Is Toronto Friendly Enough For Tourists?
Posted May 21, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
To hear some tell it, the idea of “Toronto The Good” is a notion that’s a little antiquated, but with the city’s tourism industry on life support but for a few summer events and with the dollar at an all-time high, industry experts are saying a friendly touch might be the only thing that will keep people coming to T.O.
It’s not the cheap spot it used to be for Americans, and even four years after the SARS outbreak, the stigma of that difficult summer remains. CityNews planted a couple of our own on the city streets as tourists for a day to see just how good Torontonians really are as hosts, and the results were more favourable than most would likely suspect.
One of our staff in disguise was given someone’s map, while another person volunteered his bus fare. Another of our fake tourists actually had a friendly couple walk her to her alleged destination.
Still, 19 million people visited Toronto in 2006, but those in the know are saying meeting that mark will be difficult. The Pride Parade and Caribana Festival should help during the summer months, but with the dollar expected to hold around its current mark for the rest of the year, the message is to keep your smile wide and your tone warm. You never know who’s from out of town.
