The Canadian outbound market

Outbound travel from Canada has been growing strongly since 2000 and in the world rankings of countries’ spend on international travel, it is placed 8^th.  Traditionally the main destination has been its American neighbour and this remains the case. However travel to countries other than the USA has grown significantly recently, and with more Canadians holding a passport, more are now equipped to travel abroad.  Canadians are keen city breakers and touring holiday-makers.  Sightseeing and enjoying a country’s nature and culture are popular holiday activities – a good fit for Scotland.

Scotland’s visitors

Canada is Scotland’s 3^rd most valuable international market in terms of total tourism expenditure and there has been growth in holiday visitors in recent years. Visiting friends and relatives (VFR) is another important driver of trips to Scotland.  Travel here is facilitated by good flight links from some of the key tourism generating cities, such as Toronto and Vancouver.

The Visitor Experience survey asked our summer visitors about their holiday experience in Scotland.  Summaries of the overall and country specific findings are available.

To find out about our marketing activities in Canada and how you can become involved, please visit our Marketing Opportunities section.

Useful links:

Profiles of the Canadian market are also available from VisitBritain and the European Travel Commission.

Statistics on Canadian outbound travel can be found on www.statcan.ca