Statistics Canada Numbers Indicate Declines from Most International Markets
In the February 17, 2010 edition of The Daily, Statistics Canada released international travel numbers for December, as well as the preliminary year-to-date numbers for the full twelve months of 2009.
The total number of international visits to Canada declined in December 2009 declined by 8.6% over the same month in 2008. This includes a decline of 8.5% from the U.S. and a decline of 8.9% from all other countries. Visits of one or more nights from the U.S. declined by 5.6% for the month.
For the full year, the initial numbers show an overall decline of 9.8% (9.2% U.S., 12.5% from all other countries.) The numbers also show visits of one or more nights from the U.S. are down 4.3%.
Amongst international markets, the initial numbers indicate that Canada saw declines from all countries for the year, with the exceptions of China (up 0.2%), the Philippines (up 0.6%) and Switzerland (up 1.5%). The most notable market declines include Japan (down 28.4%), South Korea (down 26.7%) and Mexico (down 36.5%).
Amongst the provinces, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan stand out for having grown the number of visits over the past year. New Brunswick saw a total increase of 14.3%, including 13.5% from the U.S. and 35.2% from all other countries. Also notable for New Brunswick is that non-automobile entry into the province from the U.S. increased 37.3% for 2009.
Saskatchewan experienced a total increase of 5.8%, including 5.5% from the U.S. and 16.6% from all other countries. While drive up business from the U.S. declined 1.6%, non-automobile entry to the province increased from the U.S. by 15.7%.
For more information, please see Statistics Canada’s International Travel: Advance Information service bulletin for December 2009.
For more information, please contact Catherine Sadler, TIAC Manager, Research at csadler@tiac.travel or 613-238-6378. |
Ontario Government Creates 13 New Tourism Regions; Province Searching for Organizations That May Form Regional Tourism Organizations
Ontario’s government is paving the way for a stronger, more competitive tourism industry by supporting the industry as it forms new Regional Tourism Organizations in each of the province’s 13 new tourism regions.
The Regional Tourism Organizations will be independent, industry-led, not-for-profit organizations responsible for building and supporting competitive and sustainable tourism regions to attract more visitors, generate more economic activity, and create more tourism jobs across the province.
This regional approach builds on extensive consultations with stakeholders and key recommendations from Discovering Ontario, a report on the competitiveness of Ontario’s tourism industry.
A map on the provincial government’s website provides an overview of the counties and/or municipalities located in each of Ontario’s 13 new tourism regions and three northern sub-regions.
A Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) is now open to organizations or groups of organizations interested in becoming a Regional Tourism Organization. This is the first step in the process to help each region identify a Regional Tourism Organization, and an important step towards a stronger tourism industry in Ontario. Full application details including a form, instructions and RFEI questions and answers are available on the Request for Expressions of Interest section of the website.
Completed Expression of Interest forms together with all other required documentation must be postmarked by March 1, 2010, 5:00 p.m. EST. All completed submissions will be reviewed and the ministry will continue to work closely with the industry to help ensure each region has the support it needs as it establishes a Regional Tourism Organization. |
New Provincial Tourism Ministers Appointed in Ontario and New Brunswick
Michael Chan has been appointed as Ontario's new Minister of Tourism and Culture. Chan was elected to the Ontario Legislature in a February 2007 by-election and, soon after, joined the Ontario Cabinet as Minister of Revenue. He served in that position until the general provincial election in October 2007. Following his re-election, Michael was appointed the provincial Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, where he served from October 2007 to January 2010 before assuming the Tourism portfolio.
Following Stuart Jamieson's resignation from the provincial cabinet, New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham has appointed the Hon. Hédard Albert as acting Minister of Tourism and Parks. Albert also serves as Minister of Wellness, Culture and Sport and Minister responsible for the Francophonie. Albert was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in 2003 provincial general election.
From October 2006 to November 2008, he served as Minister of the Office of Human Resources. |
Canada-e-Connect 2010 Wraps Up in Montreal
After two days of captivating presentations and exceptional speakers, Canada-e-Connect has come to a close for another year. Hosted at the Delta Centre-ville in Montreal, the conference brought together a record number of delegates from across the country to discuss the latest developments in technology and e-strategy in the tourism sector. In only a few short years, Canada-e-Connect has quickly emerged as Canada’s premier online strategy conference, and this year’s success suggests that the event will only continue to grow.
The conference opened with a great presentation on the importance of word of mouth by one of Canada’s leading marketing mavens, author and Sid Lee President Bertrand Cesvet. PhoCusWright President and CEO Philip Wolf continued with a terrific keynote address identifying future possibilities in the online travel domain. Later, Jens Thraenhart provided a plenary presentation on marketing to Chinese travellers in light of the recent ADS announcement. The second day was highlighted by several breakout sessions and presentations on social media, mobile technologies and web 2.0. PhoCusWright’s Carroll Rheem gave the closing keynote, sharing her company’s latest research into online and web-based trends.
Some of the presenters have made their presentations available to delegates at www.canadaeconnect.com. Furthermore, please stay tuned as we will announce the host city for Canada-e-Connect 2011 in the near future. We thank all delegates for their interest and participation, and for making this event a success. |
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Tourism GDP was $30.3 billion in 2008, an increase from $19.5 billion in 1998. Tourism activity represents 2% of Canada’s GDP.
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