The Canadian Tourism Commission’s research department released essential Canada travel facts and figures for 2012
The Canadian Tourism Commission's research department released essential Canada travel facts and figures for 2012
2013-07-23 — /travelprnews.com/ — Ongoing economic troubles in many countries left a global travel market still rather shaky on its legs in 2012. Yet there are signs of steady recovery in many markets, making the outlook for 2013 better than a glass half full.
Canada rolled out the welcome mat for 16 million international overnight visitors in 2012, a 2% year-on-year rise that was driven by a 3% leap in American travellers.
More tourists translated into more money flowing into Canada, with international visitor spending contributing a tidy $12.3 billion to the national economy, up 2% on 2011.
Tourism demand grew 4% in 2012, reaching $82 billion. Of that, domestic demand thickened 5% to hit $66 billion, with international demand nudging up 3% to $16 billion.
The total tourism gross domestic product (GDP) in 2012 was $32.3 billion, 2% of the overall national GDP.
Youth is having its fling, with overseas arrivals aged 24 or under climbing 24% to make up 20% of the total.
Canadians sought more international adventures in 2012, taking more 32 million overnight trips, a 6% year-on-year gain.
Those travelling Canucks spent big, too, shelling out over $30 billion with Uncle Sam and elsewhere internationally.
Chinese travellers had an unquenchable thirst for Canadian adventures in 2012, taking 273,000 overnight trips to this country, a 16% year-on-year climb.
Brazilians love to spend on their travels: with an average of $1,941 per trip and an average stay of 19.5 days, they again had the deepest pockets of all travellers from CTC’s key international markets.
The Mexico market maintained its strong recovery, registering a 6% boost in Canadian arrivals.
Meanwhile, the South Korea market endured another dip in fortunes, with Canadian overnighters falling 2% to 137,000.
Australia remained a golden market for Canada, with 219,000 eager Aussies crossing the Pacific in 2012, a 2% year-on-year boost.
It was Yankee doodle dandy for the US leisure travel market, which grew 3% on 2011, clocking up 10.1 million overnight trips.
The US meetings, conventions and incentive travel (MC&IT) looked robust, too, in 2012 with 1.8 million overnight trips, up 2%. These business folk spent $1.5 billion on the road in Canada.
The UK is Canada’s largest overseas market, but struggled again in 2012 due to government austerity measures tightening belts amid a Eurozone economic crisis. Overnight visitor numbers to Canada fell 4% as a consequence.
Subdued economic news also put Germans off long-haul travel, with Canadian overnighters falling 5% in 2012 to 277,000.
