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MORE THOROUGH ONLINE EVENT LISTINGS

Toronto Tourism’s website is far less comprehensive than New York’s when it comes to cultural event listings, making it look as if there’s less going on here than there actually is.

DROP THE TAG LINES

“I ❤ N.Y.” belongs to New York State, not New York City. The city itself pointedly has no tourism slogan. It doesn’t need one. Given Toronto’s history of lame tourism catchphrases, we should ditch them, too.

HAVE A MAYOR WHO’S A BELIEVER

Michael Bloomberg has made it a mission to boost visitor numbers, and has put money where his mayoral mouth is. His administration gave US$66-million over five years to NYC & Company last summer.

For its part, Toronto’s economic development department actually takes money from Tourism Toronto to fund programs — $500,000 in 2011.

We requested an interview with the Mayor about his tourism vision last week. Rob Ford’s office referred us to Michael Thompson, chair of the Economic Development Committee. We discussed the coming Ripley’s Aquarium and unfolding plans for the Waterfront, but if there is an aggressive strategy to shake things up and promote Toronto as New York has done over the past decade, no one at City Hall is vocalizing it.

“The Mayor recognizes the benefits of tourism,” Thompson says, “and supports Tourism Toronto.” If so, he could afford to be more conspicuous about it.

TELL THE WORLD WE’RE FUN NOW

Just as former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani combatted images of dangerous, grimy New York with his famous broken windows policy, Toronto can fix its ho-hum image with a conspicuous pro-fun policy: Extend last call to 4 a.m., scrap pointless, anti-fun regulations and generally encourage the city to let loose. If Ford can get a message out to the planet, he should tell it the old, dour Toronto is giving way to a jolly one. “Toronto today is very, very, very different from the Toronto of 10 years ago,” says Whitaker, who moved here from Miami five years ago to run Tourism Toronto.