The Canadian Tourism Performance provides a summary of the aggregate performance of Canada’s tourism sector in terms of both volume and value. This fact sheet includes data primarily from the following sources: International Travel Survey, Travel Survey of Residents of Canada, National Tourism Indicators and Tourism Satellite Account.
Inbound Tourist Trips to Canada
| |
Volume |
Change Over 2003 |
| U.S. |
15,088 |
6.0% |
| Overseas |
3,944 |
23.7% |
| Total Inbound |
19,032 |
9.3% |
Tourist Trips from Major Overseas Markets
| |
Volume |
Change over 2003 |
| United Kingdom |
801 |
15.9% |
| France |
337 |
22.5% |
| Germany |
297 |
17.4% |
| Japan |
391 |
56.4% |
| Total Europe |
2,154 |
21.1% |
| Total Asia Pacific |
1,307 |
35.0% |
| Total Latin America |
402 |
23.3% |
Outbound Tourist Trips by Canadians
| |
Volume |
Change Over 2003 |
| International Canadian Outbound Travel |
19,596 |
10.5% |
| To the U.S. |
13,857 |
9.4% |
| To Overseas |
5,739 |
13.1% |
International Travel Account
| |
Millions of $ |
Change Over 2003 |
| Receipts |
16,745 |
13.3% |
| Payments |
20,747 |
10.8% |
| Balance |
-4,002 |
1.3% |
Tourism Spending in Canada
Total tourism expenditures reached $58.8 billion, an increase of 7.2% following the numerous setbacks in 2003.
Results were positive across all tourism commodities, with spending on vehicle fuel up 14.3%, passenger air up 8.7% and accommodation up 7.2%.
A major factor in the rebound was due to the increase in overnight visits from abroad as both Americans and international visitors boosted non-resident spending in Canada (up 12.6%). A series of adverse events, including the war in Iraq, the outbreak of SARS and the power outage in Ontario had kept visitors away in 2003.
Domestic spending also increased (up 5.0%) reaching $41.2 billion, despite the strong outflow of Canadians traveling to other countries.
Tourism GDP
As a percentage of total economy, tourism gross domestic product at basic prices reached 2.0% or $24.0 billion in 2004.
Government Revenues
In 2004, tourism represented 3.8% of total government revenues, generating $17.1 billion1 of revenue for all three levels of government in Canada.
- Federal government: $8.2 billion
- Provincial/Territorial government: $8.0 billion
- Municipal government: $1.0 billion
Employment Generated by Tourism in Canada
Total tourism employment reached 616,000 full and part-time jobs in 2004, up 0.6% from the previous year.
Inbound Travel to Canada
Foreigners made 19.1 million overnight trips to Canada in 2004, representing a 9.2 increase over 2003. The number of trips by Americans increased by 6.0% to 15.1 million. Overnight trips by overseas residents increased by 22.9% to 4.1 million, with all core markets registering double digit gains, including Japan up 59.6%.
Canada Outbound Travel
Total outbound travel by Canadian residents increased by 10.5% in 2004 to 19.6 million overnight trips. The number of overnight trips made by Canadians to the U.S. increased by 9.4% to 13.9 million. Travel to overseas countries increased, reaching 5.7 million overnight trips, up 13.1% over 2003.
Canada’s Travel Account
Canada's international travel deficit reached $4.0 billion (up 1.3%) compared to a year ago. Spending by foreign travelers in Canada rebounded sharply from the declines caused by the SARS crisis which hammered inbound travel in 2003. The $2.0-billion spike in inbound travel spending was the largest ever.
However, the increase in the deficit was due to record spending by Canadians abroad totaling $20.7 billion, a 10.8% increase over 2003.
World Tourism Organization (WTO) International Ranking
According to the latest available WTO data, Canada is one of the most popular destinations in the world, holding the 11th position in 2004 in terms of tourist arrivals, representing a 3.6% share of the global international tourism travel market. In 2004, Canada ranked 12th in international tourism receipts.
Sources: National Tourism Indicators, International Travel Survey, and the World Tourism Organization.
Notes: All trips refer to overnight trips.
For more information about the Canadian Tourism Performance please contact Murielle Ballantyne at (604) 638-8328 or at ballantyne.murielle@ctc-cct.ca.
1 Due to rounding, figures may not add up to totals.
