Tourism in Toronto

The Toronto Eaton Centre is the most visited tourist attraction in Toronto

Toronto is one of Canada's leading tourism destinations.[1] In 2017, the Toronto-area received 43.7 million tourists, of which 10.4 million were domestic visitors and 2.97 million were from the United States, spending a total of $8.84 billion.[2] Toronto has an array of tourist attractions, and a rich cultural life.

Attractions

Museums

The city of Toronto consists of more than 25 unique and famous museums. The Royal Ontario Museum is Canada's largest museum of natural history and world cultures. It presents engaging galleries of art, archaeology and natural science from around the world.[3] It is located at 100 Queens Park, Toronto Ontario. The Royal Ontario Museum offers a unique platform to engage with cultures from all around the world at the centre of one of North America’s busiest cities. [4] Furthermore, The Bata Shoe Museum consists of shoes from many different geographic areas, time periods, and cultural groups. It is located on 327 Bloor Street West Toronto ON. The Bata Shoe Museum contains 12,500 artifacts that are exhibited time to time at specific exhibitions. [5] For Hockey fans, the Hockey Hall of Fame is the biggest attraction as it is more than 57,000 square feet of interactivity, hands-on games, theatres, the Stanley Cup and the finest collection of hockey artifacts from not only Canada, but from all around the world. [6] Other Museums include The Aga Khan Museum, Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Ukraine Museum of Canada, Toronto Police Museum and Discovery Centre, Textile Museum of Canada, The Museum of Inuit Art, Oral History Museum and many more.

Zoos and Aquarium

The Toronto Zoo is Canada's premier zoo that includes over 5000 animals which represent about 500 different species.[7] Two Giant Pandas have recently been added to the zoo's population. Giant Pandas are endangered species and as a part of an agreement they will be moved to another zoo in 2018, till then they will reside in the Toronto Zoo. The High Park Zoo is also located in Toronto. It comprises 399 acres of land which includes animals like peacocks, deers, sheep and many more.[8] More than 250,000 people visit the High Park Zoo every year. Various Farms are also present in Toronto, which include substantial amount of farm animals. Furthermore, Ripley's Aquarium of Canada is an attraction that is located in downtown Toronto. It is Canada's largest indoor aquarium which means that it is easily accessible not only in the summer but also in the winter time. It consists of 5.7 million litres of water, representing the marine and freshwater habitats from all around the world. [9]

CN Tower

The CN Tower is Canada's National Tower and it is one of the attractions that is open 364 days a year. It is visited by approximately 2 million people every year.[10] In 1995, the CN Tower was classified as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers and for more than 30 years it was the world's tallest free-standing structure. [11] The CN tower consists of many inner attractions like the Glass Floor, Skypod, 360 restaurant and the newest addition; Edgewalk. Edgewalk is a full circle hands-free walk on a 5 feet wide ledge encircling the top of the Tower, which is 1168 feet above the ground. It has also been mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records, for the highest external walk on a building. Also, the CN tower provides various services for individuals with disabilities and special needs.

Tours

There are a number of tours of different kinds available to visitors in Toronto, giving them the chance to view the city or specific areas of the city, led by local guides. Some of these include:

Bus tours within in the city (e.g City Sightseeing Toronto[12]), showcasing some of the major attractions and points of interest, as well as day tours to the nearby Niagara Falls[13]

Boat tours on Lake Ontario (e.g Toronto Harbour Tours[14]), showing guests the Toronto skyline from the water and giving them a close up view of the Toronto Islands.

Food tours (e.g Tasty Tours[15]), walking tours that guide guests to some of Toronto’s foodie hotspots for samples and a history of the area. These tours usually aim to highlight the variety of cuisines in Toronto, sometimes focusing on the dense food scenes in specific areas (e.g Kensington Market[16]).

Haunted Tours (e.g The Haunted Walk of Toronto[17]),  these evening tours take guests to some of the city’s oldest and most haunted buildings and neighbourhoods (e.g Black Creek Pioneer Village[18], where they also offer a séance).

Segway Tours (e.g Go Tours Canada[19]), these tours provide guests with their own Segway, helmet, and crash course on Segway driving, before leading them on a short tour of the area. Due to regulations, the tours are not city-wide, often occurring in smaller neighbourhoods with little vehicular traffic (e.g The Distillery District[20]).

Bicycle Tours (e.g Toronto Bicycle Tours[21]]), giving guests an opportunity to see more of the city in a short space of time, whilst following their microphone-wearing guide.

References

  1. ↑ Euromonitor International’s Top City Destinations Ranking
  2. ↑ "No end in sight for tourists' love affair with Toronto". thestar.com. 24 January 2018.
  3. ↑ Royal Ontario Museum
  4. ↑ Royal Ontario Museum
  5. ↑ The Bata Shoe Museum Archived 2014-03-26 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑ The Bata Shoe Museum Archived 2014-03-26 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ Toronto Zoo
  8. ↑ Toronto
  9. ↑ Ripley's Aquarium of Canada
  10. ↑ CN Tower
  11. ↑ CN Tower
  12. ↑ "City Sightseeing Toronto | Toronto's #1 Tour Operator". City Sightseeing Toronto. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  13. ↑ "Niagara Falls Canada | Official Destination Website". Niagara Falls Canada. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  14. ↑ "Toronto Harbour Tours | Toronto Island Tours and Cruises". Toronto Harbour Tours. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  15. ↑ "Toronto Food Tours & Chocolate Tours | Tasty Tours Toronto". tastytourstoronto.com. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  16. ↑ "Kensington Market - Home". www.kensington-market.ca. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  17. ↑ "The Haunted Walk of Toronto | Haunted Walks Inc". hauntedwalk.com. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  18. ↑ "Black Creek Pioneer Village - A pioneer museum of Ontario in the 1860s". Black Creek Pioneer Village. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  19. ↑ "Toronto Walking Tours, Segway Tours and Corporate Teambuilding - Go Tours". Go Tours. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  20. ↑ "The Distillery Historic District - Home". www.thedistillerydistrict.com. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  21. ↑ "Toronto Bicycle Tours: Explore Toronto by Bike". Toronto Bicycle Tours. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
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