insidetoronto.com

There are lots of reasons to come here: from cultural attractions like the Royal Ontario Museum's new Michael Lee-Chin Crystal addition, to big-time sporting events like the Aug. 14 Bills-Steelers NFL game, to a restaurant scene that literally encompasses the world's cuisine.

And in these times when the amount of cash it costs to fill a gas tank and the amount it takes to make a mortgage payment are closer together than ever before, for we natives lucky enough to live here, Toronto's also a nice place to stay.

According to Andrew Weir of Tourism Toronto, Torontonians - or at least those living near Toronto - are starting to figure that out.

"Most of the domestic tourism in Toronto comes from Ontario," said Weir, noting that last year, 67 per cent of overnight visitors come from in-country. "People are coming from other parts of the country - but the majority is from Ontario. We are the urban cosmopolitan hub of a province of 13 million people... We think of tourists as packing suitcases, getting on a plane and flying a long way, and then they arrive. And there are some tourists that do that, but many come from Kitchener, London, Barrie, Windsor, Sudbury and Ottawa. And to narrow that even further, more people come from the Toronto area itself."

Weir, vice-president of communications for the organization funded by the city and the local hotel and convention industry, said that while the group doesn't have statistics on how many people come from in Toronto, his gut feeling is that it's on the upswing.

"I believe that more people are staying in town," he said. "There's been a lot of media attention on what to do in your own back yard. And we are seeing the trend province-wide."

It all does beg the question: what does one do in your own back yard? After all, any longtime Torontonian can schlep out for a dinner at their favourite restaurant and a summer sequel to one of the movies in their DVD collection. Being a group with strong representation in the hospitality industry, Weir's immediate suggestion may not be too surprising:

"There's a lot of inexpensive hotel options, and some good hotels are running some very good packages. And if you're going to a show, have a nice dinner, why not stay downtown? It's part of the experience to have someone else make the bed."

Part of the experience, maybe, but not the whole of it.

"The key is thinking, 'what would I do to explore the city if I were exploring it for the first time?'" he said. "Throw out what you know - allow yourself to explore. Read a visitor's guide. I guarantee there's a neighbourhood in this city that they haven't yet discovered. There are some that I haven't been to. There's always a chance to discover they haven't seen. Imagine, say, you lived in the city for awhile but haven't been to Kensington Market. What kind of experience would that be?

"One of the wonderful things about living in Toronto is just the depth and breadth of experiences here. There are so many things to do."

And getting to those experiences need not be expensive. The Toronto Transit Commission sells tokens and passes daily, weekly and for families.

"We always say that a subway token is your passport to an international voyage - you can have breakfast at a French crepe place, authentic dim sum in five different Chinatowns, dinner in Greektown, back to Little Italy for cappucino, and buy some spices in Little India," he said.

If you want a taste of nature for camping and hiking there's the naturalized Tommy Thompson Park (also known as the Leslie Street Spit) and the Rouge Park in Scarborough. Toronto has five municipally operated golf courses.

And those hankering for a beach vacation - Toronto has 11 of them, including one clothing-optional beach on Hanlan's Point on the Toronto Islands.

As to the more traditionally "touristy" activities - Toronto's home to some powerful draws, including the aforementioned Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the municipally operated Toronto Zoo in Scarborough, and the Ontario Science Centre in Don Mills. Toronto has a shoe museum - the Bata Shoe Museum - a castle - Casa Loma - and, while the world's tallest free-standing structure may now have its foundations in Dubai, what is still a pretty big stack of concrete in the shape of a CN Tower on the waterfront. Toronto's - ahem - minor fixation with Canada's national sport is celebrated at the Hockey Hall of Fame on Front Street.

Tourism Toronto's website, www.torontotourism.com, offers a wealth of information about those and other attractions.

In coming issues this summer, we'll take a look at some of those spots in more detail - and offer some other ideas for what to do as an individual, a couple, or a whole family with a summer in the city.

FAST FACTS:

Toronto's tourism cache has only been increasing over the past few years. Here are a few quick facts to prove the point (from Tourism Toronto)
Hotel stays are up 34.4 per cent from 2006 to 2007. In 2006, Tourism Toronto registered 118,568 room nights booked from overseas markets. 159,372 were booked in 2007.

Hotel occupancy rates from 2001 to 2007:

2001 - 66 per cent
2002 - 65.6 per cent
2003 - 57.2 per cent
2004 - 65.9 per cent
2005 - 67.3 per cent
2006 - 67.3 per cent
2007 - 68.3 per cent

 
Who's coming?
Overseas visitors: 13 per cent
U.S. visitors: 13 per cent
Domestic visitors: 67 per cent

Who's spending that $4.5 billion every year?
Overseas visitors: 27 per cent
U.S. visitors: 27 per cent
Domestic: 46 per cent

Why'd they come?
Pleasure: 69 per cent
Other: 9 per cent
Business: 23 per cent