Visitor spending across York, Durham, and Headwaters reached $3.7 billion in 2025, a 6.6% increase year-over-year. Growth was driven by Ontario and domestic markets, with food and beverage remaining the top spending category and recreation and entertainment seeing the fastest gains.
Our latest Visitor Research Program insights show strong growth in overnight visitation across the region in 2025, with increases in both trips and total nights. However, a key trend is emerging: visitors are travelling more frequently but staying for shorter periods. This article explores what these patterns mean for key markets and how tourism partners can adapt.
Central Counties Tourism’s newest addition to the Visitor Research Program, Overnight Visitor Analysis, fills key data gaps to better understand who’s staying overnight in York, Durham and Headwaters. By analyzing where visitors come from, how long they stay, and when they travel, this tool helps identify high-value markets and guide strategic marketing and investment decisions across the region.
Research 101 Series Part 3: Understanding Benchmarking Part 1 (Distance Decay) of
Research 101 Series Part 2: Ranking Areas Last month, we covered Distance
Research 101 Series Part 1: Distance Decay I love numbers and research,
When looking at overall domestic visitation to our region as a whole,
Is YOUR business back to pre-COVID-19 numbers? By no means are we
We all know that understanding your audience is key to effectively market
As Fall has officially started this week, it is a great time
Find Resources in Your Region
Every month, Chuck brings you the latest and greatest here in the E.D. Corner. Read the Latest
Executive Director, Chuck Thibeault