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National tourism indicators, second quarter 2018

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Released: 2018-09-27

Tourism spending in Canada

$22.0 billion

Second quarter 2018

1.2% increase

(quarterly change)

Tourism spending in Canada rose 1.2% in the second quarter, following increases of 0.2% in each of the previous two quarters. Growth was driven by increased tourism spending by Canadians at home, as households spent more on products such as accommodation and transport services.

Chart 1  Chart 1: Tourism spending in Canada grows
Tourism spending in Canada grows

Tourism spending by Canadians rises

Tourism spending by Canadians in Canada rose 1.7% in the second quarter, following a flat first quarter.

Passenger air transport (+3.6%), which includes outbound travel on Canadian airlines, was the main driver of the growth. Air travel by Canadians to non-US countries increased in the second quarter. Accommodation (+1.8%), recreation and entertainment (+2.8%) and pre-trip expenditures (+2.7%), such as luggage, also contributed to the increase in Canadian tourism spending.

Chart 2  Chart 2: Tourism spending by Canadians at home increases
Tourism spending by Canadians at home increases

Tourism spending by international visitors decreases

Tourism spending by international visitors to Canada fell 0.6% in the second quarter, following a 0.8% gain in the first quarter. Overnight travel from the United States and other countries decreased in the second quarter, as did same-day car travel from the United States.

Outlays on passenger air transport (-1.8%), food and beverage services (-0.4%) and accommodation (-0.3%) were all lower, while spending on non-tourism products such as groceries and clothing were unchanged.

Chart 3  Chart 3: Tourism spending by international visitors in Canada decreases
Tourism spending by international visitors in Canada decreases

Tourism gross domestic product increases

Tourism gross domestic product (GDP) rose 1.1% in the second quarter, following increases of 0.3% in each of the previous two quarters. By comparison, economy-wide GDP increased 0.7% in the second quarter.

Transportation (+1.8%), accommodation (+1.0%) and non-tourism industries (+0.8%) contributed to the bulk of the economic growth in tourism.

Tourism employment rose 0.6% following a 0.5% decline in the previous quarter. Jobs in travel services (+1.9%), recreation and entertainment (+1.0%), accommodation (+0.9%) and food and beverage services (+0.4%) all increased, while employment in air transportation declined 0.9%.


Sustainable development goals

On January 1, 2016, the world officially began implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations' transformative plan of action that addresses urgent global challenges over the next 15 years. The plan is based on 17 specific sustainable development goals.

The national tourism indicators are an example of how Statistics Canada supports the reporting on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. This release will be used in helping to measure the following goal:

  Note to readers

Growth rates for tourism spending and gross domestic product (GDP) are expressed in real terms (that is, adjusted for price changes), at 2007 constant prices, as well as adjusted for seasonal variations, unless otherwise indicated. Employment data are also seasonally adjusted. For information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.

Economy-wide GDP is obtained from Table 36-10-0104-01.

Associated percentage changes are presented at quarterly rates unless otherwise noted.

The national tourism indicators are funded by Destination Canada.

Next release

Data on the national tourism indicators for the third quarter of 2018 will be released on January 10, 2019.

Products

The Latest Developments in the Canadian Economic Accounts (Catalogue number13-605-X) is available.

The User Guide: Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts (Catalogue number13-606-G) is available.

The Methodological Guide: Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts (Catalogue number13-607-X) is available.

Contact information

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).

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