Custom «Tourism in Toronto » Essay Paper Sample

Current Global Economy Impacts on Tourism

The economic crisis that affected most nations around the globe from the last quarter of 2007 to the beginning of 2010 did not only affect the financial sectors of the affected nations but also other sectors that generate revenue for the nation's economy. It is however important to note that despite the fact that during the economic meltdown period the economies of most nations were affected things are slowly improving and the future looks bright. The purpose of this essay paper is to focus on one destination in Canada; the paper's spotlight will be on Toronto. It will discuss how the current global economy might impact on the tourism of Toronto. The paper will begin by giving a brief profile of the current state of tourism in Toronto and mention of the some of the best tourist locations in Toronto.

Tourism in Toronto

For many years, Toronto city has greatly depended on its well build infrastructure to attract tourist to the city and this has paid off since the city is one of the most sought after tourist destination. Whereas most nations especially in Africa depend on flora and fauna for tourism attraction, the city of Toronto main touristic features are buildings and they include; Art Gallary of Ontario (AGO), Hockey Hall of Fame, the Centre Island, The Eaton Centre and also the Casa Loma. These are some of the areas that millions and millions of visitors visit every year when they go to the city (McLean 2010). It is vital to note that despite the fact that the economies of most nations were affected during the crisis, Toronto city posted impressive results in 2009 in terms of bed occupancy. According to Richer, the city of Toronto welcomed more than 10 million visitors and this translated to 62.3% although it was a slight drop from what was recorded in 2008 67.6% (Richer 2010). In addition to that the city recorded some major wins like the hosting of the G20 summit in June 2010, the Pan Am Games (2015), World Pride (2014) and the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) in 2011. The advantage of this is that as visitors come to the city to attend the summit and the conferences they will come with thousands of visitors and this will be major boost to its tourism sector. The role of the media cannot be ignored also; most media houses both local and international will pitch tent in the city and show case some of the town's unique tourist sites.

Current Global Economy Impacts on Toronto's Tourism Sector

The tourism sector of Toronto has been forced to wither numerous "storms" and challenges in order to remain relevant. As indicated in the paper, the economic crunch dealt a big blow to the sector that was flourishing; however some other challenges that the tourism board had to deal with were the outbreak of swine flu which greatly reduced the number of visitors to the city and also the increase of the homeless in the city. The effects of this are that it affects the quality of life for both the residents and the tourists. As indicated in the previous paragraph the tourist sector managed to perform well as compared to its competitors and what the city fathers need to do is not to "build" the tourist sector from the scratch but reconstruct it.

One of the unique features about the composition of Toronto as a city is that it is a cosmopolitan city and as a result this makes visitors to the city have a "home away from home" feeling (Boudreau, Keil et al, 2009). This gives it an edge over other cities when it comes to the revival of the city's tourist sector. It however important to note that his multiracial setting has its limitations too and this is mainly when it comes to the city's security status; it is believed that any city where there is a high number of foreign visitors possess a great threat to the security of the indigenous people. In order for the city to be able to redeem itself as one of the leading tourist destinations in North America and the rest of Europe, there needs to be laid down policies that will ensure that racial discrimination and other development barriers are eliminated to ensure there is amicable atmosphere to allow more visitors flock the city. The recent studies show that the Toronto Convention and Visitor Association (TCVA) have come up with a business plan and budget for 2010 that is aimed at improving the performance of the tourism sector of the city. Some of team's priorities are incorporating tourism into sports, keeping close tabs with investors in order to develop the industry, to cast the net wider to attract more tourists among others. In addition to that the government has set aside more than $50,000 to boost the tourism sector (TCVA, 2010).

According to Gibson, Dodds et al (2003) in the recent past the issue of global warming has been the centre of discussion in many forums and it is for this reason that the Toronto Green Tourism Association has come up with a program that will ensure as the city strives to promote tourism and at the same time conserve the environment. This is known as green tourism. In the modern day world, the power of the information and communication technologies cannot be underestimated, this is because the world has been converted into a digital village and most people communicate using the internet. This is an area that the Toronto Tourism Board hopes to take advantage of and market itself in all corners of the earth; more emphasis should be given to Africa where people have a burning desire to tour Europe but have little knowledge about tourism in Toronto and Canada or where to visit.

After having looked at the above issues and how they have affected the tourism industry of Toronto, more emphasis should be put on the business plan and the annual budget of 2010 because by implementing the different recommendations in the plan then the city will reclaim its position as the leading tourism destination in Europe.