Contents
Q2 2016 Highlights
- Border crossings from the U.S. to Ontario increased 7.4%, with same-day crossings up 8.2% and overnight crossings up 6.6%.
- Entries from overseas markets to Ontario grew 7.2%.
- Ontario hotel occupancy rose 2.0 percentage points.
- Employment in Ontario’s tourism-related industries grew 2.9%.
- Ontario’s Travel Price Index increased 3.4%.
- Border crossings from the U.S. to Ontario increased 7.4%, with same-day crossings up 8.2% and overnight crossings up 6.6%.
- Entries from overseas markets to Ontario grew 7.2%.
- Ontario hotel occupancy rose 2.0 percentage points.
- Employment in Ontario’s tourism-related industries grew 2.9%.
- Ontario’s Travel Price Index increased 3.4%.
International Border Crossings
In Q2 2016, there were 4.1 million international entries into Ontario, 7.3% more than in 2015.
| Entries | Change (Percent) | |
|---|---|---|
| International | 4,140,912 | 7.3% |
| United States Total | 3,449,531 | 7.4% |
| United States Same-day | 1,648,196 | 8.2% |
| United States Overnight | 1,801,335 | 6.6% |
| Overseas | 691,381 | 7.2% |
Source: Statistics Canada
Note: Border Crossings by port are available from Statistics Canada, cansim table 427-0001. Detailed data is available at Current Performance: Border Crossings
United States Border Crossings
- There were 3.4 million US entries into Ontario in Q2 2016, 7.4% more than in Q2 2015.
- Same-day entries increased 8.2% and overnight crossings grew 6.6%
Source: Statistics Canada
Note: Border Crossings by port are available from Statistics Canada, cansim table 427-0001. Detailed data is available at Current Performance: Border Crossings
Overseas Border Crossings
In Q2 2016, there were 691,000 overseas entries into Ontario, an increase of 7.2% compared to 2015.
Arrivals were up from most tracked countries with China +22%, Brazil +21%, South Korea +16%, the Netherlands +15%, and India +11%.
| Entries | Change (Percent) | |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 100,384 | 9.6% |
| China | 63,223 | 21.8% |
| India | 42,641 | 10.6% |
| Germany | 40,892 | 7.7% |
| South Korea | 33,608 | 15.6% |
| Japan | 29,640 | 0.3% |
| Brazil | 23,145 | 20.7% |
| France | 21,037 | -9.9% |
| Australia | 20,794 | 0.8% |
| Italy | 20,170 | -0.7% |
| Mexico | 19,999 | 2.1% |
| Netherlands | 16,344 | 15.3% |
| Hong Kong | 14,431 | -5.5% |
Source: Statistics Canada
Detailed data is available at Current Performance: Border Crossings
Hotel Statistics
- Occupancy Rates, Average Daily Rates and Revenue per Available Room all grew in Q2 2016
- During April to June 2016, Ontario occupancy rates averaged 69.3% up 2.0 percentage points over 2015
- The average daily rate grew 2.3% to $141.15
- Revenue per available room increased 5.3% to $98.01
| Occupancy Q2 2016 | Occupancy Change | Average Daily Rate Q2 2016 | Average Daily Rate Change (Percent) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 69.3% | 2.0 | $141.15 | 2.3% |
| Greater Toronto Area (GTA) | 76.1% | 2.6 | $153.74 | 3.1% |
| Eastern Ontario | 58.6% | 0.9 | $114.88 | 2.1% |
| Ottawa | 76.8% | 0.5 | $159.72 | 2.0% |
| Southern Ontario | 65.4% | 3.6 | $127.03 | 2.4% |
| Central Ontario | 53.0% | 3.7 | $125.68 | 3.4% |
| North Eastern Ontario | 55.7% | -4.3 | $111.42 | -1.5% |
| North Central Ontario | 51.7% | -4.2 | $99.24 | 1.5% |
| North Western Ontario | 72.1% | 5.0 | $111.15 | 0.9% |
Source: CBRE Hotels Trends in the Hotel Industry National Market Report
Note: Quarterly averages are calculated by MTCS. Detailed data is available at Current Performance: Hotel Industry
Employment
Employment in tourism related industries grew 2.9% in Q2 2016.
- Employment in the Transportation, Arts, Entertainment and Recreation, Food & Beverage and Retail industries grew while the number of jobs in the Accommodations and Travel Services sectors declined.
- Ontario’s tourism related employment grew 2.9% in April to June 2016 while total employment in Ontario increased 1.2%.
Source: Statistics Canada; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport
Detailed data is available at Current Performance: Employment
Travel Price Index
The price of travel in Ontario grew 3.4% in Q2 2016.
