City must do more to make Toronto THE destination of choice
That is the conclusion of the Tourist Destination Project, a new study that raises alarm bells about the future of tourism in Toronto. While short on any specific recommendations, the study - compiled by officials from Toronto's tourism industry - urged the city and the private sector to come up with a common strategy to attract tourists and to concentrate on "the little things" that make a visitor's stay memorable and positive.
"If you have people coming into your own home, you want them to know the minute they step over the threshold that you've been expecting them and that you are looking forward to their visit here," said John Houghton, vice-president of sales and marketing at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and one of the author's of the study. "You want - as a city - to give everyone the same impression."
The study culled data from a variety of sources. A University of Guelph study showed that satisfaction among visitors has decreased, with 69 per cent rating their experience as "very satisfied" in 1998, with just 47 per cent "very satisfied" in 2006. There was a similar drop in the sense that service had exceeded expectations: 30 per cent answered yes in 1998, just 17 per cent in 2006.
The group also conducted its own research, speaking directly with visitors. The group identified a number of "gaps."
Signage is a problem. While highways are well signed, within the city itself there is very little directional signage to major tourist destinations.
As well, the city lacks multi-lingual services at attractions, sightseeing guides are working from tired and out-of-date scripts and the city's deteriorating infrastructure and increasing levels of litter is taking its toll.
Houghton said that if the city doesn't deal with these issues - both in a broad sense and in the details - visitors will start choosing other destinations.
"When visitors compare their experience here with other places, we're not measuring up," he said.
Houghton cited small examples of what the city could do. He pointed to Chicago, where visitors are greeted immediately upon arrival with a welcome message from the mayor.
"When you land in Chicago you will find in the turnstiles a welcome to the city by the mayor - there are signs, there are electronic notices and there are notices on some of the newspaper boxes through the city," he said. "They're not big things, but it's the details that make the biggest impact."
Houghton said Toronto's government needs to get behind tourism promotion in a serious way.
"We have to get better. We have to compete with everyone else that's out there," Houghton said. "South Africa just won an award as being one of the most desired tourist destinations out there. Vienna always was. And have you had a conversation about tourism where the word Dubai hasn't come into it? The world is waking up to this, and we have to have continuous improvement in our tourism product."
