China market was Canada’s star performer in 2011

2012-10-29 — /travelprnews.com/ — The long-haul travel market was buffeted by many different factors in 2011. Political unrest in North Africa and the Middle East, the Tōhuku earthquake and tsunami in Japan combined with continuing economic troubles, exchange rate rollercoasters and stubbornly high unemployment to keep potential travellers at home.

Yet youth had its tourism fling in Canada in 2011, says the Global Tourism Watch (GTW) Year 5 Global Summary Report 2011, just published by the Research department of the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC). The CTC’s newer or emerging markets all reported growth in 2011, especially China, which blazed a trail by clocking up a jaw-dropping 25% more visitors to these shores.

Some more key stats:

• France and Australia showed the enduring strength of CTC’s traditional markets, lifting the economic gloom to post rises in visitor numbers to Canada.
• Big spenders such Brand USA and Tourism Australia are stealing Canada’s thunder in consumer minds, with destination consideration dropping across the GTW markets.
• British Columbia has stolen away the crown of top region from Ontario in almost all of the GTW markets. The only exceptions are France (Quebec is No. 1), India (Ontario in first place) and Mexico (Ontario and BC are neck and neck). This suggests the afterglow of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games lingered on more than a year past the event.
• Canada continues to appeal to the older-traveller demographic: recent visitors from almost every GTW market are older than long-haul travellers as a whole. Visitors from Australia, the UK and the US have the most grey hairs, with more than 45% aged 55 or older.
• Experiencing Canada’s wonderful nature remains the primary motivator for visiting Canada worldwide, with beautiful scenery and national parks claiming the top two spots and wildlife almost always in the top five
• Affordability and other destinations are the major obstacles for travel to Canada, figuring in the top three in almost every GTW market. A perceived lack of things to see and do, along with the big distance between attractions/destinations also present tough hurdles.

Harris/Decima Research conducts the Global Tourism Watchsurvey for CTC. The company asks thousands of participants aged 18 and over for their views on Canada and CTC’s “Canada. Keep Exploring” tourism brand. The 2011 (Year 5) reports look to identify shifts in 12 tourism market since 2007: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, the UK and the US. For more details, consult the report for each individual market.

Read the Global Tourism Watch Year 5 Global Summary Report 2011.

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