National Travel Survey (NTS)

Detailed information for second quarter 2020

Status:

Active

Frequency:

Quarterly

Record number:

5232

The National Travel Survey provides statistics on the activities of Canadian residents related to domestic and international tourism. It was developed to measure the volume, the characteristics and the economic impact of tourism.
Due to the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, normal NTS collection operations were suspended for the four-month period of March 2020 to June 2020.

Estimates for this quarter were derived using a combination of survey estimates from the same period of 2019 and growth trends from Canadian Tourism Activity Tracker values of 2020, adjusted with the difference between the 2021 Canadian Tourism Activity Tracker and NTS values.

Data release - January 31, 2022

Description

The National Travel Survey was developed to fully replace the Travel Survey of Residents of Canada (record number 3810) and replace the Canadian resident component of the International Travel Survey (record number 3152). The National Travel Survey collects information about the domestic and international travel of Canadian residents.

The National Travel Survey, sponsored by Statistics Canada, aims to measure the characteristics and the economic impact of the tourism activities of Canadian residents. The objectives of the survey are to provide information about the number of trips and expenditures by Canadian residents by trip origin, destination, duration, type of accommodation used, trip reason, mode of travel, etc.; to provide information on travel incidence and to provide the socio-demographic profile of travellers and non-travellers. From a macroeconomic point of view, the NTS measures the domestic and international tourism demand by Canadian residents.

In March 2020, all NTS collection operations (e-questionnaire) were suspended due to the onset of the global pandemic for the four-month period of March 2020 to June 2020. In the absence of survey data from travellers, estimates for this period were derived using a combination of survey estimates from the same period of 2019 and growth trends from Canadian Tourism Activity Tracker values of 2020, adjusted with the difference between the 2021 Canadian Tourism Activity Tracker and NTS values.

Reference period: Quarterly (Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4) and annually from January to December. Note that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, preliminary data for the second quarter of 2020 covers four months (March to June 2020).

Collection period: There was no active survey data collection during this period. Data collection restarted for the month of July 2020.

Subjects

  • Domestic travel
  • International travel
  • Travel and tourism

Data sources and methodology

Target population

The target population is the civilian, non-institutionalized population 18 years of age or older in Canada's ten provinces. Specifically excluded from the survey's coverage are persons living on Indian reserves and persons living in the territories. Also excluded are out-of-scope trips such as routine trips and trips taken by commuters and diplomatic or military personnel.

For a full description of how survey operations were employed to reach this target population prior to the pandemic, please refer to the detailed information for this survey for the first quarter of 2020.

In the absence of survey data for this reference quarter, a number of administrative data sources were used to calculate growth rates with which to derive estimates for the current quarter. It is important to keep in mind that the target populations of the administrative data sources will closely resemble but have important differences from the survey target population. They may also vary conceptually from the phenomena being measured by the survey program. Please refer to the section on data sources for a review of the data sources used to estimate the travel characteristics and expenditures of Canadian domestics travellers.

Note: Due to the very low number of respondents reporting outbound travel between March and June 2020, all outbound trip destinations for these months are not published.

Instrument design

Not applicable since there were no survey collection operations for this quarter.

Sampling

Not applicable since there were no survey collection operations for this quarter.

Data sources

As noted above, estimates for this period were derived using a combination of survey estimates from the same period of 2019 and growth trends from Canadian Tourism Activity Tracker values of 2020, adjusted with the difference between the 2021 Canadian Tourism Activity Tracker and NTS values.

Consequently, each estimate is a product of two sources: 1) the NTS estimate from the corresponding period of 2019 and 2021 2) one or more administrative data sources, such as the Canadian Tourism Activity Tracker.

For a full description of the questionnaires and data collection practices used to produce the NTS estimates from the corresponding quarter of 2019 (prior to the pandemic), please refer to the detailed information for this survey for the second quarter of 2019 and the second quarter of 2021.

The following are the administrative sources used to calculate growth rates by concept at the time of this release. These sources and the estimates may be revised in later releases:

• Visit counts by province/territories Total duration (same-day, overnight)
• Visit expenditures by province/territories of visit and duration of visit (total of same-day and overnight)

Note: Data for the Territories are reported as a total

The overall approach to calculating growth trends from 2019 was to use the administrative data source(s) that allowed for the most accurate measure of the individual NTS concept or categorical breakdown.

The following is a description of the sources and methods used to estimate growth rates for specific NTS measures or their categorical breakdown by another variable, for example the number of visits by province or territory. Caveats are noted where applicable.

Growth rates for individual measures (e.g., trips, visits, expenditures) were made from different administrative sources in order to produce the best possible estimates for each measure. As a result of these measures being calculated independently, users are generally advised to avoid making calculations involving multiple measures, such as average spending per visit or trip.

View the Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s) .

Error detection

Not applicable since there were no survey collection operations for this quarter.

Imputation

Not applicable since there were no survey collection operations for this quarter.

Estimation

Due to the onset of the pandemic in March 2020 which cancelled normal NTS collection operations from March 2020 to June 2020, estimates for this period were derived using a combination of survey estimates from the same period of 2019 and growth trends from Canadian Tourism Activity Tracker values of 2020, adjusted with the difference between the 2021 Canadian Tourism Activity Tracker and NTS values.

Quality evaluation

Data quality is systematically evaluated every quarter. Statistical tables required for analysis are produced and compared with related data sources. A set of indicators is also produced. They are used to determine whether general tourism trends reflect those of the NTS. Furthermore, we work in close cooperation with provincial tourism departments, which provide additional viewpoints and information sources, helping us evaluate data quality at a more refined geographic level.

Administrative data sources used to calculate growth trends from 2019 and 2021 were assessed on the basis of coverage, alignment with survey concepts, comparison with alternative sources and a subject matter review of the quality of the data source as an indicator in predicting previous NTS results. Some survey concepts (e.g., visit-nights) or levels of detail (e.g., expenditures in abroad destinations (US and Overseas) are not published as there was no administrative source available that measured the concept or the concept for the given level of detail, or the available sources did not demonstrate a reliable correlation with past survey results.

Disclosure control

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects that could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Various confidentiality rules are applied to all data that are released or published to prevent the publication or disclosure of any information deemed confidential.

Revisions and seasonal adjustment

This methodology does not apply to this survey program.

Data accuracy

The accuracy of estimates produced using the method of applying growth rates based on administrative data to previous NTS estimates depends on the accuracy of both the baseline 2019 estimates and the methods and data sources used to derive growth rates or categorical breakdowns.

For a full description of data accuracy related to survey-based NTS estimates, please refer to the detailed information for this survey for the second quarter of 2019 and 2021.

Because the methods and sources used to derive growth rates do not involve sampling methodology, the coefficients of variation that previously served as indicators of survey quality cannot be produced. The accuracy of the resulting estimates then involves an assessment on the part of the user of the accuracy of the assumptions resulting from the methods and sources used to derive the growth rates or categorical breakdowns, described above.

Since the assumptions underlying the model used to produce the Q2 estimates cannot be verified, it is difficult to assess the quality of the estimates produced with this methodology. Therefore, we recommend that the users interpret these estimates with caution.

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