Glossary

A land vehicle, typically with four wheels, powered by an engine, whose primary purpose is to transport persons, with a maximum of eight travellers.

A land vehicle, powered by an engine, operated on a schedule, whose primary purpose is to transport persons and for which the general public could conceivably purchase fare to travel aboard.

A trip purpose related to travel for business and professional purposes where a work permit is not required (there is no implicit or explicit employer-employee relationship with a resident producer).

A traveller undertaking business travel is considered a visitor since it is a tourism-related trip purpose.

An aircraft whose primary purpose is to transport goods.

A watercraft whose primary purpose is to transport goods.

An aircraft whose primary purpose is to transport persons and for which the general public could conceivably purchase fare to travel aboard.

In some tables (where indicated by a footnote), commercial aircraft also includes cargo aircraft.

The country in which a traveller maintains or intends to maintain a dwelling or succession of dwellings treated and used by the traveller as their principal dwelling, at the time of their entry into the Canadian economic territory.

If a traveller has a trip duration of 365 or more nights, they are considered a resident of the country they are visiting.

For immigrants, their country of residence is considered not applicable.

A trip purpose related to the operation of or work aboard a transport entering Canada, for which compensation is received.

A watercraft whose primary purpose is to transport persons and for which the general public could conceivably purchase fare to travel aboard (and is not considered to be a ferry).

In some tables (where indicated by a footnote), cruise ship or other commercial boat also includes cargo ships.

Direct

A method of arriving in Canada defined as a traveller having spent the entirety of the trip in the economic territory of a country other than the United States of America (beyond customs) before entering or re-entering the Canadian economic territory.

In some tables (where indicated by a footnote), direct can be used to describe American-resident travellers arriving only from the United States of America.

Economic territory

A  geographical reference that points to the country for which the measurement is done (country of reference).

Entry

The act of a person or vehicle crossing the Canadian border to enter the Canadian economic territory after receiving clearance from the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA). Also referred to as an international arrival.

Examples of non-entries to be excluded from Frontier Counts include emergency landings where travellers did not cross into Canada, in-transit air travellers who did not pass Canadian customs (may be reported differently depending on the airport setup), persons turned back at the border without crossing, persons who pre-cleared United States of America customs at a Canadian airport, but whose flight did not depart, forcing them to re-enter through Canadian customs ("did not fly"), and cruise ship travellers who arrived in port but did not pass through Canadian customs.

Excursionist

A visitor without an overnight stay, meaning that the arrival and departure occurs in the same calendar day. Also referred to as a "same-day visitor".

This term is used operationally for clarity and readability, but more accurately refers to an "entry into Canada by an excursionist or a returning excursionist" or an "international arrival by an excursionist or a returning excursionist at a Canadian port of entry", and is not a count of unique persons.

Ferry

A watercraft, having provision only for deck passengers and for vehicles, that is operated on a short run on a schedule between two points over the most direct water route and offers a public service of a type normally attributed to a bridge or tunnel.

International arrival

See entry.

Motorcycle

A land vehicle, typically with less than four wheels, powered by an engine, whose primary purpose is to transport persons.

Non-resident traveller

A traveller whose country of residence is not Canada.

Non-resident visitor

A visitor whose country of residence is not Canada.

Other land vehicle

A land vehicle which is not an automobile, a truck, a motorcycle, a bus or a train.

Examples include bicycles, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, ambulances, horses and horse-drawn carriages.

A trip purpose category which includes travellers whose main purpose is work, immigration, military service, or diplomatic or consular duties.

Excludes trip purposes related to tourism (see visitor) and crew.

A traveller whose trip purpose is not related to tourism, namely to be a crew member in a commercial vehicle (commercial aircraft, ferry, cruise ship or other commercial boat, truck, bus or train), a traveller with an other non-tourism related purpose (work, immigration, military service, diplomats or consular staff), or a traveller whose trip purpose is related to tourism, but has a trip duration of 365 or more nights.

See tourist.

A traveller whose country of residence is not Canada or the United States of America.

A visitor whose country of residence is not Canada or the United States of America.

A person on foot.

An aircraft whose primary purpose is to transport persons and for which the general public could not conceivably purchase fare to travel aboard, including medical transports and military flights.

A watercraft whose primary purpose is to transport persons and for which the general public could not conceivably purchase fare to travel aboard, including military vessels.

See excursionist.

A statistical technique to remove the effects of seasonal calendar influences on a series. Seasonal effects usually reflect the influence of the seasons themselves. Other types of calendar variation occur as a result of influences such as number of days in the calendar period or the incidence of moving holidays.

A visitor with a trip duration of at least one night, meaning that the arrival and departure occur in different calendar days. Also referred to as an "overnight visitor".

This term is used operationally for clarity and readability, but more accurately refers to an "entry into Canada by a tourist or a returning tourist" or an "international arrival by a tourist or a returning tourist at a Canadian port of entry", and is not a count of unique persons.

A land vehicle which consists of a series of railroad cars moved as a unit.

A person making an entry into Canada for any purpose and any duration.

This term is used operationally for clarity and readability, but more accurately refers to an "entry into Canada by a traveller" or an "international arrival by a traveller at a Canadian port of entry", and is not a count of unique persons.

The sum of visitors and other travellers is equal to the count of travellers.

The purpose without which the trip would not have taken place.

A land vehicle, powered by an engine, whose primary purpose is to transport commercial goods.

A transport whose primary purpose is the movement of persons or goods.

A method of arriving in Canada defined as the traveller having spent any amount of time during the trip in both the economic territory of a country other than the United States of America (beyond customs) and in the United States of America (beyond customs), even if they only remain in the airport.

A traveller whose trip purpose is related to tourism, namely personal, business, study, to be a crew member in a private vehicle (private aircraft or private boat) or whose purpose is not known, and whose trip duration is less than one year.

This term is used operationally for clarity and readability, but more accurately refers to an "entry into Canada by a visitor or a returning visitor" or an "international arrival by a visitor or a returning visitor at a Canadian port of entry", and is not a count of unique persons.

The sum of excursionists and tourists is equal to the count of visitors.

A trip purpose related to border, seasonal, short-term and long-term work for which a work permit is required.

A traveller undertaking travel for work is considered an other traveller since it is not a tourism-related trip purpose.