by Natasha Lair
Last updated: 9:20 AM ET, Tue August 26, 2025
Domestic travel across Canada rose sharply in the first half of 2025, with bookings in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan climbing more than 20% year-over-year, according to Airbnb.
“The vast majority of bookings in Canada were already domestic, so to see a surge this big is especially significant,” said Hannah Parish, Airbnb’s country manager for Canada.
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“Canadians are continuing to explore their own country, and that’s delivering real economic benefits for hosts, small businesses, and communities nationwide. Domestic travel is becoming a lasting part of our identity, and Canadian hosts are helping make that possible in communities of all sizes.”
Domestic Travel Surge Led by Four Provinces
The gains were broad-based, with 12 out of 13 provinces and territories seeing growth this year. Smaller towns and rural communities also attracted more visitors.
Newfoundland and Labrador benefited from the Canada Summer Games (August 9–24, 2025), which was projected to bring in more than 4,000 athletes and thousands of spectators to the province.
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Recent Statistics Canada data shows Canadian tourism spending reached $21.3 billion in the first quarter of 2025, up 0.8% from Q4 2024. The increase was mainly driven by domestic spending on accommodation services (+5.1%), food and beverage services (+2.5%), and non-tourism products (+2.2%).
Tourism Jobs on the Rise
Tourism HR Canada reported that the industry added around 80,000 jobs in July 2025, a 3.7% increase from June and 2.8% higher than a year earlier.
Tourism labour market report (Photo Credit: Tourism HR Canada)
Provincial unemployment in the tourism sector stood at 5.3% in Newfoundland and Labrador, 3.2% in P.E.I., and 2.6% in Saskatchewan, reflecting relatively strong employment conditions across the provinces.
“Given the strong economic headwinds facing the economy and the decrease in visitors from the United States, domestic interest in travel seems to be enough to sustain the demand side of the equation, at least for the time being,” Tourism HR Canada noted.
Tourism performance snapshot (Photo Credit: Tourism HR Canada)
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International travel is also on the rise, particularly to destinations outside the United States. Airbnb reported a nearly double-digit increase in non-U.S. international bookings compared with the same period in 2024, with double-digit growth to Japan, Brazil, the Philippines, France, Thailand, and Mexico.
Top trending international destinations for Canadians in 2025 include Sumida, Naniwa Ward, and Nakano in Japan; Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in Brazil; Casablanca, Morocco; Paris, France; and beach destinations such as Los Cabos and Bahia de Banderas, Mexico.
Read the full Canadian tourism labour market report here.
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