1. Ontario Cultural Tourism Statistics 2015
Fall 2017

2. This report summarizes key characteristics of visitors and visitor spending of trips in Ontario which included attending one or more of the following: Performance such as a play or concert Museum or Art Gallery Festival or Fair Historic Site Indigenous event (pow wow, performance, other) Data was sourced from Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey, Some slides include an index table which simplifies the comparison of Cultural and total trip statistics. Since total trips equals 100, an index of 105 indicates Cultural is 5% higher than total, similarly an index of 90 signifies Cultural is 10% lower than total. Index Interpretation less than 80 Cultural trips underdeveloped versus total trips Cultural trips similar to total trips greater than 120 Cultural trips overdeveloped versus total trips 2

3. Visits and Spending
Region
Visits
(millions)
Visitor Spending
($ billions)
Ontario Total
141.9
25.4
Ontario Cultural
12.7
7.1
Ontario Cultural proportion of Ontario Total
8.9%
28.1%
In 2015, there were 12.7 million Cultural visits in Ontario, representing 8.9% of total visits in Ontario
Cultural visitors spent $7.1 billion, accounting for 28.1% of total visitor spending in Ontario
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

4. Cultural and Total Visits by Origin
Cultural vs. Total
Visit Index
Ontario 64
U.S.
304
Other Canada
165
Overseas
721
Ontario residents accounted for the majority of Cultural (55%) and total (86%) visits
U.S. visitors accounted for 24% of Cultural visits compared to 8% of total visits
Visitors from Other Canada comprised 8% of Cultural visits and 5% of total visits
Overseas visitors accounted for 13% of Cultural visits and 2% of total visits
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

5. Cultural and Total Spending by Origin
Cultural vs. Total
Spending Index
Ontario 44
U.S.
136
Other Canada 90
Overseas
222
Ontario residents accounted for 24% of Cultural and 55% of total spending
U.S. visitors accounted for 21% of Cultural spending compared to 14% of total spending
Visitors from Other Canada comprised 8% of Cultural spending and 9% of total spending
Overseas visitors accounted for 48% of Cultural spending and 22% of total spending
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

6. Ontario Cultural Visitors by Region of Residence
Cultural vs. Total
Visits from Ontario Index
Reg 1
101
Reg 2 90
Reg 3
127
Reg 4 98
Reg 5 99
Reg 6
106
Reg 7
107
Reg 8 95
Reg 9 63
Reg 10
Reg 11
Reg 12 30
Reg 13 87
22% Cultural visitors from Ontario are from Region 5 compared to 22% of total visits, 14% from Region 6 (14% total visits), and 13% from Region 3 (11% total visits)
Note: Ontario origin Cultural visitors represented 55% (7 million) of visits and 24% ($1.7 B) of visitor spending
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport 6

7. Other Canada Cultural Visitors by Province of ResidenceBC 7%
(7%)
Cultural visits
(Total visits) AB 9%
(7%) SK 4%
(2%) MB 7%
(10%) QC
61%
(66%)
NL/NB/NS/PE
13%
(8%)
61% of Other Canada Cultural visitors came from Quebec, compared to 66% of total visits
Note: Other Canada Cultural visitors represented 8% (960,000) of visits and 8% ($583 M) of visitor spending
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport 7

8. U.S. Cultural Visitors by Region of Residence
Cultural visits
(Total visits)
Mountain 2%
(2%)
West North Central 4%
(5%)
East North Central
32%
(39%)
New England 5%
(4%)
Mid Atlantic
36%
(36%)
Pacific, Alaska, Hawaii 5%
(3%)
South Atlantic
12%
(8%)
South Central 4%
(3%)
36% of U.S. Cultural visitors came from Mid Atlantic states (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania) and 32% from East North Central states (Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin)
Note: U.S. Cultural visitors represented 24% (3.1 M) of visits and 20% ($1.4 B) of visitor spending
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport 8

9. Overseas Cultural Visitors by Country of Residence
Ontario’s 9 overseas target markets represent 54% of overseas Cultural visitors versus 54% of total overseas visits
Note: Overseas Cultural visitors represented 13% (1.6 M) of visits and 48% ($3.4 B) of visitor spending
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport 9

10. Destination – Cultural Visits by Region
Cultural vs. Total
Destination Index
Reg 1 71
Reg 2
287
Reg 3 63
Reg 4 93
Reg 5
166
Reg 6 31
Reg 7 79
Reg 8 88
Reg 9
112
Reg 10
199
Reg 11 89
Reg 12
Reg 13 66
34% of Cultural visits took place in Region 5 compared to 20% of total visits, 27% in Region 2 (9% total), and 13% in Region 10 (7% total)
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport 10

11. Cultural Visits by Length of Stay
Cultural vs. Total
Length of Stay Index
Same-day 36
Overnight
211
Avg # nights
158
The majority (77%) of Cultural visits were overnight visits. For comparison, 36% of total visits in Ontario were overnight visits
The average number of nights spent on Cultural visits was 5.0, above Ontario’s average of 3.2 nights
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

12. Cultural $/Trip by Length of Stay
Cultural vs. Total
$/Trip Index
Total
314
Same-day
183
Overnight
198
Cultural visitors spent an average of $563/trip ($179/trip for total trips)
Total trip spending, not just spending on Cultural
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

13. Cultural Spending by Category
Cultural vs. Ontario
Spending Index
Transportation
101
Accommodation
125
Food & Beverage 77
Rec./Entertain.
130
Retail/Other 96
The largest proportions of expenditures were spent on Transportation (36% Cultural, 36% total), Accommodations (21% Cultural, 17% total) and Food & Beverage (21% Cultural, 27% total)
Cultural visitors spent $569 million or 8% on cultural activities
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

