About Tourism

2019 was the third straight record-breaking year for the Canadian tourism industry, as our country welcomed 22.1 million travellers! Tourism in Canada is thriving and continuously growing, contributing economically to our country, province, regions and municipalities.

According to Destination Canada, tourism in 2019 generated $104.9 billion in expenditures, supported approximately 1 in 10 jobs in communities like ours across Canada and contributed an estimated $43.5 billion in Gross Domestic Product.

Continue reading below to learn more about how the tourism industry benefits all regions of Canada:

 

 

Tourism Highlights:

  • Overnight arrivals to Canada from countries other than the United States reached an all-time high of 7.15 million (2018: 6.7 million). Overseas tourists typically stay in Canada longer and spend more, helping to achieve Destination Canada’s high-yield strategy.
  • The United States saw a strong year in air arrivals with 5.1 million (2018: 4.6 million) and a solid rebound in automobile crossings with 8.5 million (2018: 8.2 million). Overall, the US had another record-breaking year with 14.99 million total arrivals.
  • Mexico once again experienced impressive growth with 495,627 total arrivals, with a particularly notable increase of 12.4% in air arrivals. The Mexican market has continued to grow since changes to visa requirements at the end of 2016, which spurred demand for travel to Canada, prompting airlines to increase air service.
  • India saw an 9.7% increase in air arrivals helping achieve a new annual record for this market with 333,111 arrivals (2018: 287,416).
  • Improvements in international air access to Canada helped stimulate travel with non-stop air services adding 2.2% more seats in 2019.

Tourism in Ontario: 

  • Total economic contribution of tourism larger than agriculture, forestry and mining combined
  • 4.3 per cent of provincial GDP
  • Contributed more than $5 billion annually in tax revenues for the provincial government
  • Every 1 million spent by visitors in Ontario generates 13 new jobs and $604,800 in wages and salaries
  • In Ontario, tourism is projected to generate more than $31 billion in visitor spending in 2019

Tourism in Oakville:

The Town of Oakville is located within the Hamilton, Halton and Brant (region 3) collection of Ontario’s regional tourism designations.

2016 statistics from Ontario Ministry of Tourism Culture and Sport:

  • This region welcomed 10,677,600 visitors in 2016
  • Visitor spending in this region totaled just over $800 million
  • Overseas visitors spent more on retail than recreation/entertainment, food and beverage or transportation
  • Visitors from other Canadian regions spent more on food and beverage than the other categories

October 2018 statistics from Tourism Industry Association of Ontario:

  • Inbound visitors to this region continued to spend the most on retail (46%)
  • The top five inbound countries to this region were…
    • United States (53.6%)
    • China (18.3%)
    • United Kingdom (3.2%)
    • UAE (2%)
    • Korea (1.3%)

For more information about Visit Oakville, follow this link: visitoakville.com.