More Canadians are visiting Britain – and spending – than
ever before, according to the latest official statistics highlighted by Britain’s national tourism
agency, VisitBritain.
"We are so excited that Canada has smashed that ‘magic million’ for visits to Britain," said VisitBritain Director Canada, Cathy Stapells in a press release.
"Together with our dedicated travel trade partners, we will continue to build demand and convert inspiration into bookings through our ‘See Things Differently’ campaign. Delivering more buzz for Britain is a focus on screen tourism and we continue to highlight the wealth of amazing film and TV locations to be visited throughout Britain.’
More than 1 million Canadians made the trip to Britain in 2023, up 12% over 2022 and an increase of 15% since 2019. Canadian visits have also delivered a record spend of £970 million
pounds ($1.7 billion CAD), up 4% from 2022 and an increase of 32% since 2019, according
to data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Visiting friends and relatives continued to
leads in terms of volume of visits from the Canadian market. In 2023, VFR represented 43%
of trips, with holidays sat slightly second with 40%. The holiday market represented a higher
spend (47%) versus VFR (35%). While overall spend from the Canadian market is up 12%
over 2022, spend per visit decreased slightly to £966 per visit in 2023, from £1,042 per night
in 2022. Average length of stay for inbound Canadian travellers in 2023 is 10 nights, 2.3
nights higher than the global average of 7.7 nights.
‘We are thrilled to see these record-breaking results from Canada. It’s clear that demand for
Britain continues to build with Canadians travelling to England, Scotland and Wales
throughout the year," said VisitBritain Executive Vice President, The Americas, Australia, & New Zealand, Paul Gauger. Our ‘See Britain Differently’ campaign continues to encourage visitors
to explore beyond Britain’s famous landmarks to experience a more unexpected side of
Britain through our arts & culture, food & drink and cities & countryside."
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