Destination Markham brings thousands to the city to explore the many unique offerings, diverse community
By Matthew Fletcher
Destination Markham, the city’s project to grow Markham’s tourism economy, is a somewhat low-profile initiative but provides essential support for Markham’s tourism development.
To better understand the organization’s key role in our community, Destination Markham’s chair, Andrew Keyes, provides some insight.
Keyes, who has been a key contributor to Destination Markham since its founding, sees it as a way to drive interest and dollars to the city. He says that the primary focus is to promote Markham as a premier destination for businesses and visitors.
The initiative puts a strong emphasis on the cultural diversities within the community and how they are reflected in the world-class culinary experience found within our city. The multicultural make-up of Markham makes the city one of the most diverse in Canada, leading to unique experiences compared to other communities. “That’s a selling feature, and that contributes to not only the diversity of ethnicities and cultures, but it also contributes to the diversity of food,” says Keyes.
Destination Markham received a $200,000 federal government investment to develop a Culinary Trail Experience. This initiative will help attract many visitors looking for a unique opportunity to explore the area’s diverse culture and food options while boosting tourism revenue.
Destination Markham works closely with all sectors within the community to ensure growth. Bringing people from outside Markham to stay and indulge in everything our city has to offer is what Destination Markham does. Promoting the thriving business sector in tandem with cultural events and dining, Destination Markham collaborates with local businesses, event organizers, and other stakeholders to enhance the city’s appeal and attract visitors domestically and internationally.
Destination Markham is more than a promotional tool for the city. It provides ground-level support and grants to organizations to help support their events, which will allow tourists and Markham residents to enjoy these occasions.
Most recently, Destination Markham sponsored the Little Native Hockey League tournament, bringing about 5000 hockey players and their families to our community to display their athletic talents in our state-of-the-art community centres.
Keyes highlights Markham Jazzilicious as another event that has drawn attention and economic opportunity. “It’s the only 100 per cent Destination Markham event. So, we organized it. We managed it. We funded it,” says Keyes. Jazzalicious has been a yearly success since its launch in 2023, bringing people together in our community to promote restaurants and venues. Keyes acknowledges the other parties involved, such as organizers of the Markham Jazz Festival, who had a prominent hand in the event.
Keyes is in talks with Overactive Media, a major ESport company, to bring future gaming competitions to the city, as well as smaller watch party events for current tournaments. He highlights Markham’s position as a hub for technological commerce and says he is looking to expand further in that direction.
“In addition to positioning ourselves as the multicultural capital of Canada, we’re the high-tech capital of Canada, so it’s an excellent fit,” Keyes says.
Markham struggles to accommodate large events due to insufficient capacity at existing locations. Some potential events are expected to need seating of more than 10,000, which Markham currently does not have the facilities for. Keyes notes that talks are underway to bring a new convention centre in Markham to rectify that issue.
“I’m very optimistic,” Keyes says. “I’m thrilled that I have this opportunity personally to be part of this.”
For more information regarding Destination Markham, check out visitmarkham.ca.
Photo: Destination Markham’s primary focus is to promote the city as a premier destination for businesses and visitors, says Andrew Keyes. (Matthew Fletcher photo)