Statistics and useful links
Did you know that each year Aboriginal Quebec welcomes more than 816,000 visitors and sustains nearly 3,500 jobs while generating an estimated $169 million in terms of revenues? More than 150 Aboriginal tourism organizations are actively involved in sharing this wealth of cultural diversity!
Some facts :
- Around 50 additional Aboriginal Tourism companies were created between 2003 and 2011;
- As compared to 2002, aboriginal companies are more focused on lucrative activities such as accommodation,outfitting, food and outings, instead of cultural activities;
- Aboriginal companies operate over a longer period: 249 days on average (compared to 222 in 2002), and more in summer and spring;
- The average turnover is also on the rise, reaching $600,000 (in 2011) as compared to $340,000 (in 2002);
- The average number of visitors has remained stable but the number of tourists has decreased. While the number of visitors from Quebec has risen, those from America has remained stable. A decline in the number of tourists from Europe and ROC has been noted. However, there has been a slight increase in the average length of overnight stays;
- Tourist spending in 2002 and 2010 are comparable.Tourists coming for a specific aboriginal tourism company has increased, which is good news in terms of benefits reaped;
- Over the past 3 years, a growth in the sales of the vast majority of aboriginal companies (90%) has been recorded – a higher score than in 2002. This trend is expected to continue for the coming years;
- The average size of aboriginal companies has noticeably increased;
- The stability of the work-force and a knowledge of the markets/marketing are among the biggest challenges faced by entrepreneurs. Access to funding is another area of concern although it is twice less so now as compared to 2002;
- Capital expenditures have declined by 50% (the Hôtel-Musée investment was not taken into account for the survey). This entails that aboriginal companies have sought to recoup their investments in recent years. A new wave of investment, aimed at renovating and renewing products, is expected within 3 years;
- The economic impact from 2002 ($103 million) to 2010 ($169 million) has grown by 65%, mainly due to a rise in the operating costs of companies.This shows that they play a leading role in their respective business fields;
- The employment growth has been modest, with 10% of jobs in the industry (3,434 ETC jobs in 2010).
The survey targeted specific aboriginal companies and the results provide a reliable portrait of the aboriginal tourism sector in Quebec. It was carried out in the context of the Étude de retombées économiques du tourisme autochtone 2011 (Study of the economic impact of aboriginal tourism 2011) by Desjardins Marketing Stratégique, associated member of QAT.
Études des retombées économiques du tourisme autochtone 2011 (in pdf format)
Diagnosis – Aboriginal Tourism
This document provides an overview of the key issues of the aboriginal tourism sector as well as the avenues to be explored. It is a global strategic analysis, conducted with the help of community members, government partners as well as business and industry experts. This diagnosis was made by KPMG for Tourisme Québec.
Diagnostic – Tourisme autochtone (in pdf format)
