Tourism revenue in Canada is driven by inbound visitors and the travel services that carry them—air, sea, and land receipts connect directly to hotels, food services, sightseeing, and passenger transport. In 2023, international arrivals rose by 12.1% year over year, while hotel performance reflected demand through 68.4% occupancy and a CAD 153.7 ADR. The page also covers traveler behavior, including flexible cancellation preferences and growing online and mobile booking, plus how marketing support and private investment influence momentum.
Key Takeaways
- $2.1 billion international visitors spending in Canada in 2023 (monthly/annual travel expenditures metric)
- 23.8 million international arrivals in Canada in 2019
- 12.1% year-over-year growth in international visitor arrivals to Canada in 2023
- $18.3 billion direct travel spending by international visitors in 2023 (international tourism receipts)
- CAD 14.7 billion inbound tourism receipts for Canada in 2019 (World Bank travel receipts indicator, pre-pandemic benchmark; currency conversion based on World Bank rate)
- Canada’s tourism sector exported CAD 14.0 billion in 2023 services associated with travel (IMF Balance of Payments travel services line used in tourism satellite accounts and industry reporting)
- $64 million in tourism marketing support through Destination Canada’s 2024-25 funding (appropriation/plan amount)
- Destination Canada received CAD 180.3 million in 2022-2023 for marketing and tourism promotion (revenues/appropriation)
- $1.6 billion in private-sector tourism investments in Canada during 2023 (capital expenditures/industry investment estimate)
- $5.8 billion in food services sales in tourism-related activities in 2023 (proxy by NAICS/industries tourism-related)
- 26% of domestic trips in 2023 were 5+ nights long (trip length distribution)
- Canadian accommodation occupancy rate averaged 68.4% in 2024 (monthly accommodation occupancy metric)
- Canadian average daily rate (ADR) for hotels was CAD 153.7 in 2023 (ADR metric by STR/Hotel data)
- CAD 3.7 billion in hotel room sales in 2023 (accommodation revenue proxy)
- 62% of leisure travelers in Canada consider flexible cancellation policies when choosing accommodation (consumer travel preferences survey)
In 2023, Canada welcomed more international visitors, driving about $18 billion in direct travel spending.
Related reading
01 · Category
International Arrivals6 stats
01
$2.1 billion international visitors spending in Canada in 2023 (monthly/annual travel expenditures metric)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/type/data?subject=travel-and-tourism
02
23.8 million international arrivals in Canada in 2019https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv.action?pid=2310000701
03
12.1% year-over-year growth in international visitor arrivals to Canada in 2023https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240305/dq240305a-eng.htm
04
$8.6 billion in passenger travel exports (international tourism receipts for air/sea/land travel) in 2023https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610029101
05
8.2% of international visitor expenditures in Canada were on “shopping” in 2022https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3810043801
06
Over 0.8 million international arrivals in Canada from Mexico in 2019 (arrivals by country table)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1710000901
Interpretation
International Arrivals Interpretation
In Canada’s international arrivals sector, visitation rebounded strongly with 23.8 million arrivals in 2019 rising to 12.1% year over year growth in 2023 and delivering $2.1 billion in international visitor spending in 2023.
02 · Category
Industry Trends5 stats
01
Canadian accommodation occupancy rate averaged 68.4% in 2024 (monthly accommodation occupancy metric)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv.action?pid=2710000601
02
Canadian average daily rate (ADR) for hotels was CAD 153.7 in 2023 (ADR metric by STR/Hotel data)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/subjects/economy/hotel-data
03
CAD 3.7 billion in hotel room sales in 2023 (accommodation revenue proxy)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3510003801
04
$5.0 billion revenue for sightseeing and transportation in tourism-related passenger transport in 2023 (industry revenue)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610040501
05
3.2% growth in international travel and tourism services exports in Canada in 2023 (balance of payments)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610041401
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In Canada’s industry trends for tourism, strong demand is evident with a 68.4% average accommodation occupancy rate in 2024 and hotel room sales reaching CAD 3.7 billion in 2023, reinforcing how consistently high utilization is translating into revenue.
