The world wants more Alberta. From the majestic Rocky Mountains to the rolling prairies, the province's dynamic landscape, warm hospitality and unique experiences leave every traveller with an everlasting sense of adventure and wonder. As the province continues to build on its reputation as the best place in the world to live, visit and play, travellers are choosing to explore all that Alberta has to offer.
Through Travel Alberta, Alberta’s government is investing in the tourism operators and international marketing strategies that attract international travelers who spend more, stay longer and explore more parts of the province. This investment is propelling Alberta’s visitor economy to another record year, with international visitor spending having more than recovered past pre-pandemic levels, reaching $2.53 billion within just the first three quarters of 2023, compared to $2.28 billion for all of 2019.
“There is no debate: Alberta is a premier destination for international travellers, and the demand to visit our province has never been higher. Increased visitor spending bolsters activity at local businesses and creates jobs not just in Edmonton and Calgary but across Alberta.”
Air access is critical to ensuring Alberta’s tourism spending continues to grow, and Travel Alberta has been central in building that air access. Through its strategic investments, Travel Alberta has focused on growing service to new and existing international routes from Asia, Europe and the United States to generate the greatest return on investment for the province’s visitor economy. This collaboration with airline partners in the province is on track to generate more than $6 in visitor spending for every dollar invested in inbound air-route capacity.
“As a primarily fly-to destination for many visitors, Travel Alberta is thrilled to see investment in the Air Access Program has resulted in the strong growth of tourism spending from international travellers to Alberta during the first three quarters of 2023. We look forward to continuing these efforts to expand air access to the province, sharing more of our beautiful backyard with the world.”
Through Alberta’s recently launched, long-term provincial tourism strategy, the province will continue its work with airline partners to bolster the passenger air sector. Through the creation of new routes and an increase in frequency from major international markets, Alberta will be on track to reach its bold and ambitious goal of growing the province's visitor economy to $25 billion in yearly visitor expenditures by 2035.
Quick facts
- Statistics Canada determines spending from people traveling from international countries through their Visitor Travel Survey. There is a lag of approximately six months between data collection and publication of the data.
Related information
Related news
- Growing Alberta’s visitor economy (Feb. 14, 2024)
- Supporting new adventures in Alberta (Jan. 23, 2024)
- Tourism spending recovers two years ahead of schedule (Nov. 17, 2023)