Nunavut Air Exit Survey and Nunavut Cruise Exit Survey, third quarter 2025
Released: 2026-07-08
Highlights
During the third quarter of 2025, non-Nunavut-resident visitors took 22,800 trips to Nunavut, down 8.8% from the third quarter of 2024. Nonetheless, over the same period, total visitor spending in the territory increased 4.5% to $46.1 million.
Canadian-resident business trips decrease, while personal trips by residents from abroad increase
Non-Nunavut-resident visitors took 22,800 trips to Nunavut during the third quarter of 2025, down 8.8% from the same quarter in 2024. Nearly three-quarters (16,000 trips) of the trips taken in the third quarter of 2025 were by Canadian residents (see Note to readers), a decrease of 17.1% year over year. Of Canadian-resident trips, residents of Ontario (30.6%) and British Columbia (16.9%) took the largest share of trips to Nunavut. In contrast, trips by visitors from the United States (3,700) increased 27.6% in the third quarter of 2025 compared with the same quarter in 2024, while overseas-resident trips (3,100) increased 6.9%.
In the third quarter of 2025, trips by commercial air (15,800) decreased 18.6% year over year, offsetting the 25.0% increase in trips by cruise (7,000). All cruise passengers travelled to Nunavut for personal reasons, whereas nearly three-quarters (74.7%) of people visiting by commercial air travelled for business purposes (11,800 trips). The 19.2% year-over-year decrease in business travellers was the main factor contributing to the overall decline in trips to Nunavut in the third quarter of 2025.
Chart 1
Trips to Nunavut by main trip purpose and mode of transportation, third quarter, 2024 and 2025
Visitors reported attending a business meeting, a conference, or a seminar in over half (54.6%) of all commercial air trips during the third quarter of 2025. Sightseeing (51.8%) and dining out (39.7%) rounded out the top three most frequently reported trip activities during the quarter, with some travellers participating in multiple activities.
Chart 2
Percentage of trip activities reported by visitors departing Nunavut by commercial air, third quarter, 2024 and 2025
Overall spending increases
While the number of trips was down 8.8% year over year in the third quarter of 2025, total visitor spending in Nunavut increased 4.5% over the same period to reach $46.1 million, with average expenditures per trip of $2,000. This increase is partly explained by longer stays among commercial air travellers, whose average trip duration rose from 12.7 nights to 15.5 nights year over year. Of the total spending in the third quarter of 2025, just over two-thirds (69.2%) was for accommodations ($31.9 million), while 18.0% was for food and beverages ($8.3 million).
Visitors departing Nunavut by commercial air spent $45.3 million during the third quarter of 2025, up 3.5% from the same quarter the previous year. Of these visitors, expenditures by business travellers ($38.0 million) made up more than four-fifths (84.0%) of the total spending in the third quarter of 2025. The majority of these expenditures was spent on accommodations ($27.8 million), food and beverages ($6.6 million), and local transportation within Nunavut ($1.8 million).
Expenditures by cruise passengers more than doubled (+127.6%) year over year to reach $859,200 in the third quarter of 2025. Canadian-resident cruise passengers accounted for the largest share of spending in Nunavut (41.3%; $355,100), followed by cruise visitors from the United States (33.0%; $283,500) and from overseas (25.7%; $220,500).
Explore tourism data
To further explore current and historical data in an interactive format, see Frontier Counts: Interactive Dashboard.
For more current estimates of international arrivals to Canada, please see the release, "Leading indicator of international arrivals to Canada."
For other tourism-related information, see Travel and Tourism Statistics.
Note to readers
This consolidated release covers the following surveys:
- The Nunavut Air Exit Survey intercepts respondents in three collection airports in Nunavut (Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet, and Cambridge Bay).
- The Nunavut Cruise Exit Survey intercepts respondents during port-of-call visits by passengers on cruise ships docked in one of three collection ports (Pond Inlet, Iqaluit, and Cambridge Bay).
These surveys are conducted through a partnership between Statistics Canada and the Government of Nunavut to better understand and serve travellers visiting Nunavut. Readers are encouraged to review the concepts, definitions, data sources, methods and summary of changes for the Nunavut Air Exit Survey and Nunavut Cruise Exit Survey.
Three new tables are available:
- 24-10-0076-01: Visits and expenditures of non-Nunavut residents visiting Nunavut by geography of visit, area of residence, and main trip purpose.
- 24-10-0077-01: Visits, nights, and expenditures of non-Nunavut residents visiting Nunavut by commercial air, geography of visit, area of residence, and main trip purpose.
- 24-10-0078-01: Visits and expenditures of non-Nunavut residents visiting Nunavut by cruise, geography of visit and area of residence.
Concepts
Nunavut residents are out of scope for these surveys, and as such, the terms "visitor" and "Canadian resident" used in the article refer to visitors in Nunavut whose usual place of residence is outside the territory.
Data
All data in this release are expressed in current dollars unless otherwise noted.
The data in this release are not seasonally adjusted.
Next release
Data from the Nunavut Air Exit Survey and Nunavut Cruise Exit Survey for the third quarter of 2026 will be released in the first quarter of 2027.
Products
The infographic "Nunavut tourism, July to September 2025," 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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