More Than a Race: How the Honda Indy is Powering Markham’s Tourism Future

In this episode, host Andrew Siegwart is joined by Vinay Sharda, President of Destination Markham Corporation; Councillor Andrew Keyes, City of Markham Councillor and Chair of Destination Markham; and Jeff Atkinson of Green Savoree Racing Promotions, President of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham.

Together, they explore why moving the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy from Toronto’s Exhibition Place to Markham represents much more than a venue change. It offers a blueprint for destination development.

The conversation examines how Markham has deliberately built its tourism identity around its culinary depth, cultural institutions and year-round festivals, then leveraged that foundation to attract a world-class motorsport event.

The guests discuss why Markham’s technology-driven economy, diverse food scene and established events such as Jazzlicious made the city a natural fit. They also look at how the municipal accommodation tax is supporting stronger tourism marketing, infrastructure and performance measurement.

Jeff shares the analytics behind the move, details about the new 12-turn street circuit and how the Indy has evolved into a family-first festival with significant economic potential.

If you want to experience the inaugural Indy in Markham, head to the official Ontario Honda Dealers Indy site: https://hondaindy.com and explore what’s happening around the race at Destination Markham: https://visitmarkham.ca.

Forward Motion thanks its partners for their support of this show:

Ontario Travel & Tourism Monthly

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