Priority markets
Destination Ontario positions the province as a preferred global destination by marketing the province in domestic and international markets inspiring travellers to explore the diverse offerings of Ontario.
The following resources outline each of these priority markets providing information about the audience, their travel characteristics and available related research.
For additional statistics about tourism in Ontario, including current tourism performance, visit the tourism research statistics page provided by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming.
Find more research resources
Destination Ontario provides timely and relevant tourism research to support the marketing strategies of industry partners and operators.
Additional reports and resources can be found on our research and insights page.
Ontario
Market background
Ontarians travelling domestically play a vital role in the province’s tourism economy, accounting for 87% of all visits in 2022 and 66% of visitor spending. Ontarians understand and appreciate the year-round travel experiences their home province offers.
Traveller intentions
Travel plans within and outside Ontario during the next 12 months have increased since 2021. Travel behaviour provides some context into what Ontarians are looking for on trips in and outside of Ontario.
| Overnight trips planned for the next 12 months | Within Ontario | Outside Ontario |
|---|---|---|
| Ever taken a pleasure trip to Ontario | 69% | 39% |
| Brief getaways during the week | 29% | 10% |
| One-week trips | 36% | 40% |
| Trips of two weeks or more | 15% | 32% |
Source: Ontario Consumer Travel Intention and Motivator Survey (2021)
Further resources
Canada
Market background
While other Canadian provinces have always been important source markets for travellers to Ontario, opportunities exist for incremental visitation and spend. Destination Ontario’s forward-looking, growth-minded strategy aims to target key Canadian markets with key product motivators, prioritizing drive corridors from Quebec and Manitoba.
Trip characteristics
With a total of 5.8 million visits in 2022, travellers from across the country spent $3.6 billion in the province. Their average length of overnight stay in Ontario was 4.4 nights and their average spend per visit was $615 highlighting the economic value of each trip.
Further resources
United States
Market background
In 2022, Ontario welcomed approximately 7 million US tourist visits. The total spending by US visitors in Ontario reached an estimated $3.1 billion in 2022, with an average spend of $449 per visit.
Trip characteristics
Over one-third (38%) of tourist visits from the USA to Ontario in 2019 were for pleasure and over one-third (37%) of these visits occurred during the summer months (July-September).
The top activities for American tourists included going to a restaurant, club or bar, visiting friends or family and sightseeing.
Australia
Market background
There were 128,600 tourist visits from Australia to Ontario in 2019. Tourists from Australia stayed 9 nights per overnight Ontario visit, on average that year.
In addition, visitor spending from Australia totalled $187.9 million in 2019, with an average spend of $1,461 per visit, 6.6 times more than the average visitor spend in Ontario.
Trip characteristics
Nearly half (49%) of tourist visits from Australia to Ontario were for pleasure in 2019 and over one-third (37%) occurred over the summer months.
Top trip activities included going to a restaurant, club or bar (88%), sightseeing (73%) and shopping (72%).
Further resources
China
Market background
There were 330,900 tourist visits from China to Ontario in 2019. China was Ontario's second-largest source country for overseas visits after the United Kingdom. However, tourists from China stayed in Ontario the longest, a total of 36 nights per visit.
Visitors from China spent $875.1 million in 2019, with an average of $2,645 per visit, nearly 12 times more than the average spend per visit in Ontario.
Trip characteristics
Visiting friends and relatives was the primary reason for travel to Ontario (38%) in 2019. In addition, the largest share of visits (39%) occurred over the summer months.
The top trip activities included going to a restaurant, bar or club (79%), shopping (70%) and visiting friends or family (65%).
Further resources
France
Market background
There were 231,600 tourist visits from France to Ontario in 2019, averaging 8 nights per overnight visit.
Visitors from France spent a total of $203.7 million in 2019, an average of $880 per visit, 3.9 times more than the average spend per visit in Ontario.
Trip characteristics
Most (54%) tourist visits from France to Ontario were taken for pleasure—the largest share among Ontario's overseas markets. Most (51%) tourist visits from France to Ontario occurred in the summer.
