On February 21, Statistics Canada released its tourism numbers for 2019. This year was a ground breaking year for travellers to Canada, reaching an ultimate high of 22.1 million. 

The tourism sector reached a milestone, breaking the 2018 record by over 1 million visitors and marking the sixth consecutive year of increased arrivals to Canada. 

Visitation from the US has increased by 3.8% reaching 15 million – the highest level since 2014. 

There has been strong growth from European markets – with a 9.1% increase since 2018 and an overall total of 7.1 million tourists (most notably from Portugal, France, and the UK). 

The African market has also grown by a strong 19.4%. 

There has been notable growth from Asian markets with an overall 5.6% increase. The largest growth is from travellers from Hong Kong (+20%), India (+18.8%), and the Philippines (+25.9%). 

Travellers from China have dropped (-0.5%) and South Korea (-11.4%) which TIAC will continue to monitor.  

North American, Central America and Caribbean markets have grown exponentially – with an overall 26.1% increase. The most significant changes come from Jamaica (+49.3%), Mexico (+25.8%), and Trinidad and Tobago (+20.7%). 

Congratulations to tourism businesses across Canada for a successful 2019.