National tourism indicators, first quarter 2026
Released: 2026-06-25
$28.4 billion
First quarter 2026
0.1% 
(quarterly change)
$21.2 billion
First quarter 2026
-0.2% 
(quarterly change)
$7.2 billion
First quarter 2026
0.9%
(quarterly change)
1.80%
First quarter 2026
695,900
First quarter 2026
0.4%
(quarterly change)
Real tourism gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.5% in the first quarter of 2026, following a 1.4% increase in the fourth quarter of 2025. By comparison, economy-wide real GDP by industry increased 0.1% in the first quarter of 2026, while real GDP by expenditure was flat. Tourism GDP accounted for 1.80% of nominal GDP in the first quarter, up from 1.77% in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Tourism spending in Canada (+0.1%) edged up in the first quarter of 2026, as increased spending by international visitors (+0.9%) more than offset lower tourism spending by Canadians in Canada (-0.2%).
Chart 1
Tourism and major industrial sectors, gross domestic product, first quarter of 2026
Growth in tourism gross domestic product continues
In the first quarter, tourism GDP continued an upward trend that began in the second quarter of 2022. Growth in the first quarter of 2026 was driven by non-tourism industries (+0.8%) and transportation (+0.6%).
International visitors drive growth in tourism spending
Spending by international visitors grew 0.9% in the first quarter, following a gain of 3.3% in the previous quarter. Accommodation services (+1.3%) and spending on non-tourism products (+1.8%) contributed the most to the increase. Outlays on food and beverage services (+1.1%) also rose, while those on travel services (-4.0%) and passenger air transport (-0.2%) decreased.
Overnight travel to Canada from abroad increased 1.4% in the first quarter, with increased travel from the United States (+3.3%) more than offsetting lower travel from other countries (-2.7%).
Spending by international visitors accounted for over one-quarter (25.4%) of all tourism spending in Canada in the first quarter, which is up from the fourth quarter of 2025 (25.2%).
Chart 2
Share of tourism spending in Canada by international visitors
Tourism spending in Canada by Canadians contracts in the first quarter
Domestic tourism spending by Canadian residents (-0.2%) edged down in the first quarter, after increasing 0.9% in the fourth quarter of 2025. Decreased spending on travel services (-6.4%) and vehicle rentals (-10.6%) contributed the most to the overall contraction in the first quarter of 2026.
Pre-trip expenditures (+3.4%), such as luggage and camping equipment, and passenger air transport (+0.9%) tempered the overall decline in the first quarter.
Tourism jobs increase in the first quarter
The number of jobs attributable to tourism increased 0.4% in the first quarter, after increasing 0.5% in the fourth quarter of 2025. By comparison, the number of economy-wide jobs was down 0.3% in the first quarter of 2026.
Accommodation (+0.6%) and non-tourism industries (+0.6%) contributed the most to the job gains in the first quarter.
Tourism's share of economy-wide jobs was 3.24% in the first quarter, up from 3.22% in the previous quarter.
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 and by air increased in both April and May, compared with the same months of 2025.
The number of Canadian travellers returning to Canada by land and by air also increased in both April and May 2026.
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 first quarter 2026 release of the national tourism indicators, data for the first quarter of 2020 to the fourth quarter of 2025 have been revised. These revisions are the result of new benchmarks from the 2022 Provincial and Territorial Tourism Satellite Account (PTTSA), which was released on May 26, 2026, and updated indicators from the Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts.
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. Overnight travel to Canada by international visitors is obtained from table 24-10-0054-01.
For information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonal adjustment: Concepts and interpretation, 2026.
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.
Environmental impacts of tourism in Canada
Estimates for Canadian energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions attributable to tourism in Canada for 2022 are available. These estimates are derived by linking the PTTSA and Statistics Canada's Physical Flow Accounts for energy use and GHG emissions. The estimates are part of a series of similar linkages undertaken in collaboration with the Canadian Centre for Energy Information.
The estimates for Canadian energy use and GHG emissions attributable to tourism in Canada include energy use and GHG emissions from the Canadian supply chain, as well as energy directly used and GHGs directly emitted by tourists related to vehicles. These estimates are a subset of the physical flow accounts compiled by Statistics Canada in accordance with the United Nations' System of Environmental-Economic Accounting. The physical flow accounts differ from those published by Environment and Climate Change Canada in Canada's official National Greenhouse Gas Inventory. A description of the differences between the two sources can be found on the Canadian Centre for Energy Information website.
Next release
Data on the national tourism indicators for the second quarter of 2026 will be released on September 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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