| Image: PCL |
Tourism Toronto is working on a rebrand of the city that
will tap into its distinctive neighbourhoods and international
population.
Firm details of the rebrand are under tight wraps until early
next year, but Tourism Toronto president and chief executive
officer Bruce MacMillan said a relaunch of the city’s image
has been scheduled for next spring.
“We’ll be using our people as a selling point for Toronto.
Apart from Miami, we have the largest non-native population of any
world city with 52% of the people living in Toronto not born
there,” he said.
MacMillan added the new image would reflect the city’s
cosmopolitan atmosphere, summed up by its lively dining and
cultural scene.
Several new cultural projects are in the pipeline, including a
£215 million extension to the Art Gallery of Ontario by Frank
Gehry, due for completion in 2007, and the new Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, currently under construction. Due to open
in 2006, the new venue will be the home of the Canadian Opera
Company and the National Ballet of Canada.
The Olympic Spirit museum in Dundas Square, a five-storey
complex dedicated to the Olympic Games, opened this year.
MacMillan stressed the city’s “cultural renaissance” would
be clearly visible in the rebrand.
The marketing budget for next year has not yet been set, but
MacMillan added that as the city’s number one international
market, the UK would be seen as a priority.
UK visitor numbers were up 15% this year.
