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$33 Million

Total Expenditure in Alberta (2021)

51 Million

Number of Passport in Circulation (2022)

2.3 Million

Potential visitors to Alberta (respondents who indicated they are definitely or very likely to visit Canada in the next two years)

Overview

In the first half of 2023, more people from the United Kingdom started traveling to Alberta again. By June, it seems that there were about 103% as many travellers as there were in 2019. This is an increase from the 26% in 2021. However, the United Kingdom is facing challenges as prices rise due to high inflation. This makes it difficult for people to save money like they did at the start of the pandemic and there is less leisure money to spend. This will likely slow down recovery. Experts from Oxford Economics think that by the end of 2023, the number of people traveling out of the U.K. will continue to be about 103% of what it was in 2019.

On this page:

Competitor Comparison
Air Travel
Economic Indicators
Traveller Characteristics

A group dining at Buffalo Mountain Lodge

Competitor Comparison

Indicator Quebec Ontario Alberta BC Canada
Expenditure (2021) $29 Million $61 Million $33 Million $64 Million $204 Million
Share of total national expenditure (2021) 14% 30% 16% 31% -
Visitation (2019) 154 Thousand 434 Thousand 187 Thousand 297 Thousand 1.2 Million
Share of total national visitation (2019) 13% 36% 16% 25% -
Expenditure (2019) $123 Million $447 Million $200 Million $434 Million $1.3 Billion
Share of total national expenditure (2019) 10% 35% 15% 34% -
Average spend (2019) $799 $1,031 $1,070 $1,463 $1,076

*Visitation and average spend estimates are not available for the United Kingdom for the 2021 calendar year. 

Air Travel

Economic Indicators

Indicator 2020 2021 2022
GDP - per capita $40,433 $46,498 $45,071
GDP - YoY Growth Rate -5.5% 15.0% -3.1%
Exchange Rate (CAD/GBP) (annual average) $1.72 $1.72 $1.61
Unemployment Rate (annual average) 4.6% 4.5% 3.7%
Inflation Rate (annual average) 0.9% 2.6% 9.1%

Traveller Characteristics

Accommodation Booking Channel
Online through a travel agent/tour operator 53%
Through an online booking engine 47%
In-person through a travel agent/tour operator 26%
Directly through lodging/accommodation establishment 23%
Through accommodation sharing services website 16%

Length of Stay
1 night 0%
2-3 nights 4%
4-6 nights 11%
7-13 nights 43%
14+ nights 42%

Seasonality (2019)

Purpose of Visit (2019)

Top Barriers to Travel
Cost 37%
Health risks 18%
VISA requirements 15%
Too far/flight too long 14%
Safety concerns 14%
Delays and hassles at airports and boarders  13%
Top 5 Trip Anchors
Nature Attractions 64%
Trying local food and drink 59%
Hiking or walking in the nature 56%
Viewing wildlife 52%
Nature parks 52%

Sources

Passports in circulation: Office of National Statistics (2022)

Competition comparison: Statistics Canada (VTS, 2019)

Seasonality and purpose of visit: Statistics Canada (VTS, 2019)

Air passengers: DIIO/Cirium (Monthly)

Economic indicators: Oxford Economics (Bi-weekly)

Traveller characteristics: Global Tourism Watch (GTW, 2021)