Latest news with #Ripley'sAquariumofCanada
Associated Press
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Ripley s Aquarium of Canada Joins Toronto CityPASS Lineup
( NewMediaWire) - March 11, 2025 - Toronto, ON — Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, a world-class family attraction and one of Toronto's most popular, is now part of the Toronto CityPASS(R) program. With this addition, Toronto visitors can save up to 38% and experience five of the city's most iconic attractions with one convenient purchase of Toronto CityPASS tickets. Since its grand opening in 2013, Ripley's Aquarium of Canada has enthralled millions of guests with its collection of Canadian creatures and marine life from across the globe. Located in downtown Toronto at the base of the iconic CN Tower, the aquarium spans 135,000 square feet (12,541 square meters), contains over 1.5 million gallons (5.7 million liters) of water, and features a wide array of immersive exhibits and daily live dive shows and is home to over 18,000 marine animals from all over the world. Visitors to Ripley's Aquarium of Canada will find 50 live exhibits and over 100 interactive displays. The aquarium's mission 'is to provide a world-class experience that fosters the conservation and research of our natural world through environmental education and exceptional animal care, inspiring and providing fun for visitors of all ages through immersive learning and unforgettable experiences.' Some key highlights include the Dangerous Lagoon, a moving sidewalk that transports visitors through North America's longest underwater viewing tunnel, the backlit and color-changing displays highlighting various species of jellies in Planet Jellies, and an interactive exhibit where visitors can touch a stingray at the Shoreline Gallery. 'Ripley's Aquarium of Canada is a fantastic addition to the Toronto CityPASS(R) program,' said Megan Allen, President and CEO at City Pass, Inc. 'This partnership enhances the value of our ticket by adding one of Toronto's most popular and immersive attractions, giving visitors even more reasons to discover the incredible city of Toronto.' Toronto CityPASS tickets save travelers up to 38% off combined admission to five of Toronto's top attractions in one easy-to-use mobile ticket. The Toronto CityPASS program covers prepaid entry to: CN Tower Ripley's Aquarium of Canada Plus, a choice of any three of the following: Casa Loma Royal Ontario Museum City Cruises Toronto Toronto Zoo Toronto CityPASS tickets cost $129.96 CAD for adults and $92.92 CAD for children ages 4-12 (prices are tax-exclusive). Tickets are valid for nine consecutive days, including the first day of use. Visit to purchase mobile tickets and have them instantly delivered via email. Customers can use the My CityPASS app to access their tickets, make reservations at those attractions that require or recommend them, and find entry instructions, special offers and upgrades, and more to plan their visits. About CityPASS: For 27 years, CityPASS tickets have provided travelers with significant savings on a destination's top attractions. Based on over 85,000 customer reviews, the tickets have an average customer rating of 4.6 stars (out of a possible 5). CityPASS tickets are currently available in 17 North American destinations: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Southern California, Tampa Bay and Toronto. Since 1997, more than 29 million CityPASS tickets have been sold. For more information, visit
CBC
08-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Could the U.S.-Canada trade war help Toronto tourism? Some attractions are betting on it
Operators of tourist attractions are hoping for a busy March Break in Toronto now that some Canadians are changing their travel plans due to U.S. tariff threats and the weak loonie. Various attractions in the city, such as Ripley's Aquarium and the CN Tower, are stepping up offerings or promotions in a bid to attract residents opting to travel within Canada instead of crossing the border. Some are also wondering if the threat of on-again, off-again tariffs will impact the number of U.S. visitors to Toronto. Peter Doyle, general manager of Ripley's Aquarium of Canada is one of them. "America is a big part of our market. It always has been. So will they be coming? The strength of their dollar versus ours may be a reason to visit, but also, are they going to come or stay in the U.S. and visit there and spend money there? It's such an unknown. "COVID was strange. This is stranger." Doyle said the attraction has seen an influx of Quebec visitors this week, which is Quebec's March Break, and the numbers of visitors from that province is higher this year than last year. From Feb. 15 to March 7, the aquarium offered a 25 per cent discount for Ontario residents. The numbers surpassed expectations, with more than 12,000 tickets sold, it said. During the upcoming March break rush, it's running a "No Tariff Tuesday" discount, offering 25 per cent off to all walk-in visitors. Could trade war have positive spin-off for local tourism? Peter George, chief operating officer of the CN Tower, said on Friday the attraction may benefit from people opting to travel within Canada instead of crossing the border. The tower already has two million visitors a year, he said. The question is if people choosing to cancel travel plans will mean even more this year. "I think it's going to be good for our tourism industry as we move through this," George said. "We've always been really pro-Canada. We've always focused a lot of our work on Canada. We're just hyper-focused now." The CN Tower, which he says tells the story of Canada, has images of maple leaves in red light on its ray dome, which is the bubble around its top, every night. George says it's being lit in red and white every hour and is promoting Canadian beer, wine and spirits on its menu in its restaurants. The attraction also plans to hang "rather large" Canadian flags to give photo opportunities to visitors, George said. Its retail store as well will feature more Canadian products as well. "It's really important for us to continue to support Canada. We always have. We're just doing more of it than we ever have before." George added that U.S. visitors are always welcome at the CN Tower. He said he believes many Americans will continue to visit the attraction. 'Massive sea change' in tourism in past 5 years Andrew Weir, president of Destination Toronto, an organization that promotes the city, said he thinks tourism operators are taking a "measured" approach to the current disruption in the tourism industry. Weir noted that there was a "massive sea change" in tourism in the past five years due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, he said visitors from China were a big part of the Toronto market, but now, there is hope that visitors from Mexico will pick up the slack. Currently, there is much talk about potential, but the industry is monitoring the data closely to discern trends, he added. "It's hard to forecast beyond next week, frankly, when the situation changes as much as it does," Weir said. "Everybody is waiting to see what the trend is. You can see more bookings or more cancellations over a period of a couple days but that's not necessarily indicative of a larger trend." Weir said Toronto saw 9 million visitors last year and 6.3 million of them were Canadian, with the majority from Ontario. The U.S., meanwhile, accounted for 1.6 million of the nine million visitors. "We have a long term strategy to diversify our tourism markets. We need to get those tourists and visitors and meeting delegates back from the U.S. and the international markets as well as just from Canada." Weir added that Canadians, especially people from highly populated areas of southern Ontario, know Toronto and they are always looking at what is new to see and do in the city.
