Tourism Economic Impact Study shines light on breadth of visitor economy’s impact

Photo credit: Siolocke via Wikipedia Commons

Tourism is a major economic driver for any city. Whether you're in the mood to eat, drink or explore, our nation's capital is a tourist hotspot with a plethora of things to see and do including Canadian heritage sites, culinary experiences, festival, museums and more!

Ottawa Tourism recently released its Economic Impact Study, to measure the contribution of Ottawa businesses, attractions, and events involved in tourism to Ottawa’s overall economy. According to the study, Ottawa welcomes an estimated 11 million visitors each year who significantly contribute to the region’s economy through annual visitor spending of more than $2.2 billion in sectors such as food/beverage, retail, ground transportation and other travel related expenditures.

“When visitors bring their out-of-town money into Ottawa, they are pumping dollars into our region's economy through their patronage of local businesses and services who rely on tourism, and through tax revenues that go toward community amenities and services that would otherwise be paid for solely by resident dollars,” explains Michael Crockatt, President & CEO of Ottawa Tourism.

The importance of Ottawa’s tourism economy is highlighted in the study conducted by InterVISTAS Consulting through four measures: employment in the tourism sector, wages, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) due to tourism, and economic output.

The findings conclude that the visitor economy is a major employment generator and boosts the region’s economy through the ongoing operations and activities of different businesses. To ensure a fair baseline for this result, InterVISTAS used 2016 data rather than 2017 statistics given the extraordinary year that Canada’s 150^th celebrations created.

“These findings confirm the importance of tourism to our city and to the residents of Ottawa. High-quality visitor-oriented experiences, businesses, and events make this city better. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners to unlock the potential of the visitor economy and to enhance our community’s economic health," concludes Crockatt.

Economic Impact Study at a Glance:

About Ottawa Tourism

Ottawa Tourism provides destination development and marketing, strategic direction, and leadership in cooperation with members and partners to service the travel media and attract visitors, tours and conventions to Ottawa and Canada’s Capital Region. Its vision is to offer the complete capital experience, tell the story of Canada and get people talking.