Travel And Tourism in Canada
Euromonitor International's Travel And Tourism in Canada report offers a comprehensive guide to the market at a national level. It looks at travel accommodation, transportation, car rental, tourist attractions and retail travel. It identifies the leading companies and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market, including background information on disposable income, annual leave and holiday taking habits.
Buy online to access strategic market analysis and an interactive statistical database of market size data for travel accommodation, transportation, car rental, travel retail, tourism attractions and health and wellness tourism, tourism inflows and outflows, tourism spending and company and brand shares.
Tables: 98 | Publication date: Dec 2007
Why buy this report
- Get insight into trends in market performance
- Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change
- Identify market and brand leaders and understand the competitive environment
Product coverage
Car rental; Demand factors; Health & wellness tourism; Tourism flows domestic; Tourism flows inbound; Tourism flows outbound; Tourism receipts and expenditure; Tourist attractions; Transportation; Travel accommodation; Travel retail
Executive summary
Strong dollar has negative effect on domestic tourism
Now that the exchange rate between the Canadian and the US dollar is more favourable to Canadians, there are fewer American tourists taking their vacation in hot spot Canadian tourism cities like Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto and Vancouver. Another effect is that the stronger dollar has resulted in more Canadians taking their vacation, along with their disposable income, across the border into the US.
The hotel industry has been one of the strongest hit with a 5% decrease in room occupancy this year compared to the year prior, according to the Montreal Gazette. As a result, hotels attempted to bring in financially weary tourists by lowering room rates per night or creating special travel packages such as spend two nights at the regular price and receive 50% off the third night’s stay. This type of strategy has been especially relevant for boutique hotels that have started popping up in and around Canadian cities. Big cities like Montreal are able to bear the brunt of the effects of a stronger dollar with world-renowned festivals each summer, such as the Grand Prix, jazz, comedy and film festivals.
Economic growth helps offset negatives
The strong performance of the Canadian domestic market, along with that of several regions such as Europe and Asia, has offset the decline in tourism from visitors coming from the US. The federal and provincial governments, along with regional travel agencies have taken advantage of these strong economic trends by increasing domestic marketing campaigns. There is more focus towards Canadians travelling within their own borders rather then making a trip south of the border, for example.
Travel is a discretionary expense usually based on annual leisure expenditure, so the more disposable income consumers have, the more likely they are to take more trips and travel further distances. The economic situation in Canada has been able to offset the negative impact of higher energy costs on consumer spending. More Canadians have also been travelling abroad with greater spending power as the continued growth of the Canadian dollar has allowed people to get more for their money.
The ongoing change in interest and exchange rates has an impact on demand for industry products, and as consumer spending power changes this in turn has significant financial consequences for the airline industry. This results in companies within the travel industry making appropriate changes to their pricing structures and promotional offers.
High petrol prices affect tourism
The price increases in barrels of oil and gasoline at the pump in 2006 left a very immediate and strong impact on the travel and tourism industry in Canada and abroad. Even with a decline in prices in the last quarter of 2006 there was still no sign that the prices would stabilise anytime soon. The high fuel prices affected the auto travel sector for both domestic and cross-border tourism from the US. The elevated costs kept cars off the road, but to a larger extent it meant that people took trips of less distance.
The number of American visitors into Canada has declined sharply and the summer months, which are usually the busiest for tourism, saw fewer American tourists in July than anytime in the past 4 years as fewer and fewer Americans made one-day trips by car across the border, according to Statistics Canada. On the other hand the Hotel Association of Canada estimates that only 4% of Canadians will curtail their travel arrangements because of high petrol prices.
The Travel Industry Association of Canada states that the number of one-day car trips into Canada between the months of January to June of this year has declined by five million over the last five years. There are several reasons for this decline, for instance the stronger Canadian dollar, confusion over what documentation to bring, perceptions that there are long waits at border crossings, Canadians’ position on the war in Iraq and even the issue of SARS lingers. Yet the cost of fuel has been one of the most important factors over the past year.
Some hotels and inns are attempting to combat the high fuel prices and the impact it has had by offering gift certificates for gasoline during a certain time frame when business is usually at a low level, for example the Finest Inns Association of Ontario in cooperation with Petro-Canada. Yet distance still plays an important factor even with such measures, since regional tourism in such a large country is also suffering. If people from Ontario are not travelling to Quebec or the Maritimes, for example, because of high petrol prices, then people from the latter regions are not travelling to Ontario for the same reasons.
