Published on : Friday, June 29, 2018
The report highlighted that Canadians spent less in the early winter months of this year. The maximum drops were seen in recreations and entertainment (-2.6 per cent) vehicle fuel (-1.4 per cent) and food and beverage services (-1.4 per cent).
Statistics Canada also found that Canadians spent more money on accommodations and air travel, which almost made up for the difference.
The reason for less spending of money on tourism at home could be that, after a full year of Canada 150 celebrations, Canadians simply want something new, established Jillian Dickens, director of Bannikin, a Canadian travel and tourism consultancy. However, in spite of lower domestic travel numbers, strong international numbers drove overall tourism spending into the black.
International visitors to Canada spent more on air travel (3 per cent), accommodations (1.2 per cent) and food and beverage services.
Canada has seen a surge in travellers from China in recent years. According to Destination Canada, a record-setting 682,000 arrivals from China were recorded in 2017, up 12 per cent from 2016.
The political climate in the U.S. has also attracted wealthier Mexican travellers to choose luxury Canadian destinations over the U.S.