Toronto Tourism

[MajorComplainer]

While maybe not as bad now, Toronto has often tried to mimic NYC. All you have to do is refer to cheesy newspaper articles that call Bloor Street our own 5th Avenue (laughable, to say the least), or refer to Yonge Street as our own "do-not-cross, 110th Street." (see last Saturday's National Post homes section).
Or you can refer to former ads for BSN that state that it's on Toronto's "Upper East Side." And I've often heard 905'ers referred to as the B&T crowd. There's lots more examples.

I used to work at Atrium on Bay...and when people said to go down to First Canadian Place..they called "downtown".

Oh, AOB is not downtown??? Oh ya, cause we should talk like a NYorker?

The US currency is called Green dollars. Guess what, the accounting people here call ours Brown dollars. LOL

 

[RJR123]

Ya see what I'm sayin'??

 

[allabootmatt]

That's a nice nod from The Economist, however I might be more unreservedly happy about it if the top ten didn't also include Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Great company we're keeping.

 

[jn_12]

I think we have to examine the importance of the CNE, and whether the land it sits on, including its buildings can be put to better use. The CNE has been in decline for a few years now, and frankly I'm not sure how many tourists it actually draws from outside of Toronto. To me it's essentially a large regional exhibition with a big name. Perhaps it's time to determine that the CNE grounds could be put to better year-round use and simply let the CNE go. (Personally, I think it should go from city to city and actually become a national exhibition. Whether that's realistic or not, who knows.)

I think if you look at the grand scheme of the waterfront, the CNE grounds could be the considered the western gate/jewel of the waterfront. You have some of the greatest buildings in the city on the grounds, and some excellent opportunities for photo ops which all tourists like.

First, The Princes Gate is mostly an ignored structure. For such a great structure, no tourist ever sees it unless they happen to be going to Ontario Place or Medieval times. It could and should be considered the official gate to the waterfront, and it should be more of a city square where tourists would flock to. Then you could put museums in the Horticulture Centre, the Liberty Grand, The Press Building, The Better Living Centre, the Automotive Building and the Direct Energy Centre (and probably others). There isn't a better building in the city architecturally than the Liberty Grand and it's unfortunate no one really knows about it. Also on the property are Medieval Times, Ontario Place, Ricoh Coliseum and BMO Field which all attract people and a couple monuments (Peace Shrine Memorial) that would be meeting places for people. Combine that with the view of the city you get, and you have a perfect tourist draw.

This would also fit well with the Transit City Plan and would maybe double the number of people using the Waterfront West line.

 

[Admiral Beez]

I think we have to examine the importance of the CNE, and whether the land it sits on, including its buildings can be put to better use.

I think the CNE site should be redeveloped. The western end with the fire station and historic buildings would do well as residential, al'a the Distillery.

 

[wyliepoon]

Welcome to the forum, jn_12. Allow me to respond to your post...

Perhaps it's time to determine that the CNE grounds could be put to better year-round use and simply let the CNE go.

Even though the CNE appears to be in decline, I'm sure most Torontonians would be up in arms against shutting down the CNE or moving it out of Toronto. There's nothing wrong with the CNE as a whole... what is wrong about it is that it has devolved into a county fair, and its format/content/presentation is so outdated and irrelevant that few people care to go to it. The solution is not to get rid of the CNE, but to reinvent it and update it to bring people back (there is a thread in 'Out and About' about this very issue).

I'd like to see the CNE as Toronto's preview or a practice run of a future World's Fair.

If I could get rid of one event at Exhibition Place, it would be the Grand Prix (ex-Molson Indy). The requirement of the race to leave a racing track and massive amounts of pavement and parking lot goes against the vision of redeveloping Exhibition Place into a pedestrian-friendly, well-landscaped complex. A racing track could easily be developed somewhere else in the GTA.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

Calling it a country fair is way too generous...I at least had fun at the last fair I went to (demolition derby!).

 

[Hank]

The CNE does go from city to city, doesn't it? It's only here for 2 weeks, what's it doing the rest of the year?

 

[Admiral Beez]

The CNE does go from city to city, doesn't it? It's only here for 2 weeks, what's it doing the rest of the year?

