Visitors to Alberta spent $12.7B in 2023, breaking previous record

People gather at Banff Vanue. (Courtesy: X/@Banff_Town)

Alberta's tourism sector broke its previous record for visitor spending last year.

According to Statistics Canada, visitors spent $12.9 billion in Alberta in 2023, exceeding the previous record of $10.7 billion set in 2022 by nearly 20 per cent.

Last year's international visitor spending also broke its previous record set in 2019 by 25 per cent; 2023 saw an increase of $2.9 billion from 2019's $2.3 billion.

"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, the tourism and sport minister.

"We are well on our way to reaching our goal," he added.

While this year's tourism spending numbers are not yet released, it's important to note that Jasper National Park was closed for two months due to wildfires which could have an impact on 2024's visitor spending numbers.