The following criteria are developed in standardization according to the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport; Festival and Events Ontario; the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation; and Central Counties Tourism (RTO6). 

The VisitVaughan.ca website’s main purpose is to attract visitors to Vaughan and to help visitors plan their vacations while here. From attractions, restaurants, accommodations, festivals and events – they all play an important role in attracting visitors to our community. To align with the objective of attracting visitors, Tourism Vaughan has defined criteria for listing content on VisitVaughan.ca. In short, all content is assessed on its ability to influence and motivate travel to Vaughan.

For the purposes of the Vaughan tourism website, a tourism attraction is defined as a place that: 

• is in the City of Vaughan; 
• is promoted to and attracts tourists. A tourist is defined by the Ministry an individual who travels 40 km or more [one-way] to attend an event and/or stays overnight in a local accommodation;
• demonstrates a capacity and intention to develop itself as a tourism driver over the long term; and
• is open to all members of the public. Both free and ticketed attractions are eligible. 

Priority will be given to: 

• Vaughan-based attractions, events, festivals and businesses that attract overnight stays in a Vaughan accommodation; 
• Events hosted by Vaughan tourism partners operating a tourist attraction; and
• Hallmark tourist events like major fairs, expositions, cultural and sporting events of international status which are held on either a regular or a one-off basis. A primary function of the hallmark event is to provide the host community with an opportunity to secure high prominence in the tourism marketplace. 

The following are applicable categories for visitvaughan.ca business listings:

1. Accommodations
   1. B&Bs
   2. Campgrounds
   3. Hotels, motels and inns
2. Attractions
   1. Adventure Tourism
   2. Amusement/Theme Parks
   3. Art & Special Exhibit Galleries
   4. Breweries, Distilleries & Wineries
   5. Dinner Theatre
   6. City Tours
   7. Concert Venues
   8. Entertainment Complexes & Sites
   9. Festivals & Events
   10. Gardens & Parks
   11. Golf
   12. Museums & Historic Houses
   13. Performing Arts
   14. Spas
   15. Spectator Sports
   16. Aquariums, Zoos, Animal Parks
   17. Landmarks
3. Restaurants & Nightlife
   1. Restaurants
   2. Lounges & Bars
   3. Cafes, Bakeries & Patisseries
   4. Wine Bars
4. Retail Shopping
   1. Shopping Centres
   2. Shopping Districts
   3. Speciality or Unique Shops
5. Agri-tourism Products
   1. Farms with specialty activations

Events must be tourism-related and correspond with one of the following categories:

1. Agriculture (i.e. fairs and farmers’ markets)
2. Exhibits and Shows (i.e. gallery showings, artisan tours, specialty films)
3. Festivals, Carnivals & Celebrations
4. Holiday Related (i.e. parades)
5. Outdoor (i.e. walking tours)
6. Performing Arts (i.e. music, theatre)
7. Cultural Heritage (i.e. re-enactments, museum openings)
8. Sporting Events