National tourism indicators, fourth quarter 2025
Released: 2026-03-27
$26.9 billion
Fourth quarter 2025
1.2% 
(quarterly change)
$20.4 billion
Fourth quarter 2025
0.5%
(quarterly change)
$6.4 billion
Fourth quarter 2025
3.6%
(quarterly change)
1.74%
Fourth quarter 2025
717,200
Fourth quarter 2025
0.4%
(quarterly change)
Real tourism gross domestic product (GDP) grew 1.2% in the fourth quarter of 2025, following a 0.9% increase in the third quarter. By comparison, economy-wide real GDP by industry contracted 0.1% in the fourth quarter, following a 0.6% increase in the third quarter. Tourism GDP accounted for 1.74% of nominal GDP in the fourth quarter.
Tourism spending in Canada grew 1.2%, as outlays by both international visitors and Canadians travelling at home increased in the fourth quarter.
Chart 1
Tourism and major industrial sectors, gross domestic product, fourth quarter of 2025
Tourism gross domestic product up in most industry groupings
In the fourth quarter, growth in real tourism GDP was mainly driven by increased activity in the transportation (+3.5%) and accommodation (+1.0%) industries. The only decline was among non-tourism industries (-0.4%).
Annually, real tourism GDP grew 2.2% in 2025. By comparison, economy-wide real GDP by industry grew 1.6%.
International visitors drive growth in tourism spending
Spending by international visitors grew 3.6% in the fourth quarter, the fastest pace in two years. Tourism spending on all products increased, with passenger air transport (+5.3%) and accommodation services (+2.8%) contributing most to the overall growth.
Overnight travel to Canada from abroad increased 3.7% in the fourth quarter. This was the largest quarterly increase of 2025, as travel from the United States in the first half of the year was lower amid continued Canada-US trade tensions. This weaker start contributed to a 0.7% annual decline in spending by international visitors in 2025 despite growth in the latter half of the year.
Spending by international visitors accounted for 24.0% of all tourism spending in Canada in the fourth quarter, up from 23.5% in the third quarter.
Chart 2
Share of tourism spending in Canada by international visitors
Tourism spending in Canada by Canadian residents rebounds in the fourth quarter
Domestic tourism spending by Canadian residents was up 0.5% in the fourth quarter, after edging down 0.2% in the third quarter. Growth was mostly driven by increased outlays on passenger air transport (+3.2%), which offset declines in travel services (-4.7%), pre-trip expenditures (-2.2%) such as luggage and camping equipment, and non-tourism products (-1.2%). An increase in the number of Canadians returning to Canada by air likely contributed to the rise in spending on passenger air transport.
Annually, tourism spending in Canada by Canadian residents increased 2.5% in 2025, following similar growth in 2024 (+2.4%).
Tourism jobs up in the fourth quarter
The number of jobs attributable to tourism increased 0.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025, following an increase of 0.6% in the third quarter. By comparison, the economy-wide number of jobs was up 0.8% in the fourth quarter.
The food and beverage (+0.5%), air transportation (+1.5%) and recreation and entertainment (+1.1%) industries contributed the most to the growth in the fourth quarter.
Tourism's share of economy-wide jobs was 3.33% in the fourth quarter, virtually unchanged from the previous quarter.
Annually, tourism jobs increased 1.3% in 2025, after increasing 1.5% in 2024.
Chart 3
Tourism spending, tourism gross domestic product (GDP) and jobs attributable to tourism
Looking ahead
According to leading indicators of frontier counts data, the number of non-resident travellers arriving in Canada by land decreased in January 2026 and increased in February, while those arriving in Canada by air grew in both January and February.
The number of Canadian travellers returning to Canada by land and by air declined in both January and February.
Sustainable development goals
On January 1, 2016, the world officially began implementing 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
With the fourth quarter of 2025 release of the national tourism indicators, data for the first, second, and third quarters of 2025 have been revised. Revisions for all quarters from 2019 to 2025 will be released on June 25, 2026. These estimates will be benchmarked to the 2022 Provincial and Territorial Tourism Satellite Account, which will be released on May 26, 2026.
Gross domestic product (GDP) expressed in real and nominal terms is at basic prices, unless otherwise specified.
Tourism GDP refers to the price-adjusted or real measure of GDP, unless otherwise stated.
Growth rates for tourism spending and GDP are expressed in real terms (that is, adjusted for price changes), using reference year 2017, as well as adjusted for seasonal variations, unless otherwise indicated.
Tourism jobs data are also seasonally adjusted. Tourism's share of economy-wide jobs is calculated using seasonally adjusted values.
Tourism's share of economy-wide GDP is calculated from seasonally adjusted nominal values.
Economy-wide GDP is obtained from table 36-10-0449-01. Economy-wide total number of jobs is obtained from table 36-10-0207-01.
For information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.
Associated percentage changes are presented at quarterly rates unless otherwise noted.
Non-tourism industries, also referred to as other industries, are industries that would continue to exist in the absence of tourism. For example, retail trade industries, which benefit from tourism activity, would not cease to exist in the absence of tourism. Tourism GDP takes into account the goods and services produced by these other industries and purchased by tourists.
Non-tourism products, also referred to as other products, are products for which a significant part of their total demand in Canada does not come from visitors, such as groceries, clothing and alcoholic beverages bought in stores.
The national tourism indicators are funded by Destination Canada.
Next release
Data on the national tourism indicators for the first quarter of 2026 will be released on June 25.
Products
The Economic accounts statistics portal, accessible from the Subjects module of the Statistics Canada website, features an up-to-date portrait of national and provincial economies and their structure.
The Latest Developments in the Canadian Economic Accounts (13-605-X) is available.
The User Guide: Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts (13-606-G) is available.
The Methodological Guide: Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts (13-607-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; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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