From May 23 to 30, Tourism Mississauga and the City of Mississauga are recognizing Tourism Week. The City joins the Tourism Industry Association of Canada in recognizing the resilience and importance of the tourism industry through this unprecedented time and encouraging Mississauga residents to support local tourism businesses across the city and take the 2021 Tourism Pledge to Travel in Canada when restrictions are lifted.

“COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on our tourism industry. Pre-COVID, tourism was one of the fastest growing industries in the world and was a leading economic driver in Mississauga. Although we’re not through this pandemic yet, better days are in sight and we can’t wait to welcome visitors back to explore our city when it’s safe to do so,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “Mississauga has much to offer visitors, including rich diversity which helps create a cultural mosaic and vibrant neighbourhoods. When restrictions are lifted, we encourage residents to be tourists in their own city and rediscover the many great features Mississauga has to offer.”

If residents would like to take part locally in Tourism Week, here are some ideas to support local Mississauga Made tourism businesses across the city:

• Order directly from a local restaurant for delivery or pick-up

• Buy a gift card to a local attraction, to use in the future

• Shop online from a local boutique or store

• Buy a gift card from your local BIA or neighbourhood

• Book a staycation at a local hotel, for now or for later this year

• Check out any local virtual events

• Follow Tourism Mississauga on social media or sign-up for the newsletter, to be first to know about local events and special offers

• Take the 2021 Tourism Pledge to explore Mississauga and Travel in Canada

As Tourism Mississauga prepares to welcome residents and visitors when restrictions are lifted, the City recognizes the importance of demonstrating a commitment to COVID-19 protocols and keeping visitors safe, and is encouraging local businesses to do the same. Mississauga joins over 1,000 other tourism businesses in Ontario in receiving the World Travel and Tourism Council SafeTravels Stamp, which was created to help travellers recognize destinations and businesses around the world which have adopted the SafeTravels health and hygiene global standardized protocols.

Tourism Mississauga will also be hosting its first virtual Familiarization Tour for meeting and event planners from across Canada on May 26 to showcase Mississauga’s many partners, features and services and encourage future event bookings in the city.

“We are being proactive behind the scenes to ensure we are ready to welcome visitors when it is safe to do so,” said Toni Frankfurter, Chair, Tourism Mississauga.  “We have been working to bring future events to Mississauga and we encourage our residents to support our local businesses and help our tourism industry recover from the impacts of the pandemic.”

The City will light the Civic Centre Clock Tower green on May 25 to mark Tourism Week.

“We are excited to welcome residents and visitors to discover Mississauga’s many great offerings” said Shari Lichterman, Commissioner, Community Services and Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Mississauga.  “With unique neighbourhoods, fantastic restaurants, and one-of-a-kind local businesses, we offer residents and visitors the opportunity to enjoy many hidden gems.”

For more information about Tourism Mississauga, visit visitmississauga.ca.