Vaughan – a premier tourism destination
Unique partnerships and strategic campaigns in 2024 encouraged visitors and businesses to make their next stop Vaughan
Whether supporting the delivery of engaging events and activations, attending numerous industry tradeshows and conferences, or developing and executing exciting marketing campaigns, the Tourism Vaughan team remained busy throughout 2024 boosting the city of Vaughan’s reputation as the destination of choice for leisure, sport and business visitors.
Highlights of these accomplishments, ratified by Vaughan Council on May 27, are captured in the 2024 Year in Review (PDF) and include:
- Product development: The team supported the delivery of 271 events, activations and festivals, 25 business conferences, 18 sports tournaments and four familiarization tours.
- Tourism development: Eighteen recipients were awarded a total of $124,000 in grant funding to host local fairs, festivals and sporting events, contributing an estimated $2.5 million in economic impact to Vaughan’s local economy through the Host in Vaughan Grant Program launched in 2024.
- Partnerships: The Tourism Vaughan team attended 20 tradeshows, conferences and events, including the Ontario Motor Coach Association Marketplace, Canadian Meetings + Events Expo, Ontario Tourism Summit, Canadian Society of Association Executives Annual Conference and the Central Counties Tourism Symposium. The team also visited 14 accommodations and 10 sports venues during annual site tours. More than 50 people attended the Vaughan tourism networking event. Tourism Vaughan actively shared 139 news items through its business-to-business eNewsletter and engaged in the promotion and facilitation of three development programs.
- Marketing and communications: The team continued to execute seasonal campaigns to drive leisure visits using social, digital, television, out-of-home and print ads, as well as other owned channels, resulting in more than 29-million impressions for the Summer in Vaughan campaign, more than 33-million impressions for the Winter in Vaughan campaign and 22 published blog posts. Tourism Vaughan’s Instagram channel featured more than 248 social posts, earning more than 859,000 organic impressions and more than 807,000 users reached.
- Research and data analysis: Actual Municipal Accommodation Tax collection at year-end in 2024 was $3.8 million. The Tourism Vaughan portion of this revenue was 50 per cent or $1.9 million.
Looking ahead, the Tourism Vaughan team, which is part of the City of Vaughan’s Economic Development department, will continue to champion Vaughan as a premier overnight destination for leisure, sport and business travellers, undertaking initiatives to strengthen Vaughan’s tourism industry, in alignment with the Vaughan Destination Master Plan. Through product development, marketing and education, and strong collaboration with and in support of operators, this plan lays out a comprehensive approach for developing Vaughan’s tourism-related industry cluster.
To learn more about tourism in Vaughan, visit vaughan.ca/TVC and follow Tourism Vaughan on Instagram.
QUOTES
“Vaughan is a destination of choice, and this is in part due to Tourism Vaughan’s ongoing efforts to cultivate industry partnerships and attract new visitors to our city. Tourism is essential to our economic future and, every year, this team continues to offer even better experiences for residents and visitors alike by helping bring exciting workshops, trade shows, sports tournaments and more to our community. As more Canadians are looking to stay and support local destinations when taking vacation – I can assure you that Vaughan has something for everyone to enjoy. I want to congratulate the Tourism Vaughan team on their many achievements outlined in their 2024 Year in Review, and I look forward to seeing your continued success in the future.”
- Mayor Steven Del Duca
“The City’s Tourism Vaughan team plays a huge role in Vaughan’s economic growth, and their 2024 Year in Review speaks volumes about their success this past year. Through many innovative strategies, product developments, marketing and education, and valuable partnerships, the Tourism Vaughan team has helped attract visitors and continued to keep Vaughan on the map as a premier destination for business and leisure travel. Congratulations to Tourism Vaughan for your many outstanding achievements in 2024.”
- Zoran Postic, City Manager
“I want to congratulate the entire Tourism Vaughan team on the successes they achieved in 2024. They continue to raise the bar, going above and beyond to establish Vaughan as a premier tourism destination. This 2024 Year in Review is proof of the incredible work the team is doing to develop Vaughan’s tourism-related industry cluster. I continue to be inspired by the work this group of professionals does each day, and I look forward to seeing many more accomplishments to come.”
- Raphael Costa, Director, Economic Development
QUICK FACTS
The Tourism Vaughan team undertakes key strategic projects that align with the Vaughan Destination Master Plan (PDF).
The Tourism Vaughan: 2024 Year in Review (PDF) showcases the Tourism Vaughan team’s recent initiatives and achievements.
Connect with the Tourism Vaughan team by email at tourism@vaughan.ca or by phone at 905-832-8526.
LEARN MORE
- Economic Development’s Tourism Vaughan: 2024 Year in Review (PDF)
- May 13, 2025, Committee of the Whole (2) Report: Tourism Vaughan Corporation - 2024 Year in Review (PDF)
- Tourism Vaughan’s website
- Tourism Vaughan’s Instagram
- Economic Development’s webpage
- Economic Development department’s eNewsletter
- Economic Development’s LinkedIn
