Tourism

Tourism is one of Canada's top job-creating industries, generating 580,000 full- and part-time jobs in 2002 alone. Between 1986 and 2002, total employment created by tourism grew 44%.

In 2002, tourists spent more than $47 billion during their travels and visits to Canada. About 38% of these tourist dollars was spent on air, rail or automobile transportation and gasoline. The remainder was spent on services such as hotels, restaurant meals, tickets to events and the services of travel agents.

Canadians travelling in their own country spent 66% of all tourism dollars ($34 billion) in 2002, while the remaining 34% ($17.8 billion) was spent by travellers from other countries. The non-residents' share of total tourism expenditures increased steadily from 1986 to 1998. Since then, that percentage has been relatively flat at around 35%.

After failing to grow substantially in 2001 (+0.2%), total tourism spending decreased in 2002 (−1.1%) for the first time since 1991.