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December 02, 2025VISITOR TRAVEL SURVEY, Q2 2025 Year-over-year (Q2 2025 vs Q2 2024)
International visitors to Nova Scotia spent $160.5 million in Q2 2025. Expenditures by visitors from the US were the majority, accounting for 57.0% of total visitor spending in Nova Scotia. International visitor expenditures were down 15.6% from the same period in 2024, the second largest decline among provinces. Across Canada, international visitor expenditures were up 10.3% with gains in six provinces. Manitoba reported the largest gain and Prince Edward Island reported the largest decline in international visitor expenditures.
Other types of expenditures reported the only gain while the other five categories reported declines led by recreation/entertainment and clothes/gifts in Q2 2025 compared to Q2 2024.
Year-to-date (Q1-Q2 2025 vs Q1-Q2 2024)
International visitor expenditures in Nova Scotia declined 12.9% in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2024. Nationally, visitor expenditure increased 9.0% in the first half of 2025 with gains in five provinces. Manitoba had the largest gain in international visitor expenditures and Prince Edward Island posted the largest decline.
Other types of expenditures reported the only gain while the other five categories reported declines led by recreation/entertainment and clothes/gifts in Q1-Q2 2025 compared to Q1-Q2 2024.
Note: during the pandemic, Visitor Travel Survey collections were suspended from March 2020 to Q1 2023. Data were modelled using Frontier Counts estimates until the Visitor Travel Survey resumed in Q2 2023. Comparison with modelled data should be interpreted with caution due to the different methods used.
International travel expenditures have largely recovered to pre-pandemic levels in the last year, though some of this recovery includes the effects of rising prices. After a peak in the first quarter of 2024, international expenditures started to decline in Nova Scotia, before again rising in Q1 2025. In Q2 2025, international visitor expenditures fell below the national average. Canada's international expenditures continued trending up.
In unadjusted results by quarter, Nova Scotia's accommodations expenditures by international visitors were above previous levels for Q2, except for Q2 2024.
Clothing and gift spending by international visitors were slightly below the 2019 and 2024 levels.
Food and beverage spending by international visitors was a little lower than the pre-pandemic levels, but in line with the same period in the previous two years.
Recreation and entertainment spending by international visitors was below levels for Q2 2024.
Expenditures on transportation (including higher fuel prices) were in line with pre-pandemic levels in Q2 2025.
Other international visitor spending was above Q2 levels of the past five years.
Overall international visitor expenditures have returned to pre-pandemic levels in the last two years.
Notes: Statistics Canada’s Visitor Travel Survey (VTS) provides quarterly statistics on United States and overseas visitors to Canada, their characteristics of travel and their spending levels. From the first quarter of 2018 to the first quarter of 2020, spending data were derived from a Small Area Estimation model. Collection activity related to the VTS was suspended in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic; estimates from the second quarter of 2020 to the first quarter of 2023 were produced using a model based on historical 2019 VTS estimates combined with alternate data and adjusted with Frontier Counts results. As of April 2023, VTS collection partially resumed, with the Air Exit Survey (AES) restarting in five major Canadian airports. The non-air component of VTS (visitors arriving by modes of transportation other than air) uses modelled data based on historical VTS estimates while the air component is based on estimates obtained from AES survey results.
The Frontier Counts program at Statistics Canada receives administrative data from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on all international arrivals into the country, consisting of both non-resident visitors to Canada and Canadian residents returning from abroad.
Source: Statistics Canada. Table 24-10-0066-01 Visits, nights and spending for visitors to Canada by geography of visit, residency and mode of transport (x 1,000)
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