In 2019, the top trip activities included going to a restaurant, bar or club (84%), sightseeing (73%) and shopping (69%).
Further resources
Germany
Market background
There were 203,600 tourist visits from Germany to Ontario in 2019. On average, German tourists stayed 14 nights per overnight Ontario visit.
Visitors from Germany spent a total of $294.5 million in 2019, an average of $1,446 per visit, 6.5 times more than the average spend per visit in Ontario.
Trip characteristics
Most tourist visits from Germany to Ontario were taken for pleasure (42%) or to visit friends or relatives (40%) in 2019. Nearly half (48%) of tourist visits from Germany to Ontario occurred in the summer.
The top trip activities included going to a restaurant, bar or club (87%), sightseeing (80%) and shopping (70%).
Further resources
Mexico
Market background
There were 230,600 tourist visits from Mexico to Ontario in 2019. On average, tourists from Mexico stayed 17 nights per overnight Ontario visit, the third-longest average length of stay of Ontario's priority overseas markets.
Visitors from Mexico spent a total of $236.0 million in 2019, an average of $1,023 per visit, 4.6 times more than the average spend per visit in Ontario.
Trip characteristics
Most tourist visits from Mexico to Ontario were taken to visit friends or relatives (42%) or for pleasure (35%) in 2019. A large percentage of visits were in the summer (31%) and fall (28%).
The top trip activities included going to a restaurant, bar or club (89%), shopping (79%) and sightseeing (70%). Visitors from Mexico were most likely to visit a museum or art gallery, zoo or aquarium, historic site or theme park than Ontario’s other priority overseas markets.
Further resources
Japan
Market background
There were 102,500 tourist visits from Japan to Ontario in 2019. On average, visitors from Japan stayed 16 nights per overnight visit in 2019.
They spent a total of $232.8 million in 2019, an average of $2,271 per visit, over 10 times more than the average spend per visit in Ontario.
Trip characteristics
The largest share of tourist visits from Japan to Ontario was taken for pleasure (44%) in 2019, and the largest share of tourist visits (43%) occurred in the summer.
The top trip activities included going to a restaurant, bar or club (97%), shopping (85%) and sightseeing (85%). Most visits included a visit to Niagara (56%), a higher proportion than any of Ontario’s other overseas markets.
Further resources
South Korea
Market background
There were 102,300 tourist visits from South Korea to Ontario in 2019. On average, South Korean tourists stayed 18 nights per overnight visit, second to China for the longest average length of stay of Ontario’s overseas markets.
Visitors from South Korea spent a total of $139.1 million in 2019, an average of $1,360 per visit, 6.1 times more than the average spend per visit in Ontario.
Trip characteristics
The largest share of tourist visits from South Korea was taken for pleasure (38%), and the largest share of tourist visits happened in summer (38%).
The top trip activities included going to a restaurant, bar or club (94%), shopping (85%) and sightseeing (77%).
Further resources
United Kingdom
Market background
The United Kingdom remained Ontario’s largest source country for overseas visits in 2019, with 459,500 total tourist visits. On average, tourists from the UK stayed 10 nights per overnight Ontario visit.
Visitors from the UK spent a total of $744.7 million in 2019, an average of $1,621 per visit, 7.3 times more than the average spend per visit in Ontario.
Trip characteristics
Most tourist visits from the United Kingdom to Ontario were taken to visit friends or relatives (41%) or for pleasure (38%) in 2019. The largest share (46%) of tourist visits occurred in the summer.
The top trip activities included going to a restaurant, bar or club (90%), sightseeing (76%) and shopping (70%).
Further resources
Source: The information on this page is sourced from Statistics Canada’s National Travel Survey and Visitor Travel Survey. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Statistics Canada's travel survey collection operations, detailed statistics about overseas travellers to Ontario for 2020–2023 are not available. It is anticipated that statistics for 2024 will become available in 2026.
Last updated: February 26, 2025