The global COVID-19 pandemic has cost Toronto $8.35 billion in tourism because of government-mandated travel restrictions and lockdowns over the past 12 months, according to a study. The analysis, released by Destination Toronto on Thursday, states that the economic losses are as high as $14 billion if the Greater Toronto region is included in the calculation. The losses have mostly hit the city’s tourism and hospitality sectors, which rely heavily on visitor spending. The economic losses of some the hardest-hit sectors are as follows: Retail: $1.67 billion Food and beverage: $1.3 billion Accommodations: $1.2 billion Attractions and entertainment: $707 million The pandemic-associated lockdowns also impacted the meetings and events industries, Destination Toronto found. It tracked 463 conferences and events that were cancelled or postponed since the start of the pandemic, resulting in $833 million in losses in the meetings and events sectors alone. “Simply stated, 380,000 attendees didn’t come to …