Canada’s business tourism is in the midst of a boom, reports Meetings Mean Business Canada (MMBC), the leading advocacy voice of the Canadian meetings and business events sector. And that means an opportunity for the travel trade.
Indeed, the sector, which contributes $47B a year to host markets across the country, is outperforming the broader national economy by five to six percent, enroute to generating a projected $140 billion in annual visitor spend, the MMBC says.
And as this influx of conference attendees reaps economic dividends for both major cities and smaller destinations, it’s also engendering a rapid shift in the demographic shift in the type of traveller that comes to Canada – while encouraging visitors to experience the country in a completely novel way.
“It’s the rise of the business traveller,” says Bradley Sutherland, Chair of MMBC and Air Canada’s Director of Business Development. “These business events are attracting a very desirable type of visitor, higher-yielding and higher value. They stay longer, and they spend more, across diverse industries like transportation, dining, and accommodations. In contrast to a traditional leisure traveller, they have a far larger impact.”
The value of these travellers often extends beyond their in-destination spend. As thought leaders and innovation catalysts, business travellers attending a convention in their sector are more likely to invest in Canada once they become personally familiar with the country’s talent and expertise. Often, these travellers become expert advocates for Canada abroad.
The heart of the boom, however, can be attributed to a much more broadly observable trend in the greater tourism industry: the explosive growth of “bleisure” travel, as international work cultures continue to adapt and evolve.
“A unique property of this valuable business traveller is that they can also become leisure travellers,” continues Sutherland. “It doesn’t really work in the reverse, but someone visiting a destination anyway for business almost invariably takes the time to explore it on their own terms. We see these travellers often fall in love with the destination, stay longer, and then return with family and friends for repeat visits.”
For more about Canada’s business events industry, visit https://meetingsmeanbusiness.ca/.
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