New report finds tourism provided billions for local economy in 2023

Ottawa Tourism released its 2023 Economic Impact Study earlier this month, which found the city’s tourism industry provided $3.1 billion for the local economy in 2023.

The new report is Ottawa Tourism’s first economic study since 2018, revealing the sector has gained momentum after the COVID-19 pandemic. While tourism has not returned to 2019 levels, visitor spending has increased and the city’s tourism industry is on an upward trajectory, it notes.

Tourism in the nation’s capital attracted 9.8 million visitors in 2023, who spent an estimated $2.6 billion in total tourism expenditures in the region. Spending included accommodations, activities, and entertainment, Tourism Ottawa added.

Additionally, the study found that local tourism supported an estimated 24,570 jobs, earning $1 billion in wages and salaries.

Direct employment — at businesses where visitors purchase goods or services — generated approximately $1.5 billion in GDP and an estimated $3.1 billion in direct economic output in Ontario, the study found.

While the tourism industry supports a variety of local businesses, the largest sector in 2023 was food and beverage, followed by transportation.

In comparison to other sectors of Ottawa’s economy in 2023, the tourism industry employed more than the city’s transportation, warehousing, manufacturing and wholesale trade industries.

According to the data, the visitor economy employs an estimated 35,390 people, annually.

The report notes that the industry expects continued growth. This comes as flights and direct routes to the Ottawa International Airport increased, as well as major events selected to take place in the nation’s capital, including the World Junior Hockey Championships at the end of the year.