Coordinated by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), World Tourism Day (September 27, 2022) is celebrated internationally and provides an excellent opportunity to spotlight the value of our incredible industry. The global theme “Rethinking Tourism” aims to inspire the debate around rethinking tourism for development, including through education and jobs, and tourism’s impact on the planet and opportunities to grow more sustainably.

• Alberta’s economic recovery relies on the recovery of our province’s tourism businesses.
• To stay competitive and realize our potential requires us to continually enhance and add to the diversity and breadth of experiences visitors can enjoy and places they can stay. Bolstering this supply for the long-term will ensure Alberta continues to have desirable travel experiences that meet the ever-changing needs of visitors.
• Optimism is a key characteristic of Albertans. We have a nose to the grind, get things done, always forward attitude which has, and will continue, to guide our recovery efforts.
• Together, we are creating the winning conditions to realize a prosperous visitor economy that benefits all Albertans.

Some Alberta Tourism Facts:

• Before the pandemic, tourism was a $10.1 billion industry and a key driver in our province – contributing billions to Alberta’s Gross Domestic Product, supporting about 24,000 tourism-related businesses and 82,000 jobs
• Pent-up travel demand is showing positive signals for growth, with total searches for travel to Alberta exceeding 2019 levels in both 2020 and 2021
• International travellers spend four times more than domestic travellers and the return of international visitors, particularly U.S. visitors over the coming year, will be critical to recovery. The further the journey, the longer the stay and higher the visitor spend.

In 2019:

• Visits from other Canadians had an average duration of 4.1 days with a $523 spend
• Visits from the U.S. had an average duration of 5.2 days with $828 in spend
• Visits from overseas had an average duration of 13.4 nights with $1,119 in spend

At this time, total tourism spending is expected to return to 2019 levels in 2024:

• Alberta visitor spending is estimated to reach 2019 levels by 2021
• Spending from the rest of Canada will recover by 2023
• The U.S. spend is expected to recover by 2024
• and spend from the overseas markets to recover by 2025

The Tourism Investment Program is Travel Alberta’s commitment to invest $15 million annually from 2021-2023 to support businesses and communities in all regions of the province

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