Tourism is a multi-billion dollar global market, and Ontario is mapping a path to ensure the province’s tourist industry creates jobs and economic benefits well into the future.

The province is undertaking a competitiveness study to look at ways to increase Ontario’s share of the tourism market. An important step in this process starts today with the release of a discussion paper to help generate ideas on how to reinvent the tourism industry.

The public can visit www.tourismstudy.ca to get a copy of Mapping Ontario’s Tourism Future. The document asks Ontarians for ideas on how to shape the future of tourism in Ontario.

This spring, the province announced Greg Sorbara, MPP for Vaughan and former Minister of Finance would get Ontarians talking about the future of Ontario tourism; raise the profile of the tourism industry; and design a strategy that identifies clear actions for industry and clear roles for all levels of government.

“Tourism is a major contributor to our economy and has tremendous potential for growth. We’re encouraging everyone to think big, bold and out of the box to help make Ontario the world’s destination of choice,” said Tourism Minister Peter Fonseca.

"We need to reinvent tourism in Ontario. This study is an important opportunity to grow a key economic sector for Ontario – a sector that is experiencing phenomenal growth world-wide,” said MPP Greg Sorbara, Chair of Ontario Tourism Competitiveness Study.

Quick Facts

1. Tourism is a $22.8 billion industry in Ontario (Statistics Canada), supporting more than 300,000 jobs.
2. Ontario’s main tourism markets include the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Japan and France.
3. Emerging tourist markets for Ontario include Mexico, China, South Korea, India, Italy and Australia.
4. Today’s launch coincides with National Tourism Week, whose theme this year is Potential Worth Exploring.