Characteristics of international overnight travellers

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Note: Final statistics on characteristics of international overnight travellers for the third quarter are available in The Daily released on April 20, 2012. The preliminary statistics for this quarter contained an error.

Business travellers from abroad made 650,000 overnight trips to Canada during the third quarter, up 1.4% from the same quarter in 2010. American business travellers accounted for the entire increase.

During the same period, United States residents made 472,500 overnight business trips to Canada, up 6.3%. Business travel from overseas countries fell 9.6% to 177,600 overnight trips.

American business travellers stayed in Canada an average of 3.8 nights per trip and spent an average of about $884 per trip. The average business trip by overseas travellers lasted 11.1 nights, during which travellers spent an average of just over $1,700 per trip.

In total, Americans made 5.4 million overnight trips to Canada, up 9.3%. Car travel accounted for about two-thirds of these trips. Overnight travel by plane from the United States to Canada declined 2.0%.

Overnight travel to Canada from the United States rose in 7 of the top 10 states of origin. This included the top state of origin, New York State, from which residents made nearly 722,000 overnight trips, up 7.4%. Residents from this state spent almost $276 million in Canada, a 13.8% increase.

In the opposite direction, Canadians made 728,000 overnight business trips abroad during the third quarter, up 11.7% from the same quarter in 2010.

Of these trips, three-quarters (about 547,000 trips) were to the United States, a 14.4% increase. Canadian business travellers spent an average of $929 per trip while on business to the United States.

Overnight travel by Canadian residents to the United States to visit friends and relatives fell by 7.7%, while the number of trips for pleasure increased 7.1% to nearly 4.6 million. Pleasure trips accounted for two-thirds of all overnight travel to the United States.

Canadian overnight travel to the United States increased in each of the top 10 destination states. The top destination was New York State, to which Canadian residents made over 1.4 million overnight visits.

Overnight travel by Canadian residents to overseas countries rose in all trip categories. Travel for pleasure, the largest category, rose 3.1% to 1.2 million trips.

For the first time since 2004, France was the most popular overseas country for Canadian residents. During the third quarter, Canadian residents made 335,000 overnight visits to France, up 6.6% from the third quarter of 2010. Canadian residents also made 330,000 to the United Kingdom, up 3.4%.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3152.

This release summarises data now available from the International Travel Survey. Tables, various statistical profiles and micro-data files of characteristics of international travellers using preliminary third quarter 2011 data are now available on request.

Data on characteristics of international overnight travellers for the fourth quarter will be released on May 28.

To obtain one or more of these products, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-800-307-3382; 613-951-9169; fax: 613-951-2909; tourism@statcan.gc.ca). To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Frances Kremarik (613-951-4240; fax: 613-951-2909; frances.kremarik@statcan.gc.ca), Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics Division.