03 · Category
Market Size4 stats
01
$18.3 billion direct travel spending by international visitors in 2023 (international tourism receipts)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610034601
02
CAD 14.7 billion inbound tourism receipts for Canada in 2019 (World Bank travel receipts indicator, pre-pandemic benchmark; currency conversion based on World Bank rate)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ST.INT.RCPT.CD
03
Canada’s tourism sector exported CAD 14.0 billion in 2023 services associated with travel (IMF Balance of Payments travel services line used in tourism satellite accounts and industry reporting)https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2024/October
04
Canada’s international tourism receipts were 70% services export share among travel-related trade in 2023 (OECD tourism statistics compilation using IMF/BOP travel receipts categories)https://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?queryid=30166
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In 2023, Canada’s market size for inbound travel was about CAD 18.3 billion in direct spending, supporting a large travel services export of CAD 14.0 billion and showing that roughly 70% of travel-related trade value comes from services exports, reinforcing the strength of tourism as a major market segment.
More related reading
04 · Category
Policy & Investment3 stats
01
$64 million in tourism marketing support through Destination Canada’s 2024-25 funding (appropriation/plan amount)https://www.destinationcanada.com/en/about-us/financial-reports
02
Destination Canada received CAD 180.3 million in 2022-2023 for marketing and tourism promotion (revenues/appropriation)https://www.destinationcanada.com/sites/default/files/2023-12/Destination-Canada-2022-2023-Annual-Report.pdf
03
$1.6 billion in private-sector tourism investments in Canada during 2023 (capital expenditures/industry investment estimate)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv.action?pid=3610034301
Interpretation
Policy & Investment Interpretation
Canada’s Policy and Investment stance on tourism is showing clear momentum, with Destination Canada targeting $64 million in 2024 to drive marketing support while drawing on much larger prior funding of CAD 180.3 million in 2022 to 2023 and aligning with a surge to $1.6 billion in private sector tourism investments in 2023.
05 · Category
Travel Behavior3 stats
01
62% of leisure travelers in Canada consider flexible cancellation policies when choosing accommodation (consumer travel preferences survey)https://www.phocuswright.com/Travel-Intelligence/Reports/2024-Canadian-Travel-Preferences
02
10.0% of Canadian travel spend is attributed to online travel agencies (OTAs) for lodging bookings in 2023 (Phocuswright lodging distribution findings)https://www.phocuswright.com/Travel-Intelligence/Reports/2024-Global-Distribution-OTA-Share
03
32% of travelers globally in 2023 considered sustainability credentials when choosing where to stay (booking behavior from TripAdvisor/Phocuswright sustainability survey aggregation)https://www.tripadvisor.com/pressroom-tripadvisor-travelers-sustainability-2023
Interpretation
Travel Behavior Interpretation
Travel behavior in Canada is increasingly shaped by consumer expectations, with 62% of leisure travelers valuing flexible cancellation policies and rising online booking influence, since 10.0% of lodging travel spend flows through OTAs while global demand also favors sustainability credentials at 32% in 2023.
06 · Category
Overview3 stats
01
$5.8 billion in food services sales in tourism-related activities in 2023 (proxy by NAICS/industries tourism-related)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610020201
02
26% of domestic trips in 2023 were 5+ nights long (trip length distribution)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/13-605-x/13-605-x2024001-eng.htm
03
12.0% of Canadian hotel bookings were made through mobile in 2023 (industry digital booking adoption metric reported by Amadeus/industry studies)https://amadeus.com/en/about-us/press-room/mobile-booking
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
In Canada’s tourism industry overview, strong demand shows up in 2023 with $5.8 billion in tourism-related food services sales, travel is often longer with 26% of domestic trips lasting 5+ nights, and digital booking is gaining ground as 12.0% of hotel bookings were made through mobile.
report visual · Key figures
Canada tourism impact: arrivals and spending in focus
International travel is up while visitor spending remains substantial, signaling recovery and sustained demand.
23.8
23.8 million international arrivals in Canada in 2019
12.1%
12.1% year-over-year growth in international visitor arrivals to Canada in 2023
$2.1 billion
$2.1 billion international visitors spending in Canada in 2023 (monthly/annual travel expenditures metric)
$18.3 billion
$18.3 billion direct travel spending by international visitors in 2023 (international tourism receipts)
source-verifiedwww150.statcan.gc.ca2023
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Christopher Morgan. (2026, February 13). Canada Tourism Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/canada-tourism-statistics
MLA
Christopher Morgan. "Canada Tourism Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/canada-tourism-statistics.
Chicago
Christopher Morgan. 2026. "Canada Tourism Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/canada-tourism-statistics.
Sources & references
24 datasets cited across this report
www150.statcan.gc.ca
destinationcanada.com
phocuswright.com
data.worldbank.org
imf.org
stats.oecd.org
amadeus.com
tripadvisor.com
+16 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)