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The Toronto Eaton Centre is the most visited tourist attraction in Toronto

Toronto is one of Canada's leading tourism destinations. In 2009, Toronto region received 9.62 million overnight visitors, of which 6.42 million were domestic visitors and 1.99 million were from the United States. Toronto has an array of tourist attractions, and a rich cultural life.

In 2010, Toronto's hotel occupancy rate was calculated at 8.93 million, giving the city’s hotels an annual occupancy rate of 68.3 per cent, up 9.7 percentage points from 2009. Toronto's busiest month is September when the city hosts its annual Toronto International Film Festival. 33 percent of all visitors to Toronto in 2010 come from United States, United Kingdom and China. The vast majority of visitors come from across Ontario.

In 2012, the Toronto region, including Brampton and Mississauga, welcomed 9.9 million overnight visitors, generating direct visitor expenditure of approximately $4.7 billion. International visitors accounted for 59 percent of all overnight visitor expenditure and contributed $2.13 billion to the Toronto region economy. The top countries to visit Toronto in 2012 include the United States, United Kingdom, China and Germany. According to Smith Travel Research, Toronto ranks 11 out of 28 as a chosen tourist destination among all North American cities.

Attractions

Main article: Attractions in Toronto

References

The murders of Adam Lloyd and Vanessa Arscott in the Thai town of Kanchanaburi on September 9, 2004, were blamed on Somchai Wisetsingh, a decorated Thai police Officer. After confessing then recanting his story, Wisetsingh was convicted of the crime and sentenced to two life sentences.

The murder

On September 9, 2004, Adam Lloyd (25) and Vanessa Arscott (24) were enjoying a meal in the S & S Restaurant in Kanchanaburi, owned by Mr. Wisetsingh, when a heated argument ensued, resulting in the murder of the couple by the off-duty policeman.

After the argument, Wisetsingh followed the couple back to the Sugar Cane Guesthouse in his car, before shooting Mr Lloyd three times; once in the head, once in the arm and once in the torso. He then chased Ms. Arscott in his car for some 200 metres before running her down and shooting her twice, in the chest and the head. Both Mr. Lloyd and Ms. Arscott were declared dead on arrival at hospital.

Wisetsingh disappeared immediately after the incident, fleeing from a police manhunt over the border in Burma. He later returned to Thailand on October 7, 2004, confessing to the crime and performing re-enactments of the incident on television for the police.

During the trial, Wisetsingh changed his plea to not guilty, and denied the murders, blaming them on a mysterious Mr. Ya, a drugs informant who he claimed shot the couple while trying to protect his handler. Wisetsingh indicated he was coerced into previous confessions. He was found guilty of murder and sentenced to serve two life sentences, only escaping the death sentence because of his record as a decorated police officer and his initial confession to police.

Witnesses

A spokeswoman claims that Ms Arscott and Mr Lloyd were sitting in the S & S Restaurant when they were involved in a quarrel with some Thai men. The cause of the argument was unclear, although reports have suggested Mr Lloyd was upset by the way other people were looking at Ms Arscott. She said the couple had known the sergeant for four or five days because he was the owner of the restaurant they went to.

References

Category:Murder in Thailand Category:Living people