Visitor Travel Survey, second quarter 2024
Released: 2024-11-28
Highlights
In the second quarter, visitors from the United States and overseas made 8.2 million trips to Canada, up 11.0% from the same quarter in 2023. Nearly four out of five trips (78.4%) were made by US residents from April to June 2024.
Meanwhile, spending by non-resident visitors to Canada totalled $7.4 billion in the second quarter, an increase of 5.2% from the second quarter of 2023. The average expenditure was $897 per trip in the second quarter of 2024.
Trips to Canada by US residents
US residents took 6.4 million trips to Canada in the second quarter, up 11.4% compared with the second quarter of 2023, but down 4.1% from the same quarter in 2019. For most (85.1%) of these visitors, the main reason for taking these trips was personal. Holidays, leisure or recreation (47.5%) was the most frequently cited personal reason for visiting Canada.
In the second quarter, US residents visiting Canada spent $4.0 billion, a 12.2% increase from the second quarter of 2023 and 23.2% higher than the second quarter of 2019. On average, these visitors spent $626 per trip in the second quarter of 2024. The average length of trips was 3.2 nights, or 5.5 nights when excluding same-day trips.
In the second quarter, the top spending category for US residents visiting Canada was accommodation, representing 37.0% ($1.5 billion) of all expenditures. Food and beverages came second, accounting for a quarter (25.7%) of spending by US residents, followed by spending on transportation during their visit in Canada (13.8%), and recreation and entertainment (13.7%).
Trips to Canada by overseas residents
In the second quarter, overseas residents (from countries other than the United States) took 1.8 million trips to Canada, up 9.4% compared with the same quarter in 2023, but 13.4% lower than in the second quarter of 2019. For nearly half (47.1%) of overseas visitors in the second quarter of 2024, the main purpose for their trip was visiting friends or relatives. This was followed by holidays, leisure or recreation for just over a third (35.3%) of them.
The United Kingdom (229,000) ranked first for the most visitors to Canada in the second quarter, followed by India (180,000) and France (151,000). Among the countries with the largest year-over-year increases, China increased by 49.0% and Japan increased by 39.1%.
Spending by overseas visitors in Canada totalled $3.3 billion in the second quarter, down 2.1% from the same quarter in 2023, but 5.1% higher than in the second quarter of 2019. From April to June 2024, they spent an average of $1,885 per trip, and the average length of trips was 17.2 nights.
In the second quarter, the top expenditure category was accommodations, accounting for a third (33.4%) of spending by overseas visitors. It was followed closely by the food and beverages (28.0%) category, and the clothing and gifts category took third place, which represented 13.8% of total spending by overseas visitors.
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Note to readers
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, collection activity relating to the Visitor Travel Survey (VTS) was suspended in March 2020 and estimates from the second quarter of 2020 to the first quarter of 2023 were produced using a model based on 2019 VTS estimates adjusted with Frontier Counts results.
VTS collection activities partially resumed in 2023. For the air commercial component, the Air Exit Survey (AES) resumed at five major airports. For the non-air commercial portion, estimates were calculated using a combination of AES data collected and historical non-air commercial data, as well as Frontier Counts.
Users are strongly advised to read the description of data sources, methods and limitations provided in the Visitor Travel Survey webpage.
It is recommended that users interpret estimates for these quarters with the aforementioned considerations in mind. Comparisons of historical VTS results with current VTS results should be made with caution, due to the use of different methods to produce estimates for US and overseas residents visiting Canada.
All data in this release are expressed in current dollars unless otherwise noted.
Since the first quarter of 2024, new tables are available: 24-10-0064, 24-10-0065 and 24-10-0066. These tables provide data by mode of entry to Canada, for commercial air and mode other than commercial air, and for total visitors to Canada. The following table is archived: 24-10-0047-01 (Spending by foreign residents travelling in Canada by country of residence, tourism region and spending category).
Starting with the release for the second quarter of 2024, an improved method was used to model trips and spending at the provincial or territorial level for same-day trips by US residents who entered Canada by a mode other than commercial air. As a result, it was possible to better account for the place they visited in Canada. The final estimates in question were revised back to the first quarter of 2023. Estimates of the trips made by residents of countries other than the United States or trips where the mode of entry to Canada was commercial air were not affected.
Starting with the release for the first quarter of 2024, country codes have been aligned with the Variant of the Standard Classification of Countries and Areas of Interest 2022 for Travel Statistics.
Recent data on international travel to Canada are available in the monthly "Travel between Canada and other countries" release.
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; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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