International Millennial Travel Fact Sheet
Purpose
This fact sheet provides
information on the size,
characteristics and travel
trends pertaining to
international millennial
travellers to Canada.
1. Size and Origin of International Millennial
Travel in Canada
Figure 1
Total Millennial Overnight Arrivals to Canada, 2008-2012
15.00%
2,250,000
Total Inbound Millennial Arrivals
10.6%
11.0%
13.1%
11.4%
11.1%
2,094,231
2,000,000
Definition of the
Millennial Traveller
10.00%
1,799,636
1,715,194
1,754,452
1,750,000
1,785,330
1,500,000
5.00%
1,250,000
“Millennial travellers” are
non-resident visitors
aged 18 to 34 who are
travelling to Canada
without their parents,
children or other people
outside their age group
for one or more nights.
1,000,000
0.00%
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
The number of millennial travellers to Canada grew from about 1.8 million in 2008 to nearly 2.1 million in
2012. Millennial accounted for about 13% of total international arrivals to Canada in 2012.
UNWTO estimates that millennials account for about 20% of global travellers. What’s more, millennials are
one of the fastest-growing travel segments globally. There is an opportunity for Canada to increase its
share of the millennial travel market in years to come.
Source: ITS Characteristics, Statistics Canada and UNWTO
Figure 2
Millennial Overnight Arrivals to Canada, 2010-2012
Overseas
2010
Number of
% of Total
Arrivals
840,731
47.9%
US
Total Inbound
Millennial Arrivals
2011
Number of
% of Total
Arrivals
881,981
49.4%
2012
Number of
% of Total
Arrivals
912,736
43.6%
913,721
52.1%
903,349
50.6%
1,181,495
56.4%
1,754,452
100.0%
1,785,330
100.0%
2,094,231
100.0%
Approximately 56% of millennial travellers to Canada are from the
US, with 44% from overseas.
The US is by far the largest source of millennial visitors to
Canada, followed by Europe, Asia and Latin America/Caribbean.
Source: ITS Characteristics, Statistics Canada 2012 Figure 3
Overnight Millennial Visitors by Region of Origin in 2012
2.0%
4.7%
2.3%
12.1%
United States
Europe
Asia
Latin America / Caribbean
56.4%
22.5%
Africa/Middle-East
Oceania
2 | International Millennial Travel Fact Sheet
Figure 4, 5 & 6
Overseas Millennial Arrivals and Market Potential in 2012
South Korea
52,906
France
110,522
UK
107,107
Germany
460,000
440,000
430,000
Source: CTC Research Estimates based on
Global Tourism Watch data, 2014 400,000
70,477
Japan
Canada currently attracts only a portion
of the total number of potential millennial
travellers, so there is ample room for
further growth in these markets.
Arrivals to Canada
400,000
60,168
Potential Market
India
33,280
Brazil
26,790
Mexico
30,566
Australia
35,684
0
320,000
260,000
Definition of Market Potential
The number of millennial travellers
who are actively considering visiting
Canada in the next two years.
230,000
200,000
100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000
US and China Millennial Arrivals and Market
Potential in 2012
Millennial travellers from overseas come primarily
from the 10 CTC overseas markets. About 85% of all
millennial travellers to Canada are from the US and
these 10 markets.
United
States
3,250,000
1,181,495
Source: ITS Characteristics, Statistics Canada 2012 Arrivals to Canada
China
Visitation Growth from 2009 to 2012
(Top 10 Markets)
France
8.1%
UK
0.7%
Germany
2.4%
Mainland China
17.2%
South Korea
0.9%
Australia
4.3%
India
Brazil
0
5.6%
Japan
Mexico
55,062
24.6%
Average Annual Growth
Rate between 2009 and
2012
990,000
1,000,000
2,000,000
Potential Market
3,000,000
Of the 10 CTC overseas markets, India, Brazil
and China recorded the strongest visitation
growth between 2009 and 2012. Mexico is the
only market that registered a decline since
2009. However, this decrease was due to the
introduction of a tourist visa requirement for
Mexican nationals by the Government of
Canada in 2009.
