TORONTO – Toronto has once again set a new visitor record with 28.1 million visitors in the city in 2019.
According to Tourism Toronto, visitors to Toronto spent $6.7 billion in the city in 2019, including restaurants, attractions, transportation, retail, and accommodations – nearly $200 million more than in 2018. 
“Toronto’s visitor economy continues to be an economic engine for the city, and that benefits all of us. This is a sector of Toronto’s economy that supports 70,000 jobs and 10,000 new jobs over the past 10 years. It generates billions in tax revenue for all three levels of government and drives growth in the overall economy for the city, the region, and the province,” said Scott Beck, president and CEO of Tourism Toronto.
Visits from the U.S., Toronto’s largest international market, continue to rise with nearly 2 million visitors, representing a 3% increase year-over-year and a 15% increase over five years. Visitor spending from the U.S. increased to $1.35 billion – a 4.4% growth year-over year and 51% growth over five years.
China remains Toronto’s largest overseas market with 222,000 visitors. Despite declining 5.4% in 2019, visits from China have increased 24% over five years.
“Visitors to Toronto come from all over the world, during every season and for many different reasons. It’s a reflection of Toronto’s own diversity,” said Beck. “We’re a city where more than 50% of our population was born outside of Canada. We’re a city that’s the Canadian epicenter of culture, entertainment, sports, technology, finance, education, and business. The diversity of our visitors showcases our own diversity and we’re thrilled to welcome more and more of those diverse visitors every year.”
Toronto’s business events industry continues to be a thriving component of the overall visitor economy. In 2019 close to 574,000 delegates attended meetings, conferences, and events stemming from the city’s 1,124 total meetings. Those meetings include 116 events with more than 1,000 delegates and 19 city-wide conventions. The economic impact for meetings in Toronto in 2019 reached a record $1.24 billion.
Editor’s Note: In previous years, Tourism Toronto released Toronto regional visitor numbers. The 2019 visitor data reflect City of Toronto boundaries, except where explicitly stated as regional.
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