Travel to Canada Remains Robust: CTC Report

Travel to Canada remains strong, according to the latest figures from the Canadian Tourism Commission.

Following hot on the heels of a strong summer, it’s reported that 1.7 million international travellers flocked to Canada, a 4% year-on-year increase, this according to the latest Tourism Snapshot from the CTC’s Research department.

Statistics from the report show:

• CTC’s overseas markets set the pace for a fourth successive month, bringing in 12% more international visitors to Canada in September 2014.
• Just over 13.9 million international travellers chose a Canadian vacation year-to-date September 2014, a 3% increase on the previous year.
• September smiled on three overseas markets – Australia, China and India – that registered their largest number of arrivals on record for this month.
• The China and Japan markets led the charge in CTC’s Asian markets in September 2014, posting 24% and 23% rises respectively in terms of visitors to Canada.
• The new CAN+ visa program in India is already producing dividends, including a 19% boost in travellers to Canada in September.
• There was a hat-trick of good-news stories from CTC’s European markets in September, with Germany (11%), the UK (9%) and France (3%) all posting healthy gains in visitor numbers to Canada.
• Mexico notched its fifth consecutive month of double-digit growth (19%) to Canada in September.
• Another powerful increase in arrivals by air (8%) helped the US market achieve an overall 1% increase in travellers to Canada in September.
• Year-to-date September 2014, Americans have taken 9.8 million overnight trips to Canada, up a slight 0.3% on 2013.
• !!! September was also a stellar month for CTC’s secondary markets: visitor numbers to Canada rose from Italy (30%), Spain (22%), Hong Kong (15%), the Netherlands (10%), Taiwan (6%) and Switzerland (6%).