IMEX 2010 “Commitment to the Community” award, which is a globallyrecognized honour given out every year in Frankfurt, Germany;
• The Power of A Silver Award 2011 from the American Society of
Association Executives;
SUSTAINABILITY
• the VIA Rail Canada Community Service Award from the Travel Industry
Association of Canada in 2012;
Tourism Toronto has long been active on the “green” front both within our offices –
reducing waste through recycling, composting and using sustainable products – as
well as through external initiatives in the community. Notable in 2014:
• won in the Community Affairs category in PR News’ annual CSR Awards,
presented at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.;
• Held member information sessions on how to improve sustainability
practices and aim for certification
• “Tourism Innovator of the Year Award” by the Tourism Industry Association
of Ontario;
• For Earth Day 2014, Tourism Toronto staff performed a clean-up on
Centre Island and gardening and painting at Artscape
• named “Destination Champion” by Destination Marketing Association
International.
• A new program initiated by TT and adopted by Brookfield Queens Quay
for all QQT businesses and residents, sees used writing instruments being
recycled and turned into items like park benches, waste bins and more.
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Rendering: ROM Amphitheatre (© Hariri Pontarini Architects)
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