When looking at overall domestic visitation to our region as a whole, we use mobility data of visitors who have travelled 60KM+ and spent the night in RTO6 (i.e., either at a hotel, with friends or relatives, Airbnb, or cottage). This dataset provides us with a ranking of which markets (cities) have visited RTO6 based on the number of Visitors, number of Trips that they took, and the number of Nights they stayed; as well as validating which cities we should continue to target through various marketing initiatives and campaigns.
As the region started to recover post COVID-19, our target markets in 2022 remained consistent, with Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa holding the Top 3 spots for the number of Nights spent in RTO6; followed by Mississauga, Brampton, London and Kitchener; and with Windsor, Oakville, Greater Sudbury, and Kingston slightly changing their ranking within positions 8-11, year-over-year. Furthermore, these Top 10 target markets showed strong growth in 2022 vs 2021 – particularly with overnight visitors from Hamilton and Oakville.
The data below shows the % change in 2022 vs 2021 from RTO6’s Top 10 Markets:
In addition to the target markets remaining the same, there has been a sharp increase in total overnight visitation in 2022 vs 2021 with all three variables (number of visitors, trips and nights) by 72%, 67% and 65%, respectively. Though 80% of domestic overnight visitors are still from Ontario, the volume of their visitors in 2022 increased by 70% vs 2021; and the volume of domestic visitors outside of Ontario increased by almost 90% in 2022 vs 2021 (the 20% of domestic overnight visitors are from Quebec at 8%, Manitoba at 4%, and BC/Alberta both at 3% each).
As we use our mobility data (geo-fencing) to identify the region’s target markets and trends, we will continue to share our research tools with stakeholders to validate your target markets and other key demographics to assist with your marketing, product development, and more.
For additional information or anything research related, please contact Tom Guerquin, Manager of Research & Development.
