Who’s got the best theory to explain the 33 per cent decline in Toronto tourism among Americans in the last five years? A bland brand? The plunging U.S. dollar? Border hassles? NHL lockout? Lousy stage musicals? Or what? While a lack of government support for tourist ventures is blamed by those in the industry, like Greater Toronto Hotel Association president Ron Seiling, he also blames our inextricable association with “the three m’s – moose, mountains and Mounties”. If those motifs are so unappealing, how come that kind of Canadiana is garnering increased exposure on the world stage? A tradeshow called All Canada spends each wintertime traversing the other side of the Great Lakes, showing off destinations for fishing and hunting, with talks from a polar bear guide; Canadian Style, an art installation opening this weekend in Tokyo, serves an all-maple menu while reveling in clichéd kitch rarely seen around here beyond airport souvenir shops. But if the Toronto Unlimited advert the tourism bureau deemed most effective involved Paul Shaffer reminiscing about the local music scene circa 40 years ago, the next big era isn’t happening yet. When all the articles – not to mention blog posts – boasting of an imminent local renaissance run out of steam, that aloofness will draw visitors lured by the prospect of discovering Toronto for themselves. And if we need a firewall to save us from Stephen Harper, maybe it should be made of actual fire: The most published article of this past week via Reuters that mentioned this place quoted Paul Giamatti reacting to his Oscar nomination from a local movie set; its adjective used to describe Toronto was “snowy”.

Big-spending tourists shun Toronto [Toronto Star]