Travel, tourism sectors set for major recovery this year — but business spending lags

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Last year, spending from overseas travellers bound for Canada ballooned by 64 per cent to $23 billion, the report said. Council president Julia Simpson said the trend is likely to continue, bringing the expected total this year closer to 2019’s $43 billion. The recovery from COVID-19 is far from complete, as inflation and labour shortages gnaw at profit margins and growth.

Beth Potter, who heads the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, said she expects domestic tourism spending to match pre-pandemic levels this year, but overseas visitors may not reach that peak until 2025. Business-related tourism likely won’t fully recover until 2026, she said. “Most of these businesses took on debt during the pandemic through things like the CEBA loan,” Potter said, referring to the federal government’s Canada Emergency Business Account for small businesses. The loans of up to $60,000 were interest-free, but will carry a five per cent interest rate starting Jan. 1, 2024.

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