Marketers and advertisers with an eye on the attracting travellers’ attention will be cheered to hear that Canadian tourism is on the fast-track to recovery.
Destination Canada this week released its annual report “Tourism Outlook: Unlocking Opportunities for the Sector” showing that it expects tourism to reach revenue of $109.5 billion by the end of the year, exceeding 2019 levels one year ahead of predictions.
This is good news for a sector that took a kicking during the pandemic. Right now, growth is uneven geographically and across sub sectors, but Destination Canada believes that the industry could increase 30% to reach $160 billion by 2030 if the industry adopts its recommendations, which includes a call for investment in the sector and increased workforce development. The organization says its suggestions could add an additional $20 billion to tourism revenue by 2030.
The report was developed with Tourism Economics, a subsidiary of Oxford Economics, between June and September of this year. Destination Canada is a Crown corporation that promotes the country as a four-season destination around the world.
British Airways (BA) has also been researching Canadians and their travel resolutions for the new year. The airline says one in five Canadians say their new year’s resolution is to travel more to places such as Europe (49%), North and South America (28%), and Africa (13%).
The BA report says social media is the biggest travel inspiration for 28% of Canadians, although one in 10 are planning travel based on film and TV locations. Of those looking to travel to the UK, 52% say they’ve been influenced by Ryan Renolds’ ownership of Wrexham AFC.
One-third of Canadians (33%) plan to explore new destinations and places on their must-visit list. Canadians want to experience new cultures (29%) and nearly two-thirds (64%) want to go to less-touristy, off-the-beaten path locations. One in 10 plan to travel to attend a major entertaining or sporting event.
Exploration and adventure are the top priorities for Canadians planning trips in 2024 (43%) and it’s no surprise that in this fast-paced, stressful environment, 12% are opting for a tech-free holiday and a digital detox.
The numbers in the BA study are from Research Now and an online survey of Canadian adults conducted in October 2023.
Photo via Unsplash
