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$183 Million

Total Expenditure in Alberta (2021)

152 Million

Number of Passport Holders (2022)

62 Million

Outbound Travellers (2021)

35 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 States started traveling to Alberta again. By June, it seems that there were about 107% as many travellers as there were in 2019. This is a big increase from the 46% in 2021. However, the United States 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.S. will continue to be about 107% of what it was in 2019.

On this page:

Competitor Comparison
Air Travel
Economic Indicators
Traveller Characteristics

Guided hike at Castle Falls in Castle Provincial Park with Uplift Adventures.

Competitor Comparison

2021

Indicator Quebec Ontario Alberta BC Canada
Visitation 378 Thousand 1.8 Million 112 Thousand 794 Thousand 3.4 Million
Share of total national visitation 11% 53% 3% 23% -
Expenditure $299 Million $680 Million $183 Million $485 Million $1.9 Billion
Share of total national expenditure 16% 36% 10% 26% -
Average spend $790 $374 $1,630 $611 $550

Pre-pandemic (2019)

Indicator Quebec Ontario Alberta BC Canada
Visitation 3.2 Million 12.9 Million 1.3 Million 6.4 Million 26.9 Million
Share of total national visitation 12% 48% 5% 24% -
Expenditure  $1.9 Billion $4.2 Billion $995 Million $3.1 Billion $11.4 Billion
Share of total national expenditure 17% 37% 9% 27% -
Average spend $587 $323 $828 $474 $422

Air Travel

Economic Indicators

Indicator 2020 2021 2022
GDP - per capita (US$) $63,545 $70,264 $76,195
GDP - YoY Growth Rate  -1.5% 10.7% 8.7%
Exchange Rate (CAD/USD) (annual average) $1.34 $1.25 $1.30
Unemployment Rate (annual average) 8.1% 5.4% 3.7%
Inflation Rate (annual average) 1.2% 4.7% 8.0%

Traveller Characteristics

Accommodation Booking Channel
Through an online booking engine 50%
Online through a travel agent/tour operator 37%
In-person through travel agent/tour operator 17%
Directly through lodging/accommodation establishment 35%
Through accommodation sharing services website 21%

Length of Stay
1 night 1%
2-3 nights 22%
4-6 nights 49%
7-13 nights 23%
14+ nights 5%

Seasonality (2019)

Purpose of Visit (2019)

Top Barriers to Travel
Cost 31%
Health risks 27%
Poor weather 24%
Safety concerns 23%
Delays and hassles at airports and boarders 18%
Unfavourable conditions for driving during the winter 17%
Top 5 Trip Anchors
Northern lights 33%
Natural attractions like mountains or waterfalls 32%
Nature parks 25%
Hiking or walking in nature 23%
Viewing wildlife or marine life 23%

Sources

Outbound travellers: U.S. Dep of Transportation, 2022

Passports in circulation: U.S. Dep of State, 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)