Globalisation impacts travel
The rapid upswing in the way that people communicate and connect electronically across the globe through such means as the Internet, mobile telephone systems, satellite phones and radio has had a positive impact on the travel and tourism industries in Canada. Along with such important factors as the reduction in air fare prices and more convenient long distance flights this is increasing the frequency and ways in with which individuals, companies and governments interact with each other beyond international borders. As people begin to use these electronic means to meet, work and socialise tourism has also seen a positive outcome.
According to Statistics Canada the number of European and Asian tourists into Canada this past year has increased, an extremely positive trend, even though the number of Americans coming into Canada declined sharply and left a greater impact. In essence, only 8% of the world’s population took part in international travel this past year so this definitely allows more potential for the travel industry to keep growing in Canada. Canadian government and travel agencies, along with national airlines, have begun more aggressive marketing campaigns focused towards the international traveller and the benefits and features of making a trip to Canada.
There are still several issues and concerns that the impact of globalisation has on the Canadian tourism and travel industries, both positive and negative. On the positive side, there is an immense international market reachable through a number of various communication outlets and this opens up the Canadian tourism and travel to a much larger pool of potential consumers. On the negative side, globalisation develops a much fiercer competition between international airline companies, especially those that are national carriers of developing nations such as Mexico and India. For them there is an even a greater need to attract business and tourists to their countries since sources of foreign exchange is desperately needed to fuel their own internal growth.
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)
The WHTI is becoming more of a concern and priority for the Canadian travel industry. Every year since its inception in 2004 Industry Canada has been compiling information and making reports to prepare for the new American policy’s impact on Canadians going to the US and Americans coming into Canada. This new US security initiative will require all travellers entering or re-entering the United States to carry with them passports or other secure travel documents.
There is a special card uniquely specified for American citizens, called the PASS (People Access Security Service) for people who regularly cross borders, mostly into Canada or Mexico. As for Canadians, the start of 2007 required all air travellers to carry a passport or proper travel documents and by June 2008 travellers by land and sea will be included into this requirement.
Industry Canada reports that over the next five years the decline in US citizens entering Canada will account for a drop of 14 million inbound trips and tourism receipts will slide to C$3.6 billion. The implementation of the PASS card option will alleviate some of this since it will facilitate border crossing.
As for Canadians crossing the border into the US, Industry Canada is expecting a sharp decline as well. Over the next five years there will be a drop of over seven million trips by Canadians into the US and of those, five million will be one-day trips. By the end of 2007 this will be a decline of 6% in the numbers of trips taken into the US.
At the same time this will have an opposite effect on domestic travel as these will increase by over two million trips over the same five year period. Even though there will be more travel by Canadians within their own borders the impact of the WHTI will be a negative one as the increase in national cross-province travel will fall short of making up for the decline in cross-border tourism and economic effects from lost US travel.
Table of contents
TRAVEL AND TOURISM IN CANADA : MARKET INSIGHT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Strong dollar has negative effect on domestic tourism
Economic growth helps offset negatives
High petrol prices affect tourism