- Ontario’s Travel Price Index (TPI) grew 3.4% in April to June 2016 compared to 2015. Prices of Accommodations, Food & Beverage, Recreation & Entertainment, Transportation and Retail all grew versus 2015 while costs of Operation of Passenger Vehicles declined.
- Ontario’s TPI increased more than Ontario’s Consumer Price Index (CPI). During the second quarter of 2016, TPI grew 3.4% while CPI grew 1.9% over 2015.
Source: Statistics Canada; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport
Detailed data is available at Current Performance: Travel Price Index
Visitor Inquiries
Visits to Ontario’s Travel Information Centres and user sessions at ontariotravel.net grew in Q2 2016 while call volume to 1-800-ONTARIO declined.
- In the second quarter of 2016, there were over 288,000 visits to Ontario’s Travel Information Centres, 2.7% more than in 2015.
- Calls to the 1-800-ONTARIO Call Centre totalled over 19,000 throughout April to June 2016, a decrease of 1.7% over April to June 2015.
- During Q2 2016, there were approximately 726,000 user sessions at OntarioTravel.net, up 6.3% over Q2 2015.
Source: Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation (OTMPC)
Exchange Rates
The value of the US dollar grew 4.8% to $1.29 CAD.
| Currency | Value ($CAD) | Change (Percent) |
|---|---|---|
| USD | 1.29 | 4.8 |
| EUR | 1.46 | 7.0 |
| GBP | 1.85 | -1.9 |
| YEN | 0.01 | 17.9 |
Source: Bank of Canada
Detailed data is available at Current Performance: Exchange Rates
Gas Prices
The average price of gas in Ontario was $1.04 per litre, 7.3% less than in 2015.
Source: Ontario Ministry of Energy
What's New in the Ministry's Tourism Research?
Regional Tourism Profiles 2014
This tool provides key tourism data for the Province and Tourism Regions.
- Visits and Visitor Spending by various characteristics
- Hotel Statistics
- Number of Establishments
The Economic Impact of Tourism in Ontario 2014
This webpage shows Total and Direct GDP, Employment and Tax impacts from Tourism Receipts and Visitor Spending.
Number of Ontario Destinations Visited by Overseas Travellers
In 2013 there were 2.0 million overseas visits to Ontario and these visitors spent $4.0 billion. This article examines the number of Ontario destinations visited by overseas travellers and the characteristics of the visits. Overseas refers to all countries other than Canada and the US.
Overseas travellers visited more Ontario destinations per trip than all other visitor origins. Overseas visitors averaged 1.7 destinations while visiting Ontario compared to 1.1 destinations among US and Other Canada visitors, and 1.0 destination among Ontario residents.
The majority of overseas visitors went to 2 or more destinations while in Ontario. 26% went to 2 locations, 24% went to 3 or 4, and 10% went to 5 or more places while in Ontario.
Overseas visitors are most likely to go to Regions 5, 2, and 10. 77% of overseas visitors to Ontario went to Region 5, 36% to Region 2 and 24% to Region 10.
- After visiting Region 5, 59% went to Region 2 and 31% to Region 10.
- After visiting Region 2, 92% went to Region 5 and 22% to Region 10.
- After visiting Region 10, 88% went to Region 5, 50% to Region 2 and 22% to Region 9.
| Region | Total Overseas | After Visiting Region 5 | After Visiting Region 2 | After Visiting Region 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4% | 5% | 3% | 1% |
| 2 | 36% | 59% | 0% | 50% |
| 3 | 5% | 8% | 7% | 2% |
| 4 | 4% | 7% | 5% | 3% |
| 5 | 77% | 0% | 92% | 88% |
| 6 | 5% | 9% | 6% | 3% |
| 7 | 4% | 7% | 6% | 4% |
| 8 | 1% | 2% | 1% | 2% |
| 9 | 6% | 7% | 9% | 22% |
| 10 | 24% | 31% | 22% | 0% |
| 11 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| 12 | 2% | 3% | 3% | 5% |
| 13 | 2% | 2% | 1% | 1% |
70% of Australian visitors to Ontario went to 2 or more destinations compared to 40% of Mexican visitors.
Pleasure and visiting friends/relatives travellers were more likely to visit 2 or more destinations while business travellers primarily went to one location.
Overseas tourists visit more destinations in the summer months with 69% of trips in July to September including 2 or more destinations.
Overseas Travelers Who Visited Two or More Ontario Destinations
Source: Statistics Canada’s International Travel Survey 2013; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport
Published by the Tourism Research and Policy Branch
Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport
Ontario.ca/tourismresearch
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