McAuliffe participates in tourism marketing mission

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has joined Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser for a two-day tourism marketing mission to Toronto.

The delegation will participate in several meetings seeking to further tourism and travel connections between Canada and the National Capital Region.

The governors and mayor will meet with senior government officials, including Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and U.S. Consul General Juan Alsace.

“More than 902,000 Canadians visited the Capital Region in 2015, spending over $384 million – a 21 percent increase from 2013 visitor spending from the country,” McAuliffe said in a statement. “I am looking forward to this opportunity to work with our regional partners to grow those numbers and bring more jobs and opportunity back to the National Capital Region.”

He is being accompanied on the trip by Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Todd Haymore, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Basil Gooden and representatives from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, Virginia Tourism Corp., Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.