14. Other Activities done by Cultural Visitors
Activity
Cultural Visit Participation
Index vs Total
Performance such as a play or concert
45%
1120
Historic Sites
37%
Museums/Art Galleries
31%
Festivals/Fairs
Any Outdoor/Sports Activity
24%
139
Visit Friends or Relatives 71
Sightseeing
23%
391
Shopping
21%
237
Restaurant or bar
20%
310
National/Provincial Nature Parks
14%
495
Activity
Cultural Visit Participation
Index vs Total
Hiking
11%
240
Casinos
10%
395
Zoos/Aquariums/Botanical Gardens
632
Visit a beach 9%
203
Wildlife/Bird watching 8%
340
Sports Events 7%
177
Boating
172
Camping 5%
141
Canoeing 4%
191
Theme Parks
317
Activity
Cultural Visit Participation
Index vs Total
Fishing 3% 99
Cycling
275
Play a sport
141
Golfing
196
Movies 2%
255
Business Meeting/Conference/Seminar 50
Indigenous
1120
Cross-country Skiing 1%
181
Medical/Dental appointment 0% 32
Hunting 90
Skiing/Snowboarding 55
Cultural visitors participate in a variety of activities with 45% attending a performance such as a play or concert, 37% visiting a historic site, 31% visiting a museum/art gallery, and 31% went to a festival/fair
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

15. Main Purpose of Cultural Visit
Cultural vs. Total
Purpose Index
Pleasure
157
VFR 65
Business 66
Other 92
VFR: Visiting Friends and / or Relatives
Most trips were pleasure trips (55% compared to 35% of total trips)
Other includes shopping, medical, religious, hobby/trade show, etc.
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

16. Cultural Visits by Accommodation Type
Cultural vs. Total
Type Index
Private 83
Commercial
120
Campground 66
31% of overnight Cultural visits were spent at commercial accommodations compared to 26% of total visits
4% of overnight Cultural visits were spent in camping/RV facilities versus 5% of total visits
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

17. Cultural Visits by Time of Year
Cultural vs. Total
Quarter Index
Jan-Mar 55
Apr-Jun
111
Jul-Sept
135
Oct-Dec 80
The largest proportion of trips occur in Jul-Sep (42% Cultural vs 31% total)
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport 17

18. Cultural Visits by Gender
Cultural vs. Total
Gender Index
Male 90
Female
111
Females made the majority (52%) of Cultural visits. For comparison, 46% of total visits in Ontario were among female visitors
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

19. Cultural Visits by Party Size
Cultural vs. Total
Party Size Index
1 person 77
2 persons
114
3+ persons
115
Avg party size
112
With children 99
Avg Party Size
With children % %
43% of Cultural visits were among groups of 2 people compared to 38% of total visits
12% of Cultural visits included children similar to total visits
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport 19

20. Domestic Cultural Visitor’s Income
Cultural vs. Total
Income Index
< $50 K 88
$50 K- $75 K
102
$75 K - $100 K 99
$100 K+
105
38% of Canadian Cultural visitors in Ontario had an household income greater than $100,000 compared to 36% of total visitors
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

21. Domestic Cultural Visitor’s Education
Cultural vs. Ontario
Education Index
< High School 86
High School 85
Some post-secondary 88
University degree
127
41% of Canadian Cultural visitors in Ontario had a university degree compared with 32% of total visits
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

22. Cultural Summary
In 2015, there were 12.7 million Cultural visits in Ontario, representing 8.9% of total visits in Ontario. Cultural visitors spent $7.1 billion, accounting for 28.1% of total visitor spending in Ontario.
Ontario residents accounted for 55% of visits and 24% of spending, residents of Other Canada accounted for 8% of visits and 8% of spending, U.S. visitors represented 24% of visits and 21% of expenditures, and overseas visitors accounted for 13% of visits and 48% of spending.
22% Cultural visitors from Ontario are from Region 5 compared to 22% of total visits, 14% from Region 6 (14% total visits), and 13% from Region 3 (11% total visits).
34% of Cultural visits took place in Region 5 compared to 20% of total visits, 27% in Region 2 (9% total), and 13% in Region 10 (7% total).

23. Cultural Summary
The majority (77%) of Cultural visits were overnight visits. For comparison, 36% of total visits in Ontario were overnight visits. The average number of nights spent on Cultural visits was 5.0, above Ontario’s average of 3.2 nights.
Cultural visitors spent an average of $563/trip ($179/trip for total trips).
The largest proportions of expenditures were spent on Transportation (36% Cultural, 36% total), Accommodations (21% Cultural, 17% total) and Food & Beverage (21% Cultural, 27% total). Cultural visitors spent $569 million or 8% on cultural activities.
Cultural visitors participate in a variety of activities with 45% attending a performance such as a play or concert, 37% visiting a historic site, 31% visiting a museum/art gallery, and 31% went to a festival/fair.
Most trips were pleasure trips (55% compared to 39% of total trips).

24. Cultural Summary
31% of overnight Cultural visits were spent at commercial accommodations compared to 26% of total visits. 4% of overnight Cultural visits were spent in camping/RV facilities versus 5% of total visits.
The largest proportion of trips occur in Jul-Sep (42% Cultural vs 31% total).
43% of Cultural visits were among groups of 2 people compared to 38% of total visits. 12% of Cultural visits included children similar to total visits
38% of Canadian Cultural visitors in Ontario had an household income greater than $100,000 compared to 36% of total visitors.
41% of Canadian Cultural visitors in Ontario had a university degree compared with 32% of total visits.