The American Bus Association Foundation released its 2025 Motorcoach Economic Impact Report for Canada, conducted by Tourism Economics, examining the economic contributions of group travel and scheduled motorcoach service across the country.

The report was produced in partnership with Motor Coach Canada and the Ontario Motor Coach Association and provides national and provincial data on motorcoach travel, employment, spending, and tax revenue.

The Canadian Motorcoach Industry

The analysis found that motorcoach travel generated $4.4 billion in total economic activity in 2025, supported 24,947 full- and part-time jobs across the Canadian economy, and generated $980 million in federal, provincial, and local tax revenue.

Motorcoach travelers spent $2.3 billion on transportation, lodging, food, recreation, and retail in 2025 and traveled an estimated 2.8 billion passenger miles. According to the report, every dollar in direct spending generated $1.90 in total economic activity through supplier industries and employee household spending.

Motorcoach travelers accounted for roughly 2% of the approximately $104 billion spent on tourism in Canada annually, or close to $6 million per day. The industry also accounted for about one in 70 jobs in Canada’s tourism economy and operated a fleet of 1,425 motorcoaches in 2025.

“Canada is essential to the health of group travel in North America — connecting communities, supporting affordable travel, and sustaining businesses on both sides of the border,” said Fred Ferguson, president and CEO of the American Bus Association (ABA). “ABA strongly supports our Canadian members, partners and the cross-border business relationships that tie our industries together. We are working jointly with Canadian leaders to find common ground, rebuild trust and strengthen the flow of travel and commerce between our countries. This new data gives us a shared evidence base to make that case — nearly 25,000 jobs and $4.4 billion in economic activity — and to show why continued collaboration matters.”

Key Findings

According to the report, motorcoach travel generated:

• $2.3 billion in direct spending by travelers in 2025.
• $4.4 billion in total economic activity, including indirect and induced effects.
• 24,947 jobs across sectors including hospitality, retail, and transportation.
• $1.5 billion in wages and salaries.
• $980 million in total tax revenue, including $489 million for provincial and local governments.

The analysis also separates the economic contributions of the industry’s two major segments.

Group travel generated $2.8 billion in total economic activity and supported 15,827 jobs, while scheduled service generated $1.6 billion and supported 9,120 jobs.

According to the report, group travel accounted for roughly one-third of passenger kilometers but nearly two-thirds of direct spending, which includes spending associated with hotel stays, meals, and destinations.

Provincial Results

Along with the national report, the ABA Foundation is releasing a snapshot for each Canadian province and territory. The three-page infographics provide overall motorcoach data as well as separate breakdowns for group travel and scheduled service, including direct spending, passenger kilometers, jobs, wages, and tax revenue.

Ontario recorded $1.40 billion in business sales and 7,871 jobs, followed by Alberta with $809 million and 3,898 jobs; Quebec with $795 million and 4,828 jobs; and British Columbia with $687 million and 3,748 jobs.

“Canada is indispensable to the health of group travel in North America, and this research makes clear just how significant that contribution is,” said Lew Myers, the ABA Foundation’s director of research, policy, and impact. “The national numbers are powerful, but the local data is what gives communities, destinations, and decision-makers something they can act on. It shows where motorcoach travel supports jobs, visitor spending, and businesses in their own markets.”

Updated Interactive Map to Feature Canadian Data

The 2025 Motorcoach Economic Impact Interactive Map is scheduled to be updated with Canadian data on September 23.

The online tool will allow users to explore economic impact data by Canadian province, as well as by U.S. state, county, and congressional district. Available data will include business sales, jobs supported, wages, and tax revenue.

The map also separates results into direct, indirect, induced, and total economic impacts, showing traveler spending as well as economic activity associated with supplier industries and employee household spending.

The ABA Foundation said the data and interactive tools are intended to provide industry members, policymakers, and the public with information about the economic contributions of motorcoach travel across North America.