Travel Industry Statistics in Canada

Canada is a popular tourist destination with visitors from all over the world coming to see its stunning natural landscapes, vibrant cities, and the Northern Lights among many other attractions. Each year, Canada’s travel industry makes a significant contribution to the country’s economy. However, the COVID-19 pandemic stopped all tourism and the travel industry was one of the worst affected industries.

In this article, we explore the travel industry in Canada through statistics including how it has recovered since the pandemic and what its future might look like.

Travel Industry Statistics for Canadians

• The travel industry’s contribution to Canada’s economy returned close to pre-pandemic levels by 2024.
• Visitor arrivals to Canada reached around 90% of pre-pandemic levels by 2024.
• Overseas and US visitor numbers to Canada continued to rise through 2024.
• More than 3 million Canadians travelled abroad in a typical summer month in 2024.
• Domestic tourism spending remained strong in 2024.
• Cruise holidays continued to grow in popularity, with cruise trips in June 2024 exceeding pre-pandemic levels for Canadians and US residents.
• More than three-quarters of holidays in Canada were booked online in 2024.
• Around one-third of travel industry employees are aged between 15 and 24.
• The Canadian travel industry is expected to be fully stabilised and operating beyond pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2026.

Travel Industry in Canada

The Canadian travel industry is showing strong signs of recovery and was on target to contribute over $182 billion to the Canadian economy in 2025, according to projections from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

Data from the World Travel & Tourism Council shows that the travel industry in Canada has recovered well and is close to the pre-pandemic peak of 2019 when it contributed $173.9 billion to the economy. The contribution of the travel industry in Canada grew significantly in 2024 when it reached almost $182.1 billion, representing a significant share of Canada’s economic output.

International Travel

In 2023, spending by international travellers to Canada grew significantly, reaching $25.5 billion and representing an increase of 82.1% compared to 2022. Despite this growth, the figure was still 21.5% lower than before the pandemic when spending by international travellers was last at its highest at $23.4 billion in 2019.

According to Statistics Canada, in 2024, international visits to Canada increased further. Canada welcomed about 19.9 million international visitors, reaching 90% of the 2019 annual arrivals level, which showed strong momentum toward a full recovery.

Overseas Visitors to Canada

In June 2025, there were 717,100 trips to Canada by residents from overseas countries. This represented about 80.2% of the number of arrivals from overseas before the pandemic in June 2019. Compared to June 2024, the number of overseas visitors was slightly lower, declining by 3.9% year-over-year.

The number of visitors from European countries was one of the stronger markets, with the United Kingdom (99,700) and France (51,800) among the top origins, altogether accounting for 28.9% of all overseas arrivals in June 2025. The number of visitors from Asia showed more variation, with arrivals from that region declining modestly in the same period.

Overall, while overseas visitor arrivals have continued to recover toward pre-pandemic levels, the total remains below the figures recorded in June 2019, which reflects ongoing shifts in global travel.

Visitors from the United States

The residents of the United States took approximately 3.0 million trips to Canada in June 2024. This was around 15% higher than the number of visitors in June 2023, when there were 2.6 million trips from the US to Canada. The June 2024 figure represented about 92% of the pre-pandemic numbers.

Arrivals by land increased further compared to the previous year, with just over 2.0 million land arrivals recorded. The majority of these trips were taken by automobiles – around 1.9 million, while approximately 50,000 were by bus, 24,000 by train, and around 23,000 by cyclists or pedestrians. As in previous years, just over 40% of visits by automobile were one-day trips.

Canadians Travelling Abroad

The number of Canadians travelling abroad has steadily increased since the restrictions were lifted. In 2024, there was a further year-on-year increase in the number of trips Canadians were taking abroad. In total, approximately 3.8 million Canadian residents returned home after trips abroad in June 2024.

Trips to Overseas Destinations

The number of overseas trips made by Canadians was up from 653,100 in June 2023 to approximately 725,000 in June 2024. This represents an increase of around 11% in a year and just over 90% of the trips taken in June 2019.

