Canada is roaring back on the world stage, with international visitor arrivals hitting 16.5 million in 2023 and our own domestic travellers exploring from coast to coast to coast in record numbers.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, Canada recorded 16.5 million international visitor arrivals, marking a 75% recovery from 2019 levels
- The United States accounted for 12.3 million overnight trips to Canada in 2023, representing 74.5% of all international visitors
- Overseas visitors to Canada numbered 4.2 million in 2023, up 98% from 2022, with the United Kingdom leading at 682,000 arrivals
- In 2023, 15 million Canadians took domestic trips, averaging 4.2 trips per person
- Domestic tourism spending reached CAD 88 billion in 2023, up 12% from 2022
- Ontario hosted 5.8 million domestic overnight trips in 2023
- Canada's tourism sector contributed CAD 105.4 billion to GDP in 2023, or 4.5% of national GDP
- Tourism employment stood at 924,000 jobs in 2023, representing 4.9% of total employment
- Total tourism spending by visitors reached CAD 126.7 billion in 2023, up 25% from 2022
- Niagara Falls welcomed 12.5 million visitors in 2023, 14 million CAD in ticket sales
- Banff National Park had 4.1 million visitors, CAD 850 million economic impact
- Vancouver saw 10.3 million visitors, convention centre hosting 1.2 million delegates
- Tourism employment grew 6.2% to 924,000 jobs in 2023
- Accommodation and food services employed 58% of tourism workforce, 536,000 jobs
- Full-time tourism jobs averaged CAD 52,400 annual wage in 2023
Canada's tourism is growing robustly, nearing pre-pandemic levels for international and domestic visitors.
Destination-Specific Statistics
- Niagara Falls welcomed 12.5 million visitors in 2023, 14 million CAD in ticket sales
- Banff National Park had 4.1 million visitors, CAD 850 million economic impact
- Vancouver saw 10.3 million visitors, convention centre hosting 1.2 million delegates
- Toronto attracted 28.8 million visitors, CN Tower 2.1 million climbs
- Montreal hosted 11.4 million tourists, Jazz Festival 2.3 million attendees
- Whistler Blackcomb recorded 2.2 million skier visits in 2023/24 season
- Jasper National Park: 2.7 million visitors, Icefields Parkway 1.1 million drives
- Quebec City drew 4.6 million, Chateau Frontenac 1.4 million stays
- Calgary Stampede attracted 1.2 million, CAD 540 million impact
- Ottawa's Rideau Canal skated by 1 million in winter 2023, total visitors 9.2 million
- Prince Edward Island's green shores saw 1.6 million beach days
- Churchill, Manitoba polar bear tours: 12,000 visitors, 95% international
- Yukon Klondike Highway: 450,000 vehicle crossings, Dawson City 85,000 visits
- Cape Breton Highlands: 650,000 hikers on Cabot Trail
- Lake Louise: 3.2 million visitors, gondola rides 800,000
- Gros Morne National Park: 220,000 visitors, UNESCO tablelands 95,000
- Revelstoke Mountain Resort: 750,000 skier days, North America’s longest vertical
- Hopewell Rocks, NB: 450,000 low-tide visitors annually
- Stanley Park, Vancouver: 8 million visitors, seawall 10 million km walked
- Algonquin Park: 1.1 million campers, 2,400 km canoe routes paddled
- Victoria's Butchart Gardens: 1 million international, total 2 million visits
Destination-Specific Statistics Interpretation
Canada's tourism story is a tale of two economies: Niagara Falls sells 12.5 million people a ticket to look at water, while Banff quietly hosts a third as many visitors who spend enough to buy a small, very scenic country.
