CITY OF TORONTO PREMIER-RANKED TOURIST DESTINATION PROJECT Research Report “MAKING TORONTO THE BEST IT CAN BE” December 2007 This project was facilitated in partnership with the City of Toronto, Employment Ontario and funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism Toronto’s Premier-ranked Tourist Destination Project Prepared for: The City of Toronto PRTD Project Staff: Judy Morgan, Director, Tourism Development & Research, City of Toronto Ned Sabev, PRTD Project Manager, Policy and Research Consultant, City of Toronto PRTD Research Team: Matt Alyea – Tourism Researcher, Database Coordinator, Report Writer Alfia Chan – Tourism Researcher, Database Coordinator Stefanie Gnys – Tourism Researcher, Report Writer and Editor Jacquie Menezes – Tourism Researcher, Communications Coordinator, Report Writer Lela Simovic – Tourism Researcher, Administrative Assistant, Report Writer William Young – Tourism Researcher, Report Writer and Editor Lee Hootnick – Tourism Researcher, Report Writer Hilka Glaze – Tourism Researcher Valerie Hudson – Tourism Researcher Hoffer Lee – Tourism Researcher Candace Jones – Contact List Developer Mariusz Hladun – Contact List Developer Alla Petrenko – Contact Database Developer PRTD Project Consultant: Richard Innes, BRAIN TRUST Marketing & Communications Thanks also to City of Toronto staff: Donald Eastwood, General Manager, Economic Development Culture & Tourism Duncan Ross, Executive Director, Economic Development, Culture & Tourism Rob Richardson, Manager, Partnership Development, Parks, Forestry & Recreation Alicia Bulwik, Sector Advisor, Economic Development, Culture & Tourism Vita Sinuk, Research Analyst, Economic Development, Culture & Tourism Eirine Papaioannou, Supervisor Special Events, Economic Development, Culture & Tourism Ron Nash, Economic Partnership Advisor, Economic Development, Culture & Tourism Monica Kucharski, Senior Coordinator Promotions, Communications, Economic Development, Culture & Tourism Karina Patterson, Communications & Marketing Consultant Communications, Economic Development, Culture & Tourism Debbie Muldoon, Supervisor Communication, Social Development, Finance & Administration Eric Johnson, Designer 2, Social Development, Finance & Administration Ted Niles, Promotion & Communications Officer, Communications, Social Development, Finance & Administration Don Sugden, Supervisor Web Services Corporate, Communications, Public Information Creative Services Jennifer Britten, Web Editor, Public Information Creative Services Katja Hetmanchuk, Web Editor, Public Information Creative Services Katherine Chislett, Director, SSHA Housing & Homelessness Supports Jerry Belan, Program Standards & Development Officer, Parks, Forestry & Recreation Laura Elkin, Coordinator Programs, Economic Development, Culture & Tourism Bill Falkiner, Supervisor Golf Courses, Parks, Forestry & Recreation Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................1 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................5 CITY OF TORONTO COMMUNITY PROFILE .......................................................11 PRODUCT DIMENSION ..............................................................................................18 Distinctive Core and Supporting Attractors.......................................................................18 Quality and Critical Mass ..................................................................................................66 Satisfaction and Value .......................................................................................................82 Accessibility.......................................................................................................................90 Accommodation Base ........................................................................................................99 PERFORMANCE DIMENSION ................................................................................102 Visitation..........................................................................................................................102 Occupancy and Yield.......................................................................................................109 Critical Acclaim...............................................................................................................111 SUSTAINABILITY (FUTURITY) DIMENSION .....................................................118 Destination Marketing .....................................................................................................118 Product Renewal ..............................................................................................................128 Managing Within Carrying Capacities ............................................................................146 PERFORMANCE SUMMARY ....................................................................................166 GLOSSARY: BASIC CONCEPTS AND TERMS .....................................................169 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..........................................................................................................174 STAKEHOLDERS COMMITTEES AND CONSULTATIONS ..............................188 APPENDICES Appendix A - Findings from the PRTD Surveys .............................................................192 Appendix A-2 – Content Analysis from the PRTD Surveys............................................206 Appendix B – Demographic & Psychographic Profiles of Travellers .............................208 Appendix C – BIA Listings with Associated Activities ..................................................215 Appendix D – Food and Beverage Tables........................................................................216 Appendix E – Toronto Imagery/Text in Media................................................................217 Appendix F - City of Toronto Tourism Industry 2007 Cluster Maps ..............................218 Appendix G – Housing Market Information ....................................................................220 Appendix H – Internationally Recognized Artists ...........................................................221 Appendix I - Inventory of Tourism Assets in the City of Toronto...................................226 Appendix J – Performance Summary for Toronto’s PRTDF Project ..............................230 INTRODUCTION What is the Premier-ranked Tourist Destination (PRTD) Project? The purpose of the Premier-ranked Tourist Destination Project is to determine the current strength of Toronto’s tourism industry. The process also identifies gaps and opportunities, which need to be addressed in order to improve Toronto’s competitive position within the tourism marketplace. The Premier-ranked Tourist Destination Framework (PRTDF) was developed by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Recreation (now the Ministry of Tourism) in 2001 to assist regions in assessing their destination. The framework is summarized in the PRTD workbook, which sets out the research and consultative methodology and leads the region through a series of questions probing its product, performance and futurity (which the Toronto project has relabelled “sustainability”) dimensions. The workbook has been designed to guide users through a three- stage process of evaluation, interpretation, and planning. Copies are available for downloading at www.premier-ranked.ca. The following table indicates these stages and their respective steps: Table 1.1 Project Process Step 1 - Complete the Resource Audit Step 2 - Measure Destination Product Evaluation: Step 3 - Measure Destination Performance Step 4 - Measure Destination Futurity Step 5 - Complete the Destination Performance Summary Interpretation: Step 6 - Determine whether your Destination is among the Premier-Ranked Step 7 - Determine the next steps in Tourism Planning: Development for the Destination The project thereby provides: • An inventory of tourism resources and assets • A clear appraisal of Toronto’s current competitive position in the tourism marketplace • A benchmark to measure tourism performance and market position • A solid foundation for a tourism development strategy by creating an action plan of short and long-term tactics What is in This Report? This report summarizes Steps 1 through Step 6 of the Toronto PRTD project. Behind this research manual is an extensive amount of information gathered during the course of the project. It outlines the findings from primary and secondary research resources according to the workbook questions. 1 As is further outlined below, Toronto retained the services of a consultant (Brain Trust Marketing & Communications) experienced with applying the PRTD framework in other regions to advise on the research and lead the planning stages of the process. Brain Trust has drawn from this research manual to produce a separate report summarizing the interpretation and planning stages of the project. The Toronto Premier-ranked Tourist Destination Framework Process In the summer of 2006, the City of Toronto began the implementation of the Premier-ranked Tourist Destination Project. Support for the project was provided by Service Canada and the Investment Development Office and Regional Services at the Ministry of Tourism as well as by the City of Toronto. In January 2007, tourism researchers were hired as Audit Team members to work on Toronto’s PRTD Project. A summary