Alberta outperforms the country in visitor spend in 2025
Posted February 19, 2026 7:19 am.
2025 was another record-breaker for Alberta tourism.
Travel Alberta reports an estimated $15.2 billion dollars in visitor spending last year — almost a billion dollars more than 2024 — which recorded an increase of nearly $2 billion.
Despite global uncertainty, Alberta was the only major province last year to see growth in international arrivals — with a three per cent increase — while the country overall saw two per cent less.
The province also saw a five per cent bump in American tourists compared to to a six per cent drop nationally.
Those numbers are a surprise to Mayor of Canmore Sean Krausert.
“Tourism Canmore Kananaskis does a great job and in 2024 we reached a billion dollars in visitor spend for the first time so I’m not surprised that the latest numbers showed an increase as well,” he said.
CityNews spoke with tourists in the area to hear about their experiences.
“It’s just here so beautiful… very easy accessible, easy to get to… there’s something very special here,” said one visitor form England.
“Every single corner is a picture… every single corner has a different landscape… the views, just fantastic,” added another from Chile.
Krausert adds that Canmore is up to the challenge of maintaining those numbers.
“We certainly spend a lot on the tourism facing infrastructure while also trying to make this the best place to live for our residents,” he said.
Officials say tourism employs 10 per cent of Albertans.