Domestic Tourism Statistics
- In 2023, 15 million Canadians took domestic trips, averaging 4.2 trips per person
- Domestic tourism spending reached CAD 88 billion in 2023, up 12% from 2022
- Ontario hosted 5.8 million domestic overnight trips in 2023
- British Columbia saw 4.2 million domestic visitors, with Vancouver at 2.1 million stays
- Quebec's domestic tourism hit 3.9 million trips, led by Montreal's 1.7 million
- Alberta welcomed 2.8 million domestic tourists, Banff-Lake Louise at 1.4 million
- In 2023, 2.1 million domestic trips to Nova Scotia, up 15% YoY
- Manitoba's domestic visitors numbered 1.2 million, Winnipeg 650,000
- Saskatchewan saw 1.1 million domestic trips, focusing on rural areas
- New Brunswick hosted 950,000 domestic tourists, Bay of Fundy key draw
- Prince Edward Island had 820,000 domestic visitors in 2023
- Newfoundland and Labrador recorded 710,000 domestic trips
- Yukon Territory saw 180,000 domestic tourists, Whitehorse 120,000
- Northwest Territories welcomed 65,000 domestic visitors, Yellowknife 45,000
- Nunavut's domestic tourism reached 22,000 trips, Iqaluit primary hub
- Road trips accounted for 68% of domestic travel in 2023, totaling 10.2 million vehicles
- Camping and RV travel surged 22% to 3.4 million domestic trips
- 42% of Canadians traveled domestically for family visits in 2023
- Beach vacations drew 28% of domestic tourists to Atlantic provinces
- National parks received 15.2 million domestic visits in 2023, Banff top at 4.1 million
- Winter domestic travel to ski resorts hit 2.8 million trips, Whistler-Blackcomb leading
- Urban domestic tourism grew 18% to 7.5 million trips to top 10 cities
- Indigenous tourism experiences attracted 1.9 million domestic visitors
- Culinary tourism drove 1.6 million domestic trips, focusing on farm-to-table
- Adventure domestic travel reached 2.4 million, hiking top activity
Domestic Tourism Statistics Interpretation
It seems Canadians, in a masterclass of patriotic procrastination, have collectively decided that the best way to avoid fixing the backyard deck is to instead drive 4.2 times each to a different province to spend $88 billion staring at other people’s backyards, mountains, and poutines.
Economic and Financial Statistics
- Canada's tourism sector contributed CAD 105.4 billion to GDP in 2023, or 4.5% of national GDP
- Tourism employment stood at 924,000 jobs in 2023, representing 4.9% of total employment
- Total tourism spending by visitors reached CAD 126.7 billion in 2023, up 25% from 2022
- International visitor spending totaled CAD 28.5 billion in 2023, with average spend per trip at CAD 1,720
- Domestic spending dominated at CAD 98.2 billion, 78% of total tourism expenditures
- Accommodation sector generated CAD 18.9 billion in revenue, hotels 72% share
- Food and beverage services earned CAD 32.4 billion from tourists in 2023
- Transportation tourism revenue hit CAD 25.6 billion, air travel 55%
- Recreation and entertainment added CAD 21.3 billion to tourism economy
- Retail trade from tourists contributed CAD 28.5 billion in 2023
- Tourism taxes generated CAD 12.4 billion for governments in 2023
- Investment in tourism infrastructure reached CAD 8.7 billion in 2023
- Ontario's tourism GDP was CAD 28.6 billion, 27% of national total
- Quebec tourism contributed CAD 17.2 billion to GDP
- British Columbia's tourism revenue totaled CAD 22.1 billion in 2023
- Alberta generated CAD 11.4 billion from tourism, oil-tourism synergy
- Average daily spending by tourists was CAD 285 in 2023
- Tourism export value stood at CAD 31.2 billion, ranking 8th globally
- Multiplier effect of tourism spending was 1.8, generating CAD 1.8 in GDP per CAD spent
- 65% of tourism GDP from indirect and induced effects in 2023
- Female employment in tourism was 52% of total jobs in 2023
- Indigenous-owned tourism businesses numbered 2,400, contributing CAD 1.9 billion
Economic and Financial Statistics Interpretation
Despite nearly bankrupting me with that $285-a-day souvenir habit, Canada's tourism industry is no mere postcard business, but a $105-billion economic engine employing nearly a million people and proving that while we politely visit each other from coast to coast, the world also drops in to spend serious cash.
