Developing Vaughan as a destination of choice
Highlights from the 2023 Tourism Vaughan Corporation Year in Review
The mission of Tourism Vaughan is clear – to establish Vaughan as a premier tourism destination. The team undertakes many strategic approaches and projects to achieve this goal, including marketing, education and collaboration with tourism operators in the community. Through product development, marketing and education, and strong collaboration with and in support of operators, the Vaughan Destination Master Plan lays out a comprehensive plan for developing Vaughan’s tourism-related industry cluster.
An overview of Tourism Vaughan’s 2023 initiatives and achievements is outlined in the Tourism Vaughan Corporation: 2023 Year in Review (PDF) – which was recently approved by Vaughan Council.
Here are some of the 2023 tourism highlights:
- Product development: The team supported the delivery of 157 events, activations and festivals, 10 business conferences, four sports tournaments and four familiarization tours.
- Tourism development: Three recipients were awarded mentorship and grant funding through the Vaughan “Spark” Mentorships and Grants Program, in partnership with Tourism Innovation Lab.
- Partnerships: Tourism Vaughan attended 16 tradeshows, conferences and events, including the Ontario Motor Coach Association Marketplace, Ontario Tourism Summit, Tourism Congress and the Central Counties Tourism Symposium. The team also visited 13 accommodations and 12 sports venues during annual site tours. More than 55 people attended the first-ever Vaughan tourism networking event, in partnership with Central Counties Tourism. Tourism Vaughan actively shared 96 news items through its business-to-business newsletter, participated in seven partnership-driven marketing campaigns, and engaged in the promotion and facilitation of five development programs.
- Marketing and communications: The team executed seasonal campaigns to drive leisure visits using social, digital, television, out-of-home and print ads, as well as other owned channels, resulting in more than 7.5-million impressions for the Summer in Vaughan campaign, more than 2-million impressions for the Winter in Vaughan campaign and more than 100,000 impressions for the culinary campaign. Tourism Vaughan’s Instagram channel was relaunched in 2023, and featured more than 235 social posts, garnered more than 115,000 organic impressions and reached more than 80,000 users.
- Research and data analysis: Actual Municipal Accommodations Tax (MAT) collection at year-end in 2023 was $3,729,360. The Tourism Vaughan portion of this revenue was 50 per cent or $1,864,680. Since 2020, the year-to-year average annual occupancy rates in Vaughan have exceeded the rates across York Region.
Looking ahead, the Tourism Vaughan team, which is part of the Economic Development department, will continue to champion Vaughan as a premier overnight destination for leisure, sport and business travellers, undertaking initiatives to strengthen Vaughan’s tourism industry, in alignment with the Vaughan Destination Master Plan.
To learn more about tourism in Vaughan, visit vaughan.ca/TVC and follow Tourism Vaughan on Instagram.
QUOTES
“Tourism Vaughan, with its mandate of developing our city as a destination for visitors and business travellers, is vital to our economic future. The team continues to nurture relationships with operators to provide a better experience for residents and visitors alike, and offers critical tools to enhance the experience of visiting Vaughan – they are thinking strategically to build on our city’s position as a premier tourism destination. I would like to congratulate the Tourism Vaughan team for their ongoing efforts to attract visitors to our city. The achievements summarized in this report are remarkable, and I look forward to Tourism Vaughan’s future accomplishments.”
- Mayor Steven Del Duca
“As part of the Economic Development department, Tourism Vaughan supports the local tourism business community by directly guiding industry and municipal investment in developing Vaughan as a destination. The team plays a key role in advocating for visitor attraction infrastructure and physical assets, and services and programs related to the visitor experience. On behalf of the Senior Leadership Team – Executive, I want to congratulate the Tourism Vaughan team on their many achievements throughout 2023 and the outstanding initiatives highlighted in this annual review.”
- Nick Spensieri, City Manager
“The Tourism Vaughan team continues to go above and beyond to bring their mission to establish Vaughan as a premier tourism destination to reality. The Tourism Vaughan Corporation: 2023 Year in Review is proof of the incredible work the team is doing to develop Vaughan’s tourism-related industry cluster. I want to congratulate the entire Tourism Vaughan team on the successes they’ve achieved in 2023, and I look forward to many more accomplishments in the years ahead.”
- Raphael Costa, Director, Economic Development
QUICK FACTS
The Tourism Vaughan team undertakes key strategic projects that align with the Vaughan Destination Master Plan (PDF).
The Tourism Vaughan: 2023 Year in Review (PDF) showcases an overview of the Tourism Vaughan team’s initiatives and achievements.
Connect with the Tourism Vaughan team by email at tourism@vaughan.ca or by phone at 905-832-8526.
LEARN MORE
- Economic Development’s Tourism Vaughan: 2023 Year in Review (PDF)
- June 18, 2024, Committee of the Whole (2) Report: Tourism Vaughan Corporation - 2023 Year in Review (PDF)
- Tourism Vaughan’s website
- Economic Development’s webpage
- Economic Development department’s eNewsletter
- Economic Development’s LinkedIn
