Make Your Next Stop Vaughan

Tourism Vaughan executed a 5-week marketing campaign on the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway starting at the beginning of June in 2023. As of December 2017, a new subway stop along the Yonge-University line officially opened in Vaughan, creating an opportunity to showcase Vaughan’s unique offerings, from cultural festivals to thriving businesses, and to reach Toronto’s expansive resident and tourist audience. This stop is named the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC).

To goal of this campaign, named Make Your Next Stop Vaughan, was to draw visitation to the city of Vaughan by the many riders who travelled with the TTC. The ideal audience was adults between the ages of 25-45. The campaign included 200 subway posters, as well as platform posters at Dundas Station. The posters featured different highlights of Vaughan, including shopping, festivals, culinary delights, scenic trails and art. As Vaughan is most notably known for its theme park, Canada’s Wonderland, the purpose was to identify and actively promote other areas of tourism that would attract a broader audience. Positioning these other attractions as must-visit spots would bolster Vaughan’s tourism industry as well as elevate its reputation as a desirable destination to explore and live.

The TTC’s reach to a diverse range of riders from across the Greater Toronto Area made it the ideal location for such a campaign. The tagline ‘Make your next stop Vaughan’ pointed out the accessibility of Vaughan due to its direct subway access. It also opened up opportunity to more directly work with accommodations that were located along the TTC’s subway lines, to draw in visitors who preferred to stay in Toronto but make Vaughan a part of their plans. Launching this campaign along the subway line was also a strategic plan to show a more sustainable way of travelling to Vaughan, when compared to driving. The Vaughan Metropolitan Centre is also part of a greater transit hub that allows for access to other areas of the city, including one notable route to the Vaughan Mills, one of Canada’s largest shopping centres.

The result of the 5-week campaign was a total of 7.9 million impressions. For the month of June, Vaughan accommodations had an average occupancy rate of 90.1%, which was +1.6% compared to June 2022 and +10% compared to June 2019 (pre-pandemic benchmark). This record-breaking occupancy rate for Vaughan shows a strong trend of awareness building for our city.

The campaign has helped to develop a sense of place and community by highlighting the arts, its scenery, and its boutique delights at restaurants and shops. This placemaking allows for Tourism Vaughan to continue to build its brand – and awareness of what’s available – with a strong foundation.