2003 was a grim year for the tourism industry worldwide but Canada was particularly afflicted by the downturn in travel. As well as external factors such as the Iraq war, which curbed travel from the United States, the country was plagued by a litany of internal disasters - two outbreaks of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Toronto, a case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BCE) in Western Canada, forest fires and an energy blackout in Ontario (the biggest ever in North America) at the height of the summer season.

In response, tourism officials and various levels of government have poured millions of dollars into promotional and advertising campaigns to get the travel industry back on its feet. In Ontario especially, these various initiatives, launched under the umbrella of the CDN$96.3 million Ontario Destination Revitalization Program, are showing positive results.

Preliminary figures for 2004 indicate that hotel vacancy rates are up, as are international air arrivals at Pearson International Airport, which last year opened a new terminal building to handle the over 24 million passengers annually that pass through its doors. By the end of October, 12.3 million Americans had visited Canada, an increase of 6.7% over the same period in 2003.

Each Country report offers industry professionals the chance to clearly evaluate tourism prospects in a particular market. Combining the latest tourism data from the most authoritative sources and Mintel’s own unique, independent analysis, it provides a level of market-explanation that can help create focused marketing and shape effective tourism policy at the highest level.