1. Ontario Sport Tourism Statistics 2015
Fall 2017

2. This report summarizes key characteristics of visitors and visitor spending of trips in Ontario which included: Attend a sports event as a spectator and/or Play individual or team sports 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 Sport and total trip statistics. Since total trips equals 100, an index of 105 indicates Sport is 5% higher than total, similarly an index of 90 signifies Sport is 10% lower than total. Index Interpretation less than 80 Sport trips underdeveloped versus total trips Sport trips similar to total trips greater than 120 Sport trips overdeveloped versus total trips 2

3. Visits and Spending
Region
Visits
(millions)
Visitor Spending
($ billions)
Ontario Total
141.9
25.4
Ontario Sport
8.5
2.6
Ontario Sport proportion of Ontario Total
6.0%
10.4%
In 2015, there were 8.5 million Sport visits in Ontario, representing 6.0% of total visits in Ontario
Sport visitors spent $2.6 billion, accounting for 10.4% 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. Sport and Total Visits by Origin
Sport vs. Total
Visit Index
Ontario 96
U.S. 78
Other Canada
158
Overseas
218
Ontario residents accounted for the majority of Sport (82%) and total (86%) visits
U.S. visitors accounted for 6% of Sport visits compared to 8% of total visits
Visitors from Other Canada comprised 7% of Sport visits and 5% of total visits
Overseas visitors accounted for 4% of Sport 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. Sport and Total Spending by Origin
Sport vs. Total
Spending Index
Ontario 87
U.S. 88
Other Canada
131
Overseas
127
Ontario residents accounted for 48% of Sport and 55% of total spending
U.S. visitors accounted for 13% of Sport spending compared to 14% of total spending
Visitors from Other Canada comprised 12% of Sport spending and 9% of total spending
Overseas visitors accounted for 28% of Sport 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 Sport Visitors by Region of Residence
Sport vs. Total
Visits from Ontario Index
Reg 1
139
Reg 2
141
Reg 3
100
Reg 4
105
Reg 5 78
Reg 6 89
Reg 7 87
Reg 8 52
Reg 9
129
Reg 10
113
Reg 11 77
Reg 12
272
Reg 13 92
17% Sport visitors from Ontario are from Region 5 compared to 22% of total visits, 16% from Region 1 (12% total visits), and 12% from Region 6 (14% total visits)
Note: Ontario origin Sport visitors represented 82% (7.0 million) of visits and 48% ($1.3 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 Sport Visitors by Province of ResidenceBC 5%
(7%)
Sport visits
(Total visits) AB 6%
(7%) SK 3%
(2%) MB 7%
(10%) QC
68%
(66%)
NL/NB/NS/PE
12%
(8%)
68% of Other Canada Sport visitors came from Quebec, compared to 66% of total visits
Note: Other Canada Sport visitors represented 7% (620,000) of visits and 12% ($316 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. Sport Visitors by Region of Residence
Sport visits
(Total visits)
Mountain 4%
(2%)
West North Central 4%
(5%)
East North Central
25%
(39%)
New England 5%
(4%)
Mid Atlantic
39%
(36%)
Pacific, Alaska, Hawaii 7%
(3%)
South Atlantic
12%
(8%)
South Central 5%
(3%)
39% of U.S. Sport visitors came from Mid Atlantic states (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania) and 25% from East North Central states (Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin)
Note: U.S. Sport visitors represented 6% (539,000) of visits and 13% ($333 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 8

9. Overseas Sport Visitors by Country of Residence
Ontario’s 9 overseas target markets represent 57% of overseas Sport visitors versus 54% of total overseas visits
Note: Overseas Sport visitors represented 4% (336,000) of visits and 28% ($731 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 9

10. Destination – Sport Visits by Region
Sport vs. Total
Destination Index
Reg 1 88
Reg 2
108
Reg 3
125
Reg 4 97
Reg 5
115
Reg 6
111
Reg 7 85
Reg 8
136
Reg 9 99
Reg 10
148
Reg 11 74
Reg 12 75
Reg 13 67
23% of Sport visits took place in Region 5 compared to 20% of total visits, 10% in Region 2 (9% total), and 10% in Region 1 (11% 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. Sport Visits by Length of Stay
Sport vs. Total
Length of Stay Index
Same-day 85
Overnight
126
Avg # nights
128
The majority (54%) of Sport visits were same-day visits. For comparison, 64% of total visits in Ontario were same-day visits
The average number of nights spent on Sport visits was 4.0, 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. Sport $/Trip by Length of Stay
Sport vs. Total
$/Trip Index
Total
173
Same-day
147
Overnight
153
Sport visitors spent an average of $310/trip ($179/trip for total trips)
Total trip spending, not just spending on Sport
Source: Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of the Residents of Canada and International Travel Survey 2015; Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

