Definitions and Concepts: 

1. Border Crossings 

The total number of non-residents entering Canada or residents returning to Canada through Ontario’s international ports of entry. 

The international border-crossings to Ontario are not equal to the international visits to the province as they 

a) Do not include visitors to Ontario who enter Canada through other provincial ports and 

b) Include international visitors to Canada who clear customs in Ontario but do not visit the province. 

In addition, commuters and those who visit Ontario for educational purposes are also included in the border-crossings. Border crossings are used only as indicators of current performance. Visits in Ontario come from two surveys conducted by Statistics Canada with a lag from the reference period of about 8 months: the Travel Survey of Residents of Canada and the International Travel Survey. 

2. Economic Impact of Tourism 

The impact on jobs, GDP and taxes associated with the spending of travellers in an area. Not all of the impacts are retained within the area of spending since part of these benefits will leak out into other regions in the form of imports. 

2.1 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) 

Value of goods and services produced by labour and capital located within a country (or region), regardless of nationality of labour or ownership. 

Direct Impact 

The impact that the tourism expenditures generate on tourism front-line businesses (or tourism-related 

sectors). 

Indirect Impact 

The impact resulting from the expansion of demand from tourism front-line businesses or tourism-related sectors, to other businesses or sectors. 

Induced Impact 

The impact associated with the re-spending of labour income and/or profits earned in the industries that serve travellers directly and indirectly. 

3. Jobs generated by tourism 

Include full-time, part-time, seasonal employment, as well as both employed and self-employed. 

Federal tax revenues 

Include personal income taxes, corporate income taxes, commodity taxes (HST) and payroll deductions that are collected by the federal government. 

Provincial tax revenues 

Include personal income taxes, corporate income taxes, commodity taxes (HST, gasoline tax, fuel tax and tobacco tax), and employer health tax that are collected by the Ontario provincial government. 

Municipal tax revenues 

Include business and personal property taxes that are collected by the municipalities. 

4. Person Trip 

According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO), “Tourism comprises the activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes” (World Tourism Organization (WTO) - Recommendations on Tourism Statistics). 

Domestic Trip 

Domestic trip is defined as travel to a Canadian destination and originating in Canada. 

Domestic Trips qualifying as “touristic” 

In Canada, for a domestic trip to be part of tourism it has to be an “out-of-town” trip and, in addition, for same day trips it has to be 40 Kms one-way from the traveller’s home. The trip may have been taken from any reason except for: 

travelling to and from work or school (i.e. commuting); 

moving to a new residence; 

travelling as a member of the operating crew of buses, aeroplanes, boats, etc; 

travelling for regular shopping; 

travelling for a routine visit to the doctor; 

travelling to a hospital inside an ambulance; 

travelling for a routine sales or service call; 

travelling on diplomatic or military orders; 

routine travel to attend a religious ceremony; 

travelling to go to a funeral; and 

to pick up or drop someone else off 

International Trip 

An international trip is defined by Statistics Canada as travel for less than 12 months for any reason by anybody except: immigrants, refuges, former residents, military personnel, diplomats and dependants and crews, arriving or returning to Canada who are cleared through a Customs and Immigration point of entry. 

In addition to the restrictions imposed in the above definitions, Ontario excludes the following types of international travellers: commuters to work; and 

Visitors whose main trip purpose is to study and stayed in Canada 75 or more nights. 

Person visit 

All persons on a trip may visit more than one area. A visit in an area constitutes a person visit in that area. The total of person-visits to Ontario’s census divisions (or travel regions) are greater than the person-visits to the province since more than one census divisions (or travel region) may be visited during a provincial visit. 

5. Tourism Receipts 

Tourism receipts include the spending of visitors in the province as well as the spending of Canadian residents in Ontario for trips that take them outside the province with no corresponding visit in Ontario. In addition, tourism receipts also include the commissions and fees earned by the travel arrangements businesses that are located in Ontario. 

6. Tourism front-line businesses or tourism-related industries 

The businesses or industries that sell products and services directly to travellers, e.g. accommodations, restaurants, recreations, travel agents, transportation and retail enterprises etc. Although these industries or businesses supply the goods and services consumed by travellers, they also supply goods and services consumed by non-travellers. As such, not all of these businesses’ or industries’ revenues and jobs are attributable to tourism. 

The Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport classify the following industries at NAICS 6 digit level as the tourism related sectors. The North American Industry Classication System (NAICS) was developed in 1997 by three North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) trading partners to classify businesses throughout three countries according to their activities. Below is the accommodation listing. 

Accommodation 

NAICS 721111 - Hotels 

NAICS 721112 - Motor Hotels 

NAICS 721113 - Resorts 

NAICS 721114 - Motels 

NAICS 721120 - Casino Hotels 

NAICS 721191 - Bed and Breakfast 

NAICS 721192 - Housekeeping Cottages and Cabins 

NAICS 721198 - All Other Traveller Accommodation 

NAICS 721211 - RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Campgrounds 

NAICS 721212 - Hunting and Fishing Camps 

NAICS 721213 - Recreational (except hunting and fishing) 

7. Travel Price Index 

TPI is an indicator that measures the inflation rate of the cost of purchasing travel-related goods and services in Ontario (e.g. accommodation, transportation, food/beverage, recreation, retail, etc.). 

The Ontario Travel Price Index is based on the travel-related components of Ontario’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) released monthly by Statistics Canada. To derive the Travel Price Index, the prices of these components are weighted and aggregated according to their proportions in the total tourism expenditures in Ontario. 

Reference: www.mtc.gov.on.ca