3rd, Jul 2025

Canadian domestic tourism sees growth as international visits decline in Q1 2025

In the first quarter of 2025, Canada's tourism sector demonstrated contrasting trends, with domestic tourism expenditures increasing by 0.8% to $20.2 billion, while international visitor spending experienced a decline of 2.6%. The tourism sector's GDP registered a growth of 0.5%, surpassing the overall economy's growth rate of 0.4%, primarily driven by strong performance in accommodation services (+2.0%) and food and beverage services (+1.0%). Tourism employment figures showed a modest increase to 707,400 positions, constituting 3.30% of Canada's total employment. This shift toward domestic tourism occurred simultaneously with a significant reduction in Canadian travel to the United States, as overnight trips to the US decreased by 12.2%.