13. Sport Spending by Category
Sport vs. Ontario
Spending Index
Transportation 89
Accommodation
115
Food & Beverage
103
Rec./Entertain.
143
Retail/Other 78
The largest proportions of expenditures were spent on Transportation (32% Sport, 36% total), Food & Beverage (28% Sport, 27% total) and Accommodations (19% Sport, 17% total)
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 Sport Visitors
Activity
Sport Visit Participation
Index vs Total
Sports Events
68%
1662
Any Outdoor/Sports Activity
39%
226
Play a sport
35%
Visit Friends or Relatives 9% 27
Sightseeing
143
Shopping 8% 92
Historic Sites
249
Museums/Art Galleries
284
Festivals/Fairs 7%
257
Restaurant or bar
107
Activity
Sport Visit Participation
Index vs Total
Cultural Performances 7%
165
Visit a beach 6%
134
Zoos/Aquariums/Botanical Gardens 5%
343
Hiking
115
Casinos
180
National/Provincial Nature Parks
163
Wildlife/Bird watching 4%
190
Camping
131
Boating
100
Canoeing 3%
142
Activity
Sport Visit Participation
Index vs Total
Fishing 3% 87
Cycling 2%
169
Theme Parks
144
Movies
189
Golfing 1%
114
Skiing/Snowboarding
128
Business Meeting/Conference/Seminar 19
Cross-country Skiing
215
Hunting
130
Indigenous
295
ATV 0%
156
Sport visitors mainly attended a sports event as a spectator or played individual or team sports
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 Sport Visit
Sport vs. Total
Purpose Index
Pleasure
189
VFR 43
Business 46
Other 92
VFR: Visiting Friends and / or Relatives
Most trips were pleasure trips (67% 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. Sport Visits by Accommodation Type
Sport vs. Total
Type Index
Private 78
Commercial
135
Campground 85
35% of overnight Sport visits were spent at commercial accommodations compared to 26% of total visits
4% of overnight Sport 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. Sport Visits by Time of Year
Sport vs. Total
Quarter Index
Jan-Mar
115
Apr-Jun 91
Jul-Sept
106
Oct-Dec 88
The largest proportion of trips occur in Jul-Sep (33% Sport vs 31% total) however trips are spread out throughout the year
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. Sport Visits by Gender
Sport vs. Total
Gender Index
Male
112
Female 86
Males made the majority (60%) of Sport visits. For comparison, 54% of total visits in Ontario were among male 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. Sport Visits by Party Size
Sport vs. Total
Party Size Index
1 person 78
2 persons 93
3+ persons
146
Avg party size
124
With children
225
Avg Party Size
With children % %
35% of Sport visits were among groups of 3 or more people compared to 24% of total visits
28% of Sport visits included children versus 12% 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 19

20. Domestic Sport Visitor’s Income
Sport vs. Total
Income Index
< $50 K 75
$50 K- $75 K 78
$75 K - $100 K 96
$100 K+
136
49% of Canadian Sport visitors in Ontario had a 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 Sport Visitor’s Education
Sport vs. Ontario
Education Index
< High School 73
High School 98
Some post-secondary
109
University degree 96
31% of Canadian Sport 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. Sport Summary
In 2015, there were 8.5 million Sport visits in Ontario, representing 6.0% of total visits in Ontario. Sport visitors spent $2.6 billion, or 10.4% of total visitor spending in Ontario.
Ontario residents accounted for 82% of visits and 48% of spending, residents of Other Canada accounted for 7% of visits and 12% of spending, U.S. visitors represented 6% of visits and 13% of expenditures, and overseas visitors accounted for 4% of visits and 28% of spending
17% Sport visitors from Ontario are from Region 5 compared to 22% of total visits, 16% from Region 1 (12% total visits), and 12% from Region 6 (14% total visits)
23% of Sport visits took place in Region 5 compared to 20% of total visits, 10% in Region 2 (9% total), and 10% in Region 1 (11% total)

23. Sport Summary
The majority (54%) of Sport visits were same-day visits. For comparison, 64% of total visits in Ontario were same-day visits. The average number of nights spent on Sport visits was 4.0, above Ontario’s average of 3.2 nights
Sport visitors spent an average of $310/trip ($179/trip for total trips)
The largest proportions of expenditures were spent on Transportation (32% Sport, 36% total), Food & Beverage (28% Sport, 27% total) and Accommodations (19% Sport, 17% total)
Sport visitors mainly attended a sports event as a spectator or played individual or team sports
Most trips were pleasure trips (67% compared to 35% of total trips)

24. Sport Summary
35% of overnight Sport visits were spent at commercial accommodations compared to 26% of total visits. 4% of overnight Sport visits were spent in camping/RV facilities versus 5% of total visits
The largest proportion of trips occur in Jul-Sep (33% Sport vs 31% total) however trips are spread out throughout the year
35% of Sport visits were among groups of 3 or more people compared to 24% of total visits. 28% of Sport visits included children versus 12% of total visits
49% of Canadian Sport visitors in Ontario had a household income greater than $100,000 compared to 36% of total visitors
31% of Canadian Sport visitors in Ontario had a university degree compared with 32% of total visits