Alberta’s tourism industry smashed records in 2023

Tourism is Alberta’s number one service export sector, bringing jobs, dollars and prosperity into the province’s economy. The 2023 tourism indicators make it clear: investments made by Alberta’s government in the province’s tourism sector are paying off. According to the latest data from Statistics Canada, in 2023 visitors spent $12.7 billion in Alberta, surpassing 2022’s record-setting $10.7 billion by nearly 20 per cent.

In addition, international visitor spending surpassed pre-pandemic levels, injecting $2.9 billion into Alberta’s economy in 2023. This is an increase of more than 25 per cent from the previous high of $2.3 billion in 2019.

“This past February, Alberta’s government launched a long-term tourism strategy, setting the bold and ambitious goal of growing Alberta’s visitor economy from $10 billion in annual visitor expenditure to $25 billion annually by 2035,” said Joseph Schow, Minister of Tourism and Sport. “The strength of Alberta’s tourism industry—as demonstrated by our record-breaking year—show that the strategy is working. We are well on our way to reaching our goal.”

Alberta’s tourism strategy focuses on the five key pillars of leadership and alignment, competitive product, people and careers, expansion of access and Indigenous tourism to drive the province’s visitor economy to new heights. Travel Alberta, the province’s destination management organization, is key to the tourism strategy.

Notably, Travel Alberta’s investments in growth projects drove $155 million in total economic impact, creating jobs across the province. The organization also secured more than 300,000 direct airline seats to Alberta from international and transborder target markets, yielding nearly $11 in visitor spending for every dollar invested.

“This continued growth demonstrates that our strategies to develop and promote Alberta’s tourism sector are yielding strong results,” said Jon Mamela, Chief Commercial Officer of Travel Alberta. “Together, in partnership with the thousands of hardworking Albertans that make up the tourism industry, we’re building world-class destinations that support long-term prosperity for communities across the province.”

-Province of Alberta Release