T.O. tourism could benefit from fear of visiting U.S.

Toronto could have a banner year attracting international tourists given the current U.S. climate, one expert says. But would-be visitors will first have to find us on a map.

Frederic Dimanche, director of the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, said the recent dip in U.S. tourism could make travellers take a second look at Toronto.

According to several U.S. travel sites and apps, tourism took a nosedive with the announcement of the temporary immigration ban in the U.S. in January.

Cheapflights.com, for example, saw international searches for flights to the U.S. drop 38 per cent following the executive order banning immigration temporarily from seven predominantly Muslim countries, the New York Times reported.

“Now that the U.S. brand is coming down in terms of reputation, it’s fantastic timing for us to take advantage,” Dimanche said.

Dimanche, who hails from Europe, said many on that continent have heard of Toronto, but don’t know exactly where it is.

“For them, it’s somewhere between Vancouver and the East Coast,” he said.

“I think we have to do a better job at putting Toronto on the map, and to show that it’s near some other attractions. “It’s not far from Niagara.” Toronto especially “has a card to play with respect to business travel and conventions,” he added.

Organizers may not want to hold conferences in Las Vegas or Orlando, he added, and it would be wise to “develop some specific strategies to target some of those meeting-planners to attract them north of the border,” he said.

Councillor Michael Thompson, who chairs the city’s Economic Development and Culture Committee, said it’s too early to see if the slump in U.S tourism has translated into more visitors for Toronto.

The city has always tried to position itself as a great place to travel, and, he said, now that intolerance is being preached elsewhere, it’s the perfect time to focus on the city’s strengths of diversity and openness.

“In light of everything, I think it would be in our own interest to continue to feature Toronto and Canada,” he said.