Statistics Canada : Travel arrangement services, 2015

Released: 2017-01-30

The operating revenue for the travel arrangement and reservation services industry group increased 2.6% from 2014 to $12.7 billion in 2015.

Tour operators generated the largest proportion of revenues for the travel arrangement and reservation services industry group, accounting for 72.9% of its operating revenue, followed by travel agencies (15.0%) and other travel arrangement and reservation services (12.1%).

Operating revenue for tour operators rose 1.9% from 2014 to $9.3 billion in 2015, while their operating expenses increased 1.2% to $9.1 billion. This resulted in an operating profit margin of 2.3%.

Pre-packaged tours represented the bulk of sales of goods and services for tour operators in 2015 (73.7%), followed by airline seats (10.3%) and customized group tours (7.5%).

The cost of tour package components represented the vast majority (85.2%) of operating expenses for the tour operators industry, followed by salaries, wages, commissions and benefits (4.9%) and subcontracts (2.6%).

Operating revenue for travel agencies increased 5.3% from 2014 to $1.9 billion in 2015. Operating expenses rose 5.0% to $1.8 billion, resulting in an operating profit margin of 8.3%.

At 34.8%, the sale of airline seats generated the largest share of sales for the travel agency industry in 2015, followed by packaged tours (23.8%) and cruises (6.7%).

Salaries, wages, commissions and benefits accounted for over half (53.9%) of operating expenses for this industry, which mainly consisted of labour-intensive firms.

The operating revenue for the other travel arrangement and reservation services industry was $1.5 billion, while operating expenses were just under $1.5 billion. This industry includes reservations and ticket distribution for entertainment, airline and automotive club services.

Note to readers

Data for 2013 and 2014 have been revised.

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