Trips to the United States by Canadians

In June 2024, Canadians made approximately 3.0 million trips across the border to the United States. This was an increase of around 7.1% compared to June 2023, when Canadians made 2.8 million trips to the US. Compared to pre-pandemic levels, it was around 85% of the trips completed in June 2019.

At 2.1 million, the vast majority of the trips to the US were by automobile, and about 65% of these trips were one-day trips. There were approximately 720,000 trips by air, which represents an increase compared to June 2023 and was around 10% above the level in June 2019.

Tourism Spending in Canada

During the first quarter of 2025, total tourism spending in Canada was almost unchanged compared with the previous quarter, with domestic tourism spending increasing modestly while international visitor spending declined slightly. Domestic tourism spending increased by 0.8% in the first quarter of 2025 with Canadian residents spending more on travel within the country. However, there was a 2.6% decrease in spending by international visitors in Canada.

Spending by international visitors showed mixed results in the early part of 2025, with overnight travel to Canada by non-residents declining by 4.8% in the first quarter. This indicates that while Canadians continue to travel domestically, spending by non-resident tourists visiting Canada has decreased.

Cruise Trips Are Popular in Canada

Cruise ship holidays are a fast-growing holiday type in Canada. In June 2024, Canadians took approximately 24,800 cruise trips, representing a higher level of trips than June 2019.

During the same month, there were approximately 294,500 cruise trips taken by US residents and around 35,200 by overseas residents. The number of cruise trips by US residents was higher than in June 2019, while the number of cruises taken by overseas residents continued to recover toward pre-pandemic levels.

Canadians Book Most of Their Holidays Online

For several years now, Canadians have booked the majority of their holidays online. According to Statista data from a 2025 survey, around 72% of travel bookings were made online in 2025, with a growing share completed via mobile devices. Estimates show that by 2027 only around 18% of holidays will be booked offline, while 82% will be online bookings.

Working in the Travel Industry

In 2024, the travel industry created a significant number of new jobs as it continued its recovery. The sector supported around 1.84 million jobs across Canada, which was higher than the previous pre-pandemic peak of about 1.7 million. This represented a strong rebound from the pandemic downturn and highlighted the industry’s role as a major employer.

During the pandemic, the sector lost 283,500 jobs, but it regained most of those losses by 2024, with employment in the travel and tourism sector nearing or surpassing its 2019 levels.

While the travel industry is an important employment sector in Canada, many of the employees in the sector are drawn from younger age groups. Data from the 2016 Canadian census showed that 31% of the travel industry workforce was aged between 15 and 24, an age group that represents just 13% of the overall labour force in Canada.

The travel industry is also an important source of employment for immigrants to Canada. According to the 2016 census, 28% of the industry’s employees were non-permanent residents or recent immigrants.

Travel Industry Predictions in Canada

In 2024, the travel industry created a significant number of new jobs as it continued its recovery. The sector supported around 1.84 million jobs across Canada, which was higher than the previous pre-pandemic peak of about 1.7 million. This represented a strong rebound from the pandemic downturn and highlighted the industry’s role as a major employer.

During the pandemic, the sector lost 283,500 jobs, but it regained most of those losses by 2024, with employment in the travel and tourism sector nearing or surpassing its 2019 levels.

Looking ahead, long-term forecasts suggest that employment in the Canadian travel industry will continue to grow steadily beyond 2026. Projections indicate that by 2034, the travel sector could support over 2.1 million jobs in Canada, driven by continued growth in domestic travel, international tourism, and supporting services.

Conclusion

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, the travel industry was one of the worst affected industries with both international and domestic travel prohibited. It has taken a while to recover but is now showing good signs of recovery with both domestic and international trip numbers getting closer to pre-pandemic figures.

Domestic travel has been the first to recover fully, followed by trips by US residents, and then the rest of the world. As the industry continues to recover, it has created more employment opportunities for Canadians. However, some parts of the travel sector continue to face staffing issues as the industry adjusts to ongoing changes in travel patterns.