RVC Canada 2025 kicks off in Winnipeg with world market overview

Rendez-vous Canada, the nation’s largest international travel trade marketplace, got underway on Tuesday in Winnipeg with a review of how Canadian tourism customers from around the world are doing in the face of many business challenges. They later adjourned to Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park for the RVC 2025 opening reception.

The Inside Track session was introduced by Gloria Loree, chief marketing officer for Destination Canada. She welcomed an audience of Canadian tourism product sellers and said that, “we are living in a time of undeniable disruption. Travel behaviours are shifting, driven by economic uncertainty and a powerful wave of transformation driven by AI. And yet, even in the middle of this disruption…Canada is rising.”

She noted air access is increasing and Canada is topping a variety of global destination rankings but also recognized Canada needs to be distinct and meaningful to guests to stand out on the global stage.

Canada’s key international inbound tourism clients were the subject of overviews in terms of their impact on the Canadian tourism economy.

International updates

The United States remains Canada’s largest international market, leading both in visitor volumes and total economic contributions. Spending by American travellers surpassed 2019 levels in 2023, while overnight visitor volumes are expected to fully recover in 2025. A strong U.S. dollar in 2023 and 2024 has made Canada a more affordable and attractive destination. Despite some uncertainty with growth forecasts for the U.S. economy, spending by American visitors to Canada is projected to reach 139% of 2019 levels. By 2026, Canada is expected to welcome 16 million visitors from the U.S., generating $16.7 billion in spending.

The United Kingdom was the second largest source of arrivals to Canada in 2024. U.K. traveller spending surpassed 2019 levels in 2023, and is forecast to grow 6.2% in 2025. While visitation will reach 94% of 2019 levels in 2025, full recovery is expected in 2026.

The Australian market plays a critical role in supporting both seasonal demand and geographic dispersion. Australia was a leader in Canada’s early post-pandemic recovery, with spending reaching $820 million in 2023, exceeding 2019 levels. But this visitation growth slowed in 2024 and is now on a longer recovery trajectory with the Australian dollar expected to weaken.

Although China’s market recovery was delayed, visitor spending saw the largest year-over-year growth amongst all international markets in 2024. Additional flight capacity resumed last year, with China now projected to become one of Canada’s top international markets in the coming years. Regaining Approved Destination Status—anticipated by 2025 or 2026—would unlock significant long-term potential for Chinese visitation, said Destination Canada.

France was Canada’s third largest source of arrivals in 2024 and remains a key market, particularly for Eastern Canada, with a focus on Quebec and Ontario. France’s overnight visits will match 2019 levels in 2025, while spending is projected to exceed them by 20%.

The Japanese market showed strong year-over-year growth in shoulder season travel with especially strong interest for Quebec and Ontario, despite economic challenges that remain. Spending is expected to recover by 2027, even as visits are not projected to reach 2019 levels until 2030 due to long-term demographic and economic constraints.