Tourism

Less than an hour's drive from Toronto awaits the charming and vibrant communities of Durham Region. Durham offers urban excitement and country charm, a growing population and an ideal location for tourism investment.

Durham Region is a premier sport tourism destination, a convenient location for meetings and conferences, and a lively community host for events.

Future and Recent Tourism Developments

Bond|St Event Centre

Bond|St Event Centre is within a redeveloped and restored historical property once home to the United Auto Workers 222 in Downtown Oshawa. An entertainment haven offering two homes for live music, a cafe, restaurant and lounge, the Bond|St Event centre is a major destination for arts, culture, and entertainment in Durham Region.

Durham Live, Pickering

Durham Live is an entertainment and tourism district located at Church and Bayly Streets in Pickering. A blend of entertainment, culture, nightlife and commercial venues, Durham Live is bringing exciting services and facilities to the region, including a convention centre, film studios and an amphitheatre. The district will include:

Thermea Spa, Whitby

Groupe Nordik has opened its third location, Thermea by Nordik Spa-Nature at Cullen Central Park in Whitby. The spa features a relaxation and healing centre, covering a 385,423-square-foot area and will be able to welcome up to 1,100 visitors.

Guests can expect an innovative, imaginative, and multisensory relaxation and renewal experience, inspired by the winning formula of its predecessors, Nordik Spa-Nature | Chelsea and Thermea by Nordik Spa-Nature | Winnipeg.

Growing our accommodation sector to meet tourism demand

The accommodation sector in Durham Region is growing to meet the demand of tourism needs. A high occupancy rate is driving this need for investment. High occupancy is created by sport tourism, travel trade, meetings and conventions, film industry use, and business and leisure travel.

Durham Region is currently home to many established chain hotels as well as attractive Bed & Breakfast/Inn accommodations across all eight area municipalities.

The following properties are planned for development:

Best Western Hotel and Convention Centre–Town of Ajax
Fairfield Inn and Suites–Town of Ajax
Comfort Inn and Suites–Township of Scugog
Tru By Hilton-City of Oshawa
Wooden Sticks Golf Course Hotel - Township of Uxbridge

Tourism Education Programs

Durham College

Ontario Tech University

Communication and Digital Media Studies

Trent University Durham GTA

Media Studies (BA)

Liaison College

Career training in the culinary arts

Tourism Industry Links