Statistics Canada
www.statcan.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Business Conditions Survey: Traveller accommodation industries
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.
Hoteliers' expectations for the summer quarter of 2008 are less optimistic than expectations recorded for the previous four quarters.
Only 12% of hoteliers expected that the number of room nights booked between July and September this year would be higher than in the third quarter of 2007. In contrast, more than one-half expected the number of bookings to be lower.
About 42% of hoteliers anticipated a decline in the number of corporate travellers for the third quarter. This was more than twice the proportion recorded in the same three months of 2007.
Almost half of hotel operators expected occupancy rates to drop for the summer months, compared with only 14% who expected an increase.
While still expecting average room rates to continue climbing, the proportion of respondents expecting rates to fall was substantially higher in the third quarter than in any of the previous four quarters. Just over one-third of hotel operators (34%) anticipated the average daily room rates to rise between July and September, a slightly higher proportion than those who anticipated a decline (31%).
Hotel operators continued to cite a number of business impediments. Over one-half (53%) cited exchange rates, while others pointed to excess room supply and labour shortages.
More than one-fifth (23%) reported regional economic conditions had been a business impediment between April and June.
Note: The Business Conditions Survey for the Traveller Accommodation Industries covers 1,452 businesses, mostly hotels. It was conducted in July 2008 to assess the third-quarter outlook for key indicators compared with the same period last year. These indicators include bookings, occupancy rates, average daily room rates, hours worked by employees, and number of corporate travellers.
Results are based on survey questionnaires sent to traveller accommodation providers and are weighted by their operating revenues. Consequently, larger businesses have a comparatively bigger impact on the results than smaller businesses.
The survey is made possible with the support of industry partners, the Canadian Tourism Commission, the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Tourism Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, and Industry Canada.
Available on CANSIM: tables 351-0004 and 351-0005.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 5050.
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Evelyn Park (613-951-3506; fax: 613-951-6696; evelyn.park@statcan.gc.ca), Service Industries Division.
