Tourism operators across the country look back fondly on the summer of 2025, when the amount of money spent by tourists reached an all-time high.
Canada's tourism sector generated a record amount of revenue between May and August, reaching $59 billion, up six per cent from the same period last year.
The only noticeable downside was the fall in revenue from US visitors, which decreased by 1.7%.
Much of the revenue came from Canadians choosing to spend their money on domestic travel, as domestic tourism grew by seven per cent. Revenue from international travelers remained strong, especially from overseas markets, which increased by 10 per cent, according to new data released by Destination Canada on Thursday.
In the spring, the National Tourism Organization began to notice that travelers were eager to explore many parts of the country.
As many Canadian ranchers look to diversify their incomes and make farming life more attractive to the next generation, some have turned to agritourism and converted unused grain bins into hotel rooms.
“We have seen an increase in bookings from all of our target international markets, as well as from Canadians who want to travel domestically. So we did see those crumbs at the beginning of the year,” said Joe Amati, senior executive director of Destination Canada.
“We feel very cautiously optimistic that the momentum we've built into the summer will continue,” he said. “We see that sentiment is growing. Travelers still want to come to Canada and overwhelmingly tell us they want to visit Canada.”
Hotels were busy during the summer months, especially in August, when national hotel occupancy reached 80.7%, the highest since 2014.
“We get international and American guests to come and experience things we take for granted, and they are in awe every minute they are here,” Andrew Shepherd, general manager of the Malcolm Hotel in Canmore, Alta., said of the beauty of the Rocky Mountains.
Shepherd did not provide final numbers for the summer period, but expects revenue to be higher than in 2024.
“I’ve really enjoyed tourism this summer,” said Brent Coinberg, owner of Crowsnest Adventures, which offers guided ATV tours and other mountain tours in southwestern Alberta.
Business has been booming this summer, with tours and customers quadrupling from last year, Koinberg said. About 40 percent of its bookings were from international travelers.
“It was incredible,” he said. “I already have a lot of families booked for next year.”
Canadians also spread the wealth, with 89 per cent of regions recording year-over-year growth, according to the report, with Atlantic Canada seeing some of the highest growth rates in the country.
