Tourism in Toronto

The Toronto Eaton Centre is the most visited tourist attraction in Toronto

Toronto is one of Canada's leading tourism destinations.^[1] In 2009, Toronto region received 9.62 million overnight visitors, of which 6.42 million were domestic visitors and 1.99 million were from the United States.^[2] Toronto has an array of tourist attractions, and a rich cultural life.

Attractions

Museums

The city of Toronto consists of more than 25 unique and famous museums. The Royal Ontario Museum is Canada's largest museum of natural history and world cultures. It presents engaging galleries of art, archaeology and natural science from around the world.^[3] It is located at 100 Queens Park, Toronto Ontario. The Royal Ontario Museum offers a unique platform to engage with cultures from all around the world at the centre of one of North America’s busiest cities. ^[4] Furthermore, The Bata Shoe Museum consists of shoes from many different geographic areas, time periods, and cultural groups. It is located on 327 Bloor Street West Toronto ON. The Bata Shoe Museum contains 12,500 artifacts that are exhibited time to time at specific exhibitions. ^[5] For Hockey fans, the Hockey Hall of Fame is the biggest attraction as it is more than 57,000 square feet of interactivity, hands-on games, theatres, the Stanley Cup and the finest collection of hockey artifacts from not only Canada, but from all around the world. ^[6] Other Museums include The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Ukraine Museum of Canada, Toronto Police Museum and Discovery Centre, Textile Museum of Canada, The Museum of Inuit Art, Oral History Museum and many more.

Zoos and Aquarium

The Toronto Zoo is Canada's premier zoo that includes over 5000 animals which represent about 500 different species.^[7] Two Giant Pandas have recently been added to the zoo's population. Giant Pandas are endangered species and as a part of an agreement they will be moved to another zoo in 2018, till then they will reside in the Toronto Zoo. The High Park Zoo is also located in Toronto. It comprises 399 acres of land which includes animals like peacocks, deers, sheep and many more.^[8] More than 250,000 people visit the High Park Zoo every year. Various Farms are also present in Toronto, which include substantial amount of farm animals. Furthermore, Ripley's Aquarium of Canada is an attraction that is located in downtown Toronto. It is Canada's largest indoor aquarium which means that it is easily accessible not only in the summer but also in the winter time. It consists of 5.7 million litres of water, representing the marine and freshwater habitats from all around the world. ^[9]

CN Tower

The CN Tower is Canada's National Tower and it is one of the attractions that is open 364 days a year. It is visited by approximately 2 million people every year.^[10] In 1995, the CN Tower was classified as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers and for more than 30 years it was the world's tallest free-standing structure. ^[11] The CN tower consists of many inner attractions like the Glass Floor, Skypod, 360 restaurant and the newest addition; Edgewalk. Edgewalk is a full circle hands-free walk on a 5 feet wide ledge encircling the top of the Tower, which is 1168 feet above the ground. It has also been mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records, for the highest external walk on a building. Also, the CN tower provides various services for individuals with disabilities and special needs.

References

1. Euromonitor International’s Top City Destinations Ranking
2. "Spreading the Word: Tourism Toronto Annual Report 2009" (PDF). Tourism Toronto. 2009. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
3. Royal Ontario Museum
4. Royal Ontario Museum
5. The Bata Shoe Museum
6. The Bata Shoe Museum
7. Toronto Zoo
8. Toronto
9. Ripley's Aquarium of Canada
10. CN Tower
11. CN Tower