Source: ITS Characteristics, Statistics Canada 2012 -7.9%
17.6%
Canadian Tourism Commission | 3
2. Trip Spend and Duration
Figure 7
US
Total Tourism Revenues in 2012
Other Travellers (excl.
All Travellers (incl.
Millennials
Millennials)
Millennials)
Total
Share of
Total Spending
Share of Total Spending Share of
Spending ($)
Total (%)
($)
Total (%)
($)
Total (%)
684,080,302
30.4%
5,649,705,812
56.4% 6,333,786,114
51.6%
Overseas
1,569,033,029
69.6%
4,368,652,914
Total
Share of
Total
Spending
(%)
2,253,113,331
100.0%
5,937,685,943
48.4%
10,018,358,726
100.0% 12,271,472,057
100.0%
81.6%
100.0%
18.4%
43.6%
Youth travellers contribute 18.4% of total international tourism
revenues in Canada, spending a total of $2.25 billion in 2012.
Millennial travellers from overseas account for 70% of
international millennial tourism revenues, while US millennials
account for 30% of the total.
Source: ITS Characteristics, Statistics Canada 2012 Millennial travellers contribute 12.4% of
total inbound expenditures attributable
to pleasure travel in Canada, spending
a total of $733 million in 2012.
Figure 8
Average Spending Per Pleasure Trip in Canada in 2012
$2,000
Millennials
$1,799
$1,800
$1,600
Other Travellers (excl.
Millennials)
$1,523
$1,400
$1,200
$1,077
$1,000
$740
$800
$550
$600
$580
$400
$200
$0
Overseas
US
4 | International Millennial Travel Fact Sheet
Total (OVS & US)
Millennial pleasure travellers spend an
average of $1,077 per trip in Canada,
which is more than other travellers
($740 per trip) because they tend to
stay in Canada longer.
Millennial pleasure travellers from
overseas spend more per trip than other
overseas travellers. However, other
US travellers spend more than
US millennials, mainly because their
average trip duration is longer.
Source: ITS Characteristics, Statistics
Canada 2012 Figure 9
Average Trip Duration in Canada in 2012 (Number of Days)
30.0
27.4
Millennials
25.0
Other Travellers (Excl. Millennials)
21.1
18.8
20.0
16.8
15.0
12.6
11.6
10.0
4.8
5.0
3.4
3.2
4.7 4.2
4.2
0.0
US
Overseas
US
Work, Business, Convention
Overseas
US
Pleasure
Overseas
All Trips
The average trip duration of millennial travellers to Canada is longer than that
of other travellers. Millennials spend an average of 4.7 days (US visitors) and
27.4 days (overseas visitors) in Canada, compared to 4.2 days (US visitors)
and 16.8 days (overseas visitors) for all other travellers to Canada.
Millennials take longer business/work trips as well as pleasure trips, except for
the US market, where other travellers stay longer on average than millennials.
Source: ITS Characteristics, Statistics Canada 2012 Canadian Tourism Commission | 5
3. Purpose of Visit
Figure 10
Millennial Overnight Visits by Trip Purpose in 2012
Pleasure and visiting family, friends and relatives
(VFR) are the two main trip purposes to Canada for
millennial travellers. Over the past decade or so, the
share of pleasure trips has declined, while the share
of study, work-related and VFR trips has edged up.
More millennial travellers than ever come to Canada
for other reasons than just pleasure.
Business,
Work,
Convention
23%
VFR
30%
Other
7%
Study
8%
Source: ITS Characteristics, Statistics Canada 2012 Pleasure
32%
Figure 11
Millennial Travel Expenditures by Trip Purpose, 2012
VFR
17%
Business,
Work,
Convention
30%
In terms of spending, pleasure trips and trips for
business/work/convention are the two main trip
purposes, accounting for 33% and 30% of total
spending by millennial travellers to Canada.
Study
16%
Source: ITS Characteristics, Statistics Canada 2012 Other
4%
Pleasure
33%
For more information
For more information about international millennial
travel to Canada, please contact the Research
Team of the Canadian Tourism Commission at:
[email protected]
6 | International Millennial Travel Fact Sheet