The CNE is always there, just dormant. The companies that operate the Midway rides, games and attractions move from city to city, a'la Carnies. The agricultural part of the CNE, which was always the foundation of the event goes back to its farms and paddocks.

 

[Hipster Duck]

There have been Toronto Unlimited ads in the Amtrak regional trains along the NE corridor for almost a year now--they're terrible. Just a picture of someone's backyard with legs dangling over the side of a fence, and a caption of "Looking for an escape?" or some such. Nothing about the city or why anyone should think of visiting at all. It could literally be an ad for any destination.

To be fair, Matt, I've never seen a tourist ad anywhere that enticed me in any way. Travel and tourism ads rank down there with condo ads in creativity and design-savvy: a couple with bad 80s hair riding horseback on a beach, a jazz saxophonist blowing notes into the Montreal night air, a standing ovation for CATS...all of these belong in the pantheon of cheese.

 

[FutureMayor]

CNE Today and the Importance of Ex Place to Toronto

129 years, making it one the longest and largest fairs in the world, 1.4 million visitors in 18 days and over $100 million annually in economic spin offs, not to mention a lifetime of memories for both young and old. Yeah, I would say the CNE is just one big country fair alright.

Ex Place is already being developed. Check out the new Ricoh Coliseum, the success of Direct Energy Centre, BMO Field, Muzic Nightclub, a renovated bandshell and cafe, Medieval Times, Liberty Grand, and the Wind Turnbine.

That's just the beginning, a renovated Automotive building as a Convention Centre and new Hotel west of it is already in the works. The old Music Building is being turned into a year round "Green Showcase" with the Sustainable Condo as one of the permanent displays.

Ex Place is a unique PUBLIC waterfront site, which is a year round destination for thousands of events and millions of visitors.

Developing the site for a few privilaged condo owners is probably one of stupiest ideas I have ever heard proposed for Ex Place.

Louroz

 

[jn_12]

thanks for the welcome. I came across this board last week and for someone that is new to Toronto (after 4 years in Peterborough and growing up in Niagara) i'm glad I found a board like this.

I've worked for both the City of Toronto's tourism department and the Ont. Ministry of Tourism so it's a bit of an interest for me. As much as events/conventions go on all the time at the CNE grounds, and it perhaps generates $100million for the economy, (how much of this comes from outside the GTA, I'm not sure) I wonder what major year round tourist venue at the CNE would do for the economy and tourism. Having talked to tourists through my job, it's clear that no one knows about the CNE grounds and what's actually there. being the unofficial start of the downtown waterfront, I almost see it as having the potential to be the Louvre of our waterfront, with tourists starting at Harbourfront Centre, then the Tower, Music Garden and working their way down.

I just don't see the CNE being a national exhibition. I don't know if people out west or out east even know if this is going on. Which to me suggests that it really is just a regional exhibition with a big name. And yes, it has history behind it, but moving the CNE around to other cities in Canada would do wonders for the tourism industry in those cities. At least Toronto has the means to be able to replace the CNE with something if they wanted.

 

[JasonParis]

And yes, it has history behind it, but moving the CNE around to other cities in Canada would do wonders for the tourism industry in those cities.

Why don't we have TIFF, Taste of the Danforth, Pride and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment travel the country too? Surely, Toronto has the means to replace these if it wanted.

 

[ShonTron]

I wouldn't mind seeing MLSE travel the country. Toronto could easily replace that.

The CNE is a unique part of Toronto and the site is a gem. There are certainly issues with programming and attractions that make the CNE itself needing revitalization, but turning it into Distillery District West with condos galore won't fix it. I agree with FM on this point for sure. I also think Wylie's got an excellent point about the racetrack, how it restricts what we can do with the site, as well it is no longer the big deal it was when it was the Molson Indy of the 1980s.

 

[Tewder]

The CNE is a unique part of Toronto and the site is a gem. There are certainly issues with programming and attractions that make the CNE itself needing revitalization, but turning it into Distillery District West with condos galore won't fix it. I agree with FM on this point for sure.

I agree... And the CNE is the very sort of thing that does give Toronto colour and uniqueness and tradition, the very sort of things that can resonate with potential tourists.