Mississauga Businesses Receive Over $900,000 in Tourism Recovery Support

Today, Tourism Mississauga, the City of Mississauga’s Destination Marketing Organization, announced financial support for tourism businesses and organizations from Regional Tourism Organization 5 – Greater Toronto Area (RTO5) to help them position themselves for a strong and resilient economic future.

“Pre-COVID-19, tourism was a leading economic driver in Mississauga. Tourism was the first industry hit by the pandemic. It was the hardest hit and is not expected to fully recover until 2025. We have been working to support our tourism partners and businesses and accelerate recovery as much as possible, and programs like the Tourism Relief Fund are critical supports for the businesses in our city. The industry is ramping up, and we are ready and excited to welcome new visitors to Mississauga. This funding will help some of our businesses elevate their offerings, enticing more new visitors to come and see for themselves all of the exciting things happening in Mississauga.”

Victoria Clarke, CEO, Tourism Mississauga

RTO5 received $12 million through the Government of Canada’s Tourism Relief Fund, delivered by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), to help local tourism organizations and businesses safely welcome back visitors, recover from the impacts of the pandemic, create jobs and prepare for future growth.

Tourism Mississauga, a member of larger RTO5 group along with Destination Toronto and Experience Brampton, received nearly $922,000 to provide 15 local tourism stakeholders with the support needed to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, welcoming future visitors, and planning and preparing for future tourism activity.

The Mississauga projects receiving this tourism relief funding, include:

• Hub Climbing Mississauga – receiving $100,000 to expand climbing offerings to include spiderwebs, floating walls, floating steps and slides within the facility. The upgrades will enhance climbing tournament options and expand the sports tourism sector within the city.
• Carassauga Festival Inc – receiving $20,000 to enhance production of the three-day Carassauga Festival. The in-person event will have indoor and outdoor activities featuring 23 pavilions representing various countries. Outdoor events feature family-friendly fun including a parade, fireworks and performances from local musical artists.
• Clarkson Village BIA – receiving $48,518 to enhance the beautification and streetscaping of the Clarkson Business district. Upgrades will include new street-art installations and holiday decorations.
• CreativeHub 1352 – receiving $99,800 to support execution of the Mississauga Festival of Trees, which will include 10 family activities and workshops, two culinary markets and three days of live entertainment from local artists.
• Luxe Convention Centre – receiving $30,000 to support and improve sustainability initiatives of the Convention Centre. This includes overall improvements to event spaces and installation of additional recycling and compost stations.
• World of Barbie – receiving $100,000 to support ‘World of Barbie’ installation, which attracted over 200,000 visitors in 2022.
• GYGO – receiving $100,000 to help revitalize the Playdium space at the Square One Mall, including renovations to the Go-Kart track and mini golf courses.
• Mississauga Italfest – receiving $84,500 to support the execution and expansion of quality entertainment shows of Mississauga Italfest, which took place in August, 2022 in Mississauga Celebration Square.
• Mississauga Music – receiving $24,000 to support the launch of Mississauga Music Week and add a new Mississauga Music Awards.
• Visual Arts Mississauga at Riverwood – receiving $20,000 to update the website revitalization by adding digitization features to better serve newcomers.
• monstrARTity Creative Community – receiving $25,160 to deliver the #BollywoodMonster Mashup festival, with an expected 60,000 attendees.
• The Egyptian Museum in Mississauga – receiving $100,000 to develop a multi-media, self-directed tour of the museum for patrons and help the museum secure new and rare artifacts.
• MuslimFest – receiving $50,000 to expand MuslimFest from Mississauga to multiple cities across southwestern Ontario.
• Metalworks Institute – receiving $100,000 to support a development program designed to expedite training for technicians in the music and entertainment industry.
• Gymnastics Mississauga – receiving $20,000 to deliver a Fun Fair to promote the City of Mississauga as a preeminent destination for world-class gymnastics and bolster future demand for Provincial, Canada-wide and international competitions.

 “Our tourism industry has been among the most affected sectors through the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s great to see the impact that this $12-million investment through FedDev Ontario’s Tourism Relief Fund, has had on our local tourism businesses and communities who are working to adapt their operations and safely welcome visitors.”

The Honourable Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport and Member of Parliament for Mississauga Centre

Mississauga is Canada’s seventh largest city, located in southern Ontario on the beautiful waterfront of Lake Ontario. As one of the most diverse cities in Ontario, Mississauga offers a wide range of amenities, attractions and entertainment options for all. With hundreds of must-see experiences, plenty of gorgeous scenery, world-class eats and events, Mississauga has something for everyone.

Please see the backgrounder for information on all projects in Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton that are receiving support.