New Tourism Plan Focuses on Making Mississauga a Tourist Destination
Today, during General Committee, staff from the City’s Recreation division presented Mississauga’s new Tourism Master Plan. Endorsed by Council, the five-year plan provides a vision for tourism in Mississauga.
“This plan is a new way forward; helping to transform Mississauga into a place where visitors can experience the culture and diversity that makes our city so special,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “This plan builds on our city’s economic success and high quality of life to attract visitors and tourism investment.”
Funded jointly by the City and its regional tourism organization, Tourism Toronto, the Master Plan guides future tourism efforts, provides strategic direction to help elevate Mississauga as a tourist destination and identifies key initiatives to promote positive visitor experiences.
The plan positions Mississauga for success by:
- creating recognition throughout Ontario as an emerging sports, cultural and waterfront destination
- increasing the tourism impact on its economic growth
- ensuring that a municipal structure is in place to advance tourism opportunities
Crombie added, “It builds on our authentic reputation as a welcoming city, while reinforcing our renewed vision of making Mississauga an internationally recognized and celebrated tourist destination. The outlined recommendations allow for a more robust platform for future tourism efforts.”
The plan outlines the following eight strategic focus areas with recommended actions which include:
- Developing Tourism Product Clusters
- Celebrating Community Diversity
- Planning Creative Communities to Attract Visitors
- Tourism Funding and Product Investment
- Tourism Brand Development
- Promoting and Developing Tourism Assets
- Expanding Partnerships and Alliances
- Municipal Structure to Support Tourism
In July 2016, the consulting team of MDB Insights and HLT Advisory were engaged to work with city staff to develop a Tourism Master Plan. The planning process included stakeholder consultations, research on industry trends and benchmarking information from cities across North America with similar tourism and visitor profiles. Consultants interviewed both internal and external stakeholders, from City staff to hotel and retail operators, and representatives from Tourism Toronto.
“As Chair of the Mississauga Tourism Advisory Board, I am very proud of all the work that has gone into this plan. The recommendations brought forward within the plan will grow our tourism sector – attracting visitors from far and wide, whether it is for business, sport or pleasure. It also allows us to capitalize on our existing tourism assets like the downtown core, our evolving waterfront and top-notch sporting infrastructure,” said Pat Saito, Ward 9 Councillor and Chair of the Mississauga Tourism Advisory Board. “Thank you to Members of Council, the Mississauga Tourism Advisory Board, our Recreation staff, Tourism Toronto and to all those who helped bring this plan to fruition.”
The Tourism Master Plan will go to Council for final endorsement next week.
With Council’s approval, staff will implement the Tourism Master Plan in early 2018. To learn more about the City’s new Tourism Master Plan, or to find out more about Mississauga, visit discovermississauga.ca.
