People make their way along the waterfront in downtown Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says spending on tourism continued to grow last year, but remained well below pre-pandemic levels.
The agency says tourism expenditures between October and December rose for the seventh consecutive quarter, increasing by 2.1 per cent from the third quarter to $20.1 billion.
For the full year, tourism spending jumped 45 per cent to $74.38 billion as domestic and international travel roared back with COVID-19 restrictions lifted.
However, that figure sits more than a fifth below 2019 tourism spending levels, which neared $95 billion.
Statistics Canada says domestic spending on tourism activities dipped between the third and fourth quarter, but purchases from foreign visitors more than made up the difference with a leap of 17.5 per cent.
The agency says tourism sustained 657,400 jobs in the fourth quarter, 1.5 per cent more than the quarter before.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 30, 2023.
