The Canadian Tourism Industry Special Report

Fall 2012

Canada’s tourism industry is comprised of several distinct—but complementary—business lines. These include:

• Transportation: Including passenger services via air, rail, and boat, as well as interurban, charter and tour busses and vehicle rental.
• Accommodations: Including hotels, inns, hostels, camping and rental properties.
• Food and Beverage: Restaurants and licensed establishments, as well as food service provided by accommodations.
• Meetings and Events: Conventions and business meetings, as well as major events and festivals.
• Attractions: Recreation and entertainment activities, as well as cultural, natural and historical attractions.

Another important group of tourism players are the destination marketing organizations (DMO’s), which represent municipalities, regions, and provinces. In the global tourism market, the Canadian Tourism Commission acts as a national destination marketer, promoting Canada to international travellers.

In 2011, Canada’s tourism industry provided a vital stimulus to Canada’s commercial growth through the “visitor economy”. Among the benefits provided by the sector are:

• $78.8 billion in total economic activity.
• 603 400 direct tourism jobs, as well as a total of 1.6 million jobs supported by tourism spending nationally – 9.2% of all jobs in Canada.
• More than $15.4 billion in export revenue – i.e., money spent in Canada by international travellers.
• Tourism represents more of Canada’s GDP than agriculture, forestry and fisheries combined.