Impresarios Ed and David Mirvish aim to bring Toronto back to centre stage by offering promotional deals that could only be described as a steal. This comes on the heels of a governments $118-million tourism promotion plan.

CTV.ca News Staff

Impresarios Ed and David Mirvish aim to bring Toronto back to centre stage by offering promotional deals that could only be described as a steal. The Blue Jays and major hotels are also backing the plan.

"We are saying, enough! We will not live in fear. There is no reason for anyone in Toronto to live in fear, and there is no reason for anyone to fear visiting our city," David Mirvish said during a news conference at the Princess of Wales Theatre.

The event was organized to announce a $125 tourism package deal that features a night at a downtown hotel, a restaurant meal, a Toronto Blue Jays game and two Mirvish musicals, The Lion King or Mamma Mia.

The package, "It's Time For a Little T.O.," becomes available on Wednesday until June 1. Torontonians can have the same package without the hotel room for $85.

The cost of the deal is being shared with the Ontario Ministry of Tourism in response to the recent SARS crisis which has made many travellers wary of Canada's largest city.

The Ontario government has announced a $118-million tourism promotion plan for this summer. Industry leaders are worried that SARS could have a lasting impact on such events as the Molson Indy and the Toronto Film Festival.

A series of positive signs have emerged to suggest the tide is about to change. The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was lifting a travel advisory for Toronto on Tuesday.

At the same time, Toronto health officials said they felt confident that the SARS outbreak had been successfully contained. No new cases have been reported for 20 days.

Blue Jays president Paul Godfrey said that SARS had probably cost his team about 15,000 ticket sales. The club offered tickets to a Tuesday home game for $1 and attracted a sell-out crowd.

"Toronto is a safe, friendly destination and is indeed open for business," Ontario Tourism Minister Brian Coburn said.

Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman said the entertainment package was just one in a series of bargains. He listed Air Canada's cheap flights to Toronto for the Victoria Day weekend as one example.

Lastman also issued a challenge to New York City, which struggled in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks.

"We were there when New York had 9-11, we sent busloads and airplane loads of people to New York. Let's see if New York has the same heart!"