Industry and Employment Statistics
- Tourism employment grew 6.2% to 924,000 jobs in 2023
- Accommodation and food services employed 58% of tourism workforce, 536,000 jobs
- Full-time tourism jobs averaged CAD 52,400 annual wage in 2023
- Youth employment in tourism: 22% of jobs, 203,000 aged 15-24
- Indigenous workforce in tourism: 5.2%, 48,000 employees
- 12,500 tourism businesses new starts in 2023
- Hotel occupancy rate averaged 68% nationally in 2023, Toronto 72%
- Average daily rate (ADR) for hotels rose to CAD 192, up 9.2%
- Revenue per available room (RevPAR) hit CAD 131, Vancouver leading at CAD 168
- Cruise tourism: 1,500 voyages, 2.1 million passengers, CAD 320 million spend
- Ski resorts employed 45,000 seasonal workers, 75% Canadian
- Tour operators numbered 8,200, generating CAD 4.2 billion revenue
- 75% of tourism businesses report sustainability practices adopted in 2023
- Digital booking platforms handled 62% of reservations, up 15%
- Labour shortage affected 42% of tourism operators, 120,000 vacancies
- Training programs graduated 15,000 new tourism workers via TIAP funding
- Event planners hosted 12,400 conventions, 4.5 million delegates
- Adventure tourism operators: 3,200 firms, 1.2 million guided trips
- Agri-tourism farms: 2,100 open to public, 850,000 visitors, CAD 145 million sales
Industry and Employment Statistics Interpretation
Canada’s tourism sector is serving up a remarkable comeback—with nearly a million jobs, a wave of new businesses, and travelers happily paying higher hotel rates—yet behind the bustling lobbies and packed ski hills, the industry is still urgently hunting for workers and racing to keep its sustainability promises.
International Tourism Statistics
- In 2023, Canada recorded 16.5 million international visitor arrivals, marking a 75% recovery from 2019 levels
- The United States accounted for 12.3 million overnight trips to Canada in 2023, representing 74.5% of all international visitors
- Overseas visitors to Canada numbered 4.2 million in 2023, up 98% from 2022, with the United Kingdom leading at 682,000 arrivals
- France sent 512,000 tourists to Canada in 2023, a 112% increase year-over-year, focusing on Quebec destinations
- In Q4 2023, air arrivals from Europe to Canada reached 1.1 million, driven by seasonal ski tourism
- Mexico contributed 389,000 visitors to Canada in 2023 via air, primarily to British Columbia and Ontario
- Germany's 312,000 tourists to Canada in 2023 spent an average of CAD 1,850 per trip
- Australia saw 278,000 arrivals to Canada in 2023, with a 45% increase in adventure tourism bookings
- In 2023, South Korea's visitors to Canada hit 192,000, boosted by K-pop cultural exchanges
- India's tourist arrivals to Canada grew to 156,000 in 2023, up 89% from 2022
- Japan sent 134,000 visitors to Canada in 2023, with Vancouver as the top entry point at 62%
- In 2023, Brazil's 98,000 tourists favored Alberta's Rockies, spending CAD 2,100 on average
- China's pre-COVID recovery saw 87,000 visitors in 2023, limited by visa processing times
- Netherlands contributed 76,000 tourists in 2023, with 40% visiting multiple provinces
- Italy's 72,000 arrivals in 2023 focused on cultural sites in Ontario and Quebec
- Sweden sent 54,000 visitors, emphasizing eco-tourism in British Columbia
- In 2023, Switzerland's 52,000 tourists averaged 14 nights per stay in Canada
- Norway's 48,000 visitors in 2023 increased aurora borealis tours by 30%
- Spain contributed 45,000 tourists, with Barcelona flights direct to Toronto rising 25%
- Belgium's 42,000 arrivals favored Montreal's festivals
- In 2023, 38,000 tourists from Ireland visited, up 65% post-Brexit travel ease
- Denmark sent 36,000 visitors, focusing on Yukon wilderness
- Austria's 34,000 tourists in 2023 spent on winter sports in the Alps-like Banff
- Finland contributed 32,000 visitors, drawn to Indigenous experiences
- Poland's 28,000 arrivals marked a 120% growth
- In 2023, Portugal sent 26,000 tourists to Canada's coastal areas
- Greece's 24,000 visitors focused on urban explorations in Vancouver
- Turkey contributed 22,000 tourists in 2023, up from niche markets
- Russia's visitors dropped to 18,000 due to geopolitical tensions
International Tourism Statistics Interpretation
While our southern neighbors remain our loyal, if not slightly over-represented, fan club, the world is finally returning for an encore—with the Brits leading a European charge for our slopes and culture, while newer fans from Asia and Latin America arrive ready to spend, proving Canada’s appeal is now a truly global, and lucrative, phenomenon.
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