Canada Strong Pass is back after solid performance in summer 2025

The Canada Strong Pass is back for the winter holiday season and it will be back for the summer of 2026 after proving particularly popular with Canadians this past summer season.

The Honourable Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism) told Travel Press Today (TPT): “I’m really excited to share that because of its popularity, we have renewed the Canada Strong Pass both for this Winter Holiday Season, but also for next summer in 2026.”

In delivering that news, Minister Valdez pointed out that between May and August this year, Canada hit record tourism highs, generating $60 billion in tourism revenues as more Canadians chose to stay local.

And Minister Valdez told TPT that the Canada Strong Pass helped Canadians who wanted to stay local to do that affordably this past summer.

For the holiday season, she said: “The Canada Strong Pass is back to help make your winter holiday plans more affordable. With free or discounted access to national parks, museums and VIA Rail, we’re helping Canadians explore our country, support local small businesses and create memories that last a lifetime.”

For the holiday season, the Canada Strong Pass will be available from Dec. 12, 2025, to Jan. 15, 2026.

During this period, the pass entitles the holder to the following:

• National museums and the Plains of Abraham Museum: Free admission for children aged 17 and under and a 50% discount for young adults aged 18 to 24;
• VIA Rail: Free travel for children aged 17 and under when accompanied by an adult and a 25% discount for young adults aged 18 to 24;
• Parks Canada: Free admission for everyone to Parks Canada-administered sites, plus a 25% discount on camping fees;
• Participating provincial and territorial art galleries and museums: Free admission for children aged 17 and under and 50% discount for young adults aged 18 to 24.

Clearly, the Canada Strong Pass has had an impact, showing in the first summer (2025) that it was available, that there was a:

• 6.5% increase in VIA Rail ridership
• 13% increase in visits to Parks Canada sites
• Average growth of 15% in national museum visits

Beyond the popularity of the pass this past summer, Minister Valdez also told TPT that renewing the Canada Strong Pass came as “a direct response to those Mayors I spoke to who asked for additional support directly for the ‘semi-slower’ season, especially during the winter.”

And bringing the pass back for the summer of 2026 also provides Canadians with an affordable way to support the country’s institutions, communities and economy when deciding on their travel plans.

With the FIFA World Cup coming to both Vancouver and Toronto in the summer of 2026, Minister Valdez is quick to point out that the availability of the Canada Strong Pass will give visitors a chance to go beyond just the host cities and visit other Canadian destinations.

“I think the intent with the Canada Strong Pass — also lining up with the discounts for kids and young people – is it will give [people] the opportunity to travel about and see more,” the Minister said.

And with prices expected to rise because of FIFA 2026, Minister Valdez said that: “The Canada Strong Pass is going to help offset some of those costs, specifically for international travellers or local travellers who are visiting during the Games.”

So, does this mean that the Canada Strong Pass could become a permanent program?

Minister Valdez said that already the pass has produced some record numbers, and the government will continue to track the trends to see how successful the Canada Strong Pass performs over the holiday season and in the summer of 2026.

“We’ll see how it goes,” the Minister told TPT, before adding that when you pair the FIFA World Cup with the Canada Strong Pass, “we’re looking at a very, very positive 2026.”