On February 21, Statistics Canada released its tourism numbers for 2018. In case you missed the special edition of TIAC Talk released that day, here are the key results.

2018 was a record year for tourism in Canada as international arrivals reached 21.1 million.

The tourism sector reached another milestone, breaking the 2017 record by over 250,000 additional international travellers. Last year’s growth is testament to tourism's place as an essential contributor to the Canadian economy, and growing export industry. While we’re pleased to see continued growth, tourism remains one of the fastest growing global economic sectors and Canada is not keeping pace with global growth.

TIAC has long advocated for progressive policies to improve Canada’s competitiveness on the international stage. Our Pre-Budget submission outlined vital initiatives needed to enhance tourism growth, including a significant investment in skills and capacity building for tourism sector jobs; an increase for Destination Canada's marketing funding permanently to $135M a year to improve international competitiveness; and a stronger focus on measures to entice international travel such as the reintroduction of rebates or tax incentives.

Stay tuned for our pre-election strategy to get our members involved in an important dialogue with candidates from coast to coast to coast.  Let’s show all political parties that tourism means business in every single riding in the country.

Congratulations to tourism businesses across Canada for a successful 2018.

For more 2018 tourism statistics, visit Destination Canada.