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Highlights

International travel in 2006

1. In 2006, international tourism worldwide exceeded all expectations, achieving positive growth for the third consecutive year. International tourist arrivals hit a high of 846 million, 5.4% higher than in 2005. As a result, worldwide receipts from international tourism reached US$733 billion (constant dollars).
2. United States residents made 13.9 million overnight trips to Canada, down 3.7% from 2005 and the lowest level since 1997. Overnight travel from the United States has fallen three of the last four years, or 14.3% since 2002.
3. American residents only took 13.7 million same-day car trips to Canada, the lowest since record keeping started in 1972. Same-day car travel fell for the seventh year in a row, down a staggering 12.5% from the previous low observed in 2005.
4. Overnight travel from countries other than the United States increased for a third consecutive year, climbing to 4.3 million trips, up 1.2% from 2005. As a result, overnight travel from overseas reached its highest level since 2000 and its third highest level ever.
5. Overnight travel by Canadians to the United States reached 16.0 million trips, up 7.6% from 2005. Overnight travel south of the border increased for a third consecutive year, and in the process, reached its highest level since 1993.
6. Same-day car travel by Canadians to the United States reached 23.5 million trips, up 5.3% from 2005. Since 2003, same-day car travel south of the border has jumped 12.4%.
7. Canadians made a record 6.7 million overnight trips to overseas countries, an increase of 8.2% from the previous high observed in 2005. Increased travel overseas is nothing new, with gains in 14 of the last 15 years.
8. Mexico replaced the United Kingdom as the top overseas destination visited by Canadian travellers. Also, about 35.3% of trips overseas, or 2.4 million, included at least one overnight stop in Europe.
9. In 2006, Canada’s international travel deficit jumped $1.3 billion to a record $6.7 billion. The travel deficit has increased every year since 2002, and in that span, has more than quadrupled. While there has been little movement in foreign spending in Canada compared to 2001, Canadian spending abroad has gone up 26.1% during the period.