China

Market Background

Reaching a record of 682,000 arrivals to Canada in 2017, up 12% over 2016, China was Canada's largest source of tourist arrivals from the Asia-Pacific region and Destination Canada’s second largest overseas market.

Travelling mostly during the peak travel months of July and August, Chinese tourists spend on average almost $2,400 per trip to Canada, staying for around 31 nights. About 41% of these trips are for the purpose of visiting friends and family, and 25% for pleasure and recreation. Chinese tourists are more likely to travel with children to Canada than the average international visitor, representing 15% of Chinese arrivals.

Nearly all Chinese visitors consult a travel agent for their trip to Canada, either for research or booking. However, flights and accommodations are booked most often through an online booking engine. 

Chinese travellers visited Ontario most often, with Niagara Falls and Ottawa taking the top destination spots. They tend to favour travelling in the summer months, citing ‘poor weather’ as a barrier to visiting Canada when asked about travel in the winter.

2018 is also the Canada-China Year of Tourism, an initiative intended to create closer ties between Chinese and Canadian citizens.