Globalisation impacts travel
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)
KEY TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
Economic drivers
Legislative environment
Government tourism policy
Sustainable tourism
Consumer lifestyles
Low cost carrier development
Emerging niche sectors
Internet developments
TERRORISM AND SECURITY
LEAVE ENTITLEMENT
CONSUMER DEMOGRAPHICS
BALANCE OF PAYMENTS
MARKET INDICATORS
Table 1 Leave Entitlement: Volume 2005/2006
Table 2 Holiday Demographic Trends 2001-2006
Table 3 Holiday Takers by Sex 2001-2006
Table 4 Holiday Takers by Age 2001-2006
Table 5 Length of Domestic Trip: 2001-2006
Table 6 Length of Outbound Departure: 2001-2006
Table 7 Seasonality of Trips 2005/2006
MARKET DATA
Table 8 Balance of Tourism Payments: Value 2001-2006
DEFINITIONS
Tourism Parameters
Travel accommodation
Transportation
Car rental
Travel retail
Tourist attractions
Health and wellness
Internet sales
Internet sales: dynamic packaging
Internet sales: traditional package holiday
Sustainable tourism
Sources
Summary 1 Research Sources
LOCAL COMPANY PROFILES - CANADA
ACE AVIATION HOLDINGS INC - TRAVEL AND TOURISM - CANADA
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
KEY FACTS
Summary 2 Air Canada: Key Facts
Summary 3 Air Canada: Operational Indicators
COMPANY BACKGROUND
COMPETITIVE POSITIONING
Summary 4 Air Canada: Competitive Position 2006
AIR TRANSAT AT INC - TRAVEL AND TOURISM - CANADA
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
KEY FACTS
Summary 5 Air Transat: Key Facts
Summary 6 Air Transat: Operational Indicators
COMPANY BACKGROUND
COMPETITIVE POSITIONING
Summary 7 Air Transat: Competitive Position 2006
FAIRMONT HOTELS & RESORTS INC - TRAVEL AND TOURISM - CANADA
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
KEY FACTS
Summary 8 Fairmont Hotels & Resorts: Key Facts
Summary 9 Fairmont Hotels & Resorts: Operational Indicators
COMPANY BACKGROUND
COMPETITIVE POSITIONING
Summary 10 Fairmont Hotels & Resorts: Competitive Position 2006
WESTJET AIRLINES LTD - TRAVEL AND TOURISM - CANADA
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
KEY FACTS
Summary 11 WestJet: Key Facts
Summary 12 WestJet: Operational Indicators
COMPANY BACKGROUND
COMPETITIVE POSITIONING
Summary 13 WestJet: Competitive Position 2006
TOURISM FLOWS INBOUND IN CANADA
HEADLINES
TRENDS
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
INBOUND DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE
MODE OF TRANSPORT
PURPOSE OF VISIT
INCOMING TOURIST RECEIPTS BY COUNTRY
PROSPECTS
SECTOR DATA
Table 9 Arrivals by Country of Origin: 2001-2006
Table 10 Arrivals by Purpose of Visit: 2001-2006
Table 11 Leisure Arrivals by Type 2005-2006
Table 12 Business Arrivals: MICE Penetration 2005-2006
Table 13 Arrivals by Method of Transport: 2001-2006
Table 14 Incoming Tourist Receipts by Country 2001-2006
Table 15 Tourism Expenditure by Sector: Value 2001-2006
Table 16 Method of Payments for Incoming Tourist Receipts: % Breakdown 2005/2006
Table 17 Forecast Arrivals: 2006-2011
Table 18 Forecast Incoming Tourism Receipts: 2006-2011
TOURISM FLOWS OUTBOUND IN CANADA
HEADLINES
DESTINATIONS
MODE OF TRANSPORT
PURPOSE OF VISIT
OUTBOUND DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE
OUTGOING TOURIST EXPENDITURE BY COUNTRY
PROSPECTS
SECTOR DATA
Table 19 Departures by Destination: 2001-2006
Table 20 Leisure Departures by Type 2005-2006
Table 21 Business Departures: MICE Penetration % Breakdown 2005-2006
Table 22 Departures by Mode of Transport: 2001-2006
Table 23 Departures by Purpose of Visit: 2001-2006
Table 24 Outgoing Tourist Expenditure by Sector: Value 2001-2006
Table 25 Method of Payments for Outgoing Tourism Spending: % Breakdown 2006
Table 26 Forecast Departures: 2006-2011
Table 27 Forecast Outgoing Tourism Expenditure: 2006-2011
TOURISM FLOWS DOMESTIC IN CANADA
HEADLINES
TRENDS
DESTINATIONS
MODE OF TRANSPORT
PURPOSE OF VISIT
DOMESTIC TOURISM RECEIPTS
PROSPECTS
SECTOR DATA
Table 28 Domestic Tourist Expenditure: 2001-2006
Table 29 Expenditure per Domestic Trip: 2001-2006
Table 30 Domestic Trips by Destination: 2001-2006
Table 31 Domestic Trips by Purpose of Visit: 2001-2006
Table 32 Method of Payments for Domestic Tourism Spending: % Breakdown 2005/2006
Table 33 Forecast Domestic Tourism: 2006-2011
