International visitors drive Canada's tourism growth in second quarter

Canada's tourism sector expanded modestly in the second quarter of 2026, with international visitors driving growth while domestic travel stalled.

Real tourism GDP grew 0.4 per cent in Q2 2026, down from 0.5 per cent growth in Q1. Tourism accounted for 1.77 per cent of nominal GDP, unchanged from the previous quarter. Economy-wide real GDP by industry grew 0.9 per cent, outpacing tourism growth.

International visitor spending grew 1.0 per cent in Q2 2026, buoyed by visitors from World Cup-playing nations. Canada hosted 10 FIFA World Cup games in Q2 2026 in Vancouver and Toronto. Total arrivals from the 15 World Cup-playing countries increased 28.6 per cent year-over-year. Overnight travel from non-U.S. countries grew 2.5 per cent, while overnight travel from the United States grew only 0.2 per cent.

International visitors accounted for 25.6 per cent of tourism spending in Canada in Q2 2026, up from 25.4 per cent in Q1. Their spending on groceries grew 1.8 per cent, passenger air transport grew 0.9 per cent, and accommodation spending grew 0.8 per cent.

Domestic tourism spending by Canadian residents was unchanged in Q2 2026, after declining 0.1 per cent in Q1. Canadian resident spending on passenger air transport fell 1.3 per cent and vehicle fuel spending fell 2.8 per cent.

Tourism employment increased 0.4 per cent in Q2 2026, matching Q1 growth. Food and beverage services jobs grew 0.9 per cent while recreation and entertainment jobs grew 1.4 per cent. Accommodation industry jobs decreased 0.5 per cent and travel services jobs fell 1.2 per cent.