Canada Tourism Lags Behind Pre-Pandemic Levels Despite Recent Rise
Despite a rise in visitor numbers over the past four years, Canada's tourism industry is still struggling to reach pre-pandemic levels, according to a new report from Statistics Canada.
The latest travel data reveals that approximately 3.6 million non-residents visited Canada in June 2024. While this represents a significant increase compared to previous years, it remains 6.3% lower than June 2019, the last summer before pandemic travel restrictions drastically impacted visitor numbers.
The decline is particularly pronounced for visitors from outside the United States. Non-US residents visited Canada 16.1% less frequently in June 2024 compared to June 2019.
While travel numbers have steadily risen since 2022, when travel began to recover from the pandemic's impact, they still fall short of pre-pandemic figures. Notably, June 2024 saw 289,000 more visitors compared to the previous year and 1.45 million more visitors compared to 2022, but remained 243,000 below the June 2019 visitor count.
Even when considering seasonal adjustments to account for the typical increase in travel during summer and Christmas, the trend line for recent months remains below 2019 levels. This suggests that the recovery of the tourism sector is taking longer than anticipated.
A Closer Look at Visitor Origins:
In June 2024, 2.9 million visitors arrived from the United States, with 1.7 million travelling by car, 717,000 by air, 280,000 by cruise ship or other commercial boat, and the remainder by other means.
Among the 746,000 overseas visitors, the United Kingdom had the highest representation with nearly 100,000 visitors in June. India, France, Australia, and Mexico followed closely.
Despite the positive signs of recovery, the lingering impact of the pandemic continues to affect Canada's tourism industry. While the number of travellers has increased, the sector still has a significant way to go to fully rebound to pre-pandemic levels. The sustained impact on international travel and the ongoing recovery process highlight the challenges faced by the Canadian tourism industry as it navigates the post-pandemic landscape.