Table 34 Forecast Domestic Tourist Expenditure: 2006-2011
TRAVEL ACCOMMODATION IN CANADA
HEADLINES
TRENDS
HOTELS
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
PROSPECTS
SECTOR DATA
Table 35 Travel Accommodation Sales by Sector: Value 2001-2006
Table 36 Travel Accommodation by Sector: Units 2001-2006
Table 37 Regional Hotel Parameters 2006
Table 38 Travel Accommodation Internet Sales by Direct Suppliers and Intermediaries: Internet Transaction Value 2001-2006
Table 39 Hotel National Brand Owners by Market Share 2002-2006
Table 40 Hotel National Brand Owners by Key Performance Indicators 2006
Table 41 Forecast Travel Accommodation Sales by Sector: Value 2006-2011
Table 42 Forecast Travel Accommodation by Sector: Units 2006-2011
Table 43 Forecast Travel Accommodation Internet Sales by Direct Suppliers and Intermediaries: Internet Transaction Value 2006-2011
TRANSPORTATION IN CANADA
HEADLINES
TRENDS
AIRLINES
PRIVATE JETS
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
PROSPECTS
SECTOR DATA
Table 44 Transportation Sales by Sector: Value 2001-2006
Table 45 Airline Capacity: 2001-2006
Table 46 Airline Utilisation: 2001-2006
Table 47 Airline % Utilisation 2001-2006
Table 48 Airline Volume Sales by Seat Class: % Breakdown: 2001-2006
Table 49 Airline Volume Sales by Distance: % Breakdown: 2001-2006
Table 50 Transportation Internet Sales by Direct Suppliers and Intermediaries: Internet Transaction Value 2001-2006
Table 51 Airline Market Shares 2002-2006
Table 52 Key Airlines Key Performance Indicators 2006
Table 53 Forecast Transportation Sales by Sector: Value 2006-2011
Table 54 Forecast Transportation Internet Sales by Sector: Internet Transaction Value 2006-2011
CAR RENTAL IN CANADA
HEADLINES,
TRENDS
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
PROSPECTS
SECTOR DATA
Table 55 Car Rental Sales by Sector and Location: Value 2001-2006
Table 56 Structure of Car Rental Market: 2001-2006
Table 57 Average Car Rental Duration by Sector 2004-2006
Table 58 Average Car Rental Duration: % Breakdown 2005/2006
Table 59 Time of Booking: % Breakdown 2005/2006
Table 60 Car Rental Internet Sales by Direct Suppliers and Intermediaries: Internet Transaction Value 2001-2006
Table 61 Car Rental Market Shares 2002-2006
Table 62 Key Car Rental Companies’ Key Performance Indicators 2006
Table 63 Forecast Car Rental Sales by Sector: Value 2006-2011
Table 64 Forecast Car Rental Internet Sales by Sector: Internet Transaction Value 2006-2011
TRAVEL RETAIL IN CANADA
HEADLINES
TRENDS
GROWTH SECTORS
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
PROSPECTS
SECTOR DATA
Table 65 Travel Retail Outlets by Sector: Units 2001-2006
Table 66 Travel Retail Sales by Product: Value 2001-2006
Table 67 Travel Retail Sales by Destination: % Value Breakdown 2001-2006
Table 68 Travel Retail Internet Sales by Direct Suppliers and Intermediaries: Internet Transaction Value 2001-2006
Table 69 Travel Retail Internet Sales by Sector: Internet Transaction Value 2001-2006
Table 70 Travel Retail Products Market Shares 2002-2006
Table 71 Key Travel Retail Companies by Number of Outlets 2006
Table 72 Forecast Travel Retail Outlets by Sector: Units 2006-2011
Table 73 Forecast Travel Retail Sales by Product: Value 2006-2011
Table 74 Forecast Travel Retail Internet Sales by Direct Suppliers and Intermediaries: Internet Transaction Value 2001-2006
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN CANADA
HEADLINES
TRENDS
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
PROSPECTS
SECTOR DATA
Table 75 Tourist Attractions by Sector: Value 2001-2006
Table 76 Tourist Attractions by Sector: 2001-2006
Table 77 Tourist Attractions Internet Sales by Direct Suppliers and Intermediaries: Internet Transaction Value 2001-2006
Table 78 Leading Tourist Attractions by Visitors 2001-2006
Table 79 Forecast Tourist Attractions by Sector: Value 2006-2011
Table 80 Forecast Tourist Attractions by Sector: 2006-2011
Table 81 Forecast Tourist Attractions Internet Transaction Value Sales by Sector: Internet Transaction Value 2006-2011
HEALTH & WELLNESS TOURISM IN CANADA
HEADLINES
TRENDS
PROSPECTS
SECTOR DATA
Table 82 Number of Hotel/Resort Spas: Units 2001-2006
Table 83 Spa Sales by Type: Value 2001-2006
Table 84 Spa Consumer Markets: Domestic Tourism 2005-2006
Table 85 Spa Consumer Markets: Arrivals 2005-2006