Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Characteristics of international travellers

Canadian travel to the United States and overseas countries increased in the first quarter. Travel from overseas countries to Canada also increased, while travel from the United States declined.

Canadian residents took about 4.5 million overnight trips to the United States, up 21.5% compared with the previous year. First-quarter Canadian overnight travel to the United States increased for the fifth consecutive year.

Florida continued to be the most visited state as Canadians took nearly 1.3 million overnight visits there in the first quarter of 2008. Washington State recorded the strongest increase from the previous year with 41.7% more overnight visits by Canadian residents. Each of the top 10 visited states recorded increases in the first quarter compared with the same quarter last year.

Pleasure trips, which accounted for 59.5% of overnight Canadian travel to the United States, rose 23.2% from the first quarter of 2007. During the same time, the number of trips to visit friends and relatives increased 19.1%, while business trips were up 8.6% compared with the first quarter of 2007.

The average value of the Canadian dollar during the first quarter of 2008 was 99.6 US cents, or just below parity. This was an increase of 16.7% from the same period in 2007, when the dollar was valued at 85.4 US cents.

Canadian spending in the United States rose 23.3% to about $3.8 billion.

Canadians continue to travel overseas

Canadian residents made nearly 2.8 million overnight trips to overseas countries during the first three months of 2008. This was up 12.0% from the same quarter last year, and was a continuation of the upward trend in Canadian trips overseas noted over the last five years.

The top three most visited overseas countries by Canadians were Mexico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. These three were also the top three destinations during the first quarter of the previous year.

Nearly 590,000 overnight visits were made to Mexico alone, an increase of 7.2% compared with the first quarter of 2007. Visits to Cuba rose 35.4% to 505,000 while Canadians made 405,000 visits to the Dominican Republic, up 7.8% from the same period in 2007.

During their travels in overseas countries, Canadians spent $3.5 billion, a 13.1% increase from the first three months of last year and the highest level noted for a first quarter of the year.

More overseas visitors came to Canada

Just as travel by Canadians to overseas countries increased, so did the number of overseas trips to Canada.

Overseas tourists took 677,000 overnight trips to Canada between January and March of this year, up 2.2% compared with the same period in 2007.

The United Kingdom remained the top overseas country of origin with 141,000 overnight trips to Canada. France ranked second with 59,000 overnight trips to Canada.

Overall, overseas residents spent $957 million on overnight trips in Canada, a slight increase of 0.2% from the first quarter of 2007.

Fewer Americans coming to Canada

US residents took just over 1.7 million overnight trips to Canada in the first quarter of this year, down 3.6% compared with the same quarter in 2007. This was the third consecutive first-quarter decline and the ninth consecutive year-over-year quarterly decrease.

Among the top 10 states of origin for overnight travel to Canada, 7 states recorded year-over-year declines. Illinois recorded the largest decrease among the top 10 with a 15.5% drop in overnight trips.

Despite a 10.9% decrease, Washington State remained at the top of the list as its residents took 250,000 overnight trips to Canada.

Overnight travel both by air and by car from the United States fell between January and March 2008. It was the sixth consecutive year in which first-quarter overnight car trips declined.

American residents made one million overnight car trips to Canada, a 3.4% decline from the first quarter of 2007.

American residents took 760,000 overnight pleasure trips to Canada in the first quarter, a 4.7% drop compared with the same period last year. While the number of business trips increased 3.5% to 455,000, overnight trips for visiting friends and relatives declined 9.1% in the first quarter.

American tourists spent $866 million in Canada, down 6.6% from the first quarter of 2007.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3152.

This release summarises data now available from the International Travel Survey. Tables, various statistical profiles and micro-data files of characteristics of international travellers using preliminary first quarter 2008 data as well as revised 2007 data are now available on request.

Data on characteristics of international travellers for the second quarter of 2008 will be released on November 27.

To obtain one or more of these products, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-800-307-3382; 613-951-9169; fax: 613-951-2909; tourism@statcan.gc.ca). To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Frances Kremarik (613-951-4240; fax: 613-951-2909; frances.kremarik@statcan.gc.ca), Culture, Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics.

Top US states visited by Canadian residents, first quarter
	Overnight visits			Expenditures
	2007r	2008p	2007 to 2008	2007r	2008p	2007 to 2008
	thousands		% change	$ millions		% change
State
Florida	1,025	1,277	24.6	1,020	1,285	26.0
New York	407	513	25.8	139	168	20.8
Washington	295	418	41.7	62	88	41.8
California	318	365	14.6	282	329	16.7
Nevada	274	293	6.8	238	246	3.1
Michigan	198	227	14.5	42	45	7.3
Arizona	209	220	4.8	211	238	12.6
South Carolina	175	211	21.0	106	125	18.0
Georgia	176	207	17.3	33	41	22.5
Hawaii	156	201	28.3	304	408	34.2
r revised p preliminary

Overnight travel between Canada and other countries
	Trips				Expenditures
	First quarter 2007r	Fourth quarter 2007r	First quarter 2008p	First quarter 2007 to first quarter 2008	First quarter 2007r	Fourth quarter 2007r	First quarter 2008p	First quarter 2007 to first quarter 2008
	thousands			% change	$ millions			% change
Canadian trips abroad	6,158	5,698	7,249	17.7	6,126	4,883	7,243	18.2
To the United States	3,698	4,168	4,493	21.5	3,074	2,547	3,792	23.3
To other countries	2,461	1,531	2,756	12.0	3,051	2,336	3,451	13.1
Travel to Canada	2,452	3,210	2,403	-2.0	1,882	2,207	1,823	-3.1
From the United States	1,790	2,389	1,725	-3.6	927	1,126	866	-6.6
From other countries	663	820	677	2.2	955	1,081	957	0.2
r revised p preliminary

Overnight travel between Canada and other countries
	Trips			Expenditures
	2006r	2007r	2006 to 2007	2006r	2007r	2006 to 2007
	thousands		% change	$ millions		% change
Canadian trips abroad	22,731	25,163	10.7	20,165	22,466	11.4
To the United States	15,992	17,759	11.0	10,229	11,545	12.9
To other countries	6,739	7,404	9.9	9,937	10,920	9.9
Travel to Canada	18,128	17,768	-2.0	13,008	13,011	0.0
From the United States	13,856	13,371	-3.5	7,275	7,041	-3.2
From other countries	4,272	4,397	2.9	5,732	5,971	4.2
r revised