The Travel Survey of Residents of Canada (TSRC) collects information on trips people take.
The overall purpose of the survey is to monitor and measure domestic tourism in Canada. The TSRC is a supplement to the monthly Labour Force Survey of Canadian households and produces data related to the volume of trips taken, expenditures on tourism related activities, trip characteristics, demographic characteristics of travellers as well as inter- and intra-provincial flows.
Your information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.
Collection period:
For reference year 2017, the start of the electronic questionnaire collection period is February 19, 2017 and will end on January 24, 2018.
Collection methods:
Survey participation:
Confidentiality
Your answers are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act and will be kept strictly confidential.
Data sharing agreements and record linkage
To enhance the data from this survey and to minimize the reporting burden for respondents, Statistics Canada may combine it with information from other surveys or from administrative sources.
Topics covered in the survey
The survey asks questions about:
- tourism
- expenses
- activities
- accommodation
- transportation
- food and beverages
- income
Published data
Statistics Canada publishes the results of its surveys in many formats, the following list includes the latest articles and related documents for this survey:
- latest news releases published in The Daily
- summary tables
- publications
- analysts and researchers
- CANSIM tables
Survey-specific questions
- What is the Travel Survey of Residents of Canada?
- Why is this information collected?
- Who is surveyed?
- How was I selected for this survey?
- Am I required to participate in this survey?
- Will the information I provide be kept confidential?
- Who uses the survey data? Why is it important?
- When will the survey results be available?
- If I want more information about the survey, where can I find it?
What is the Travel Survey of Residents of Canada?
The Travel Survey of Residents of Canada (TSRC) is a monthly supplement to the Labour Force Survey. This survey, which began in 2005, replaces the Canadian Travel Survey held from 1979-2004.
The general objective of this survey is to provide information on travel and tourism. The data from this survey provide an understanding of the travel habits of the residents of Canada. The specific objective is to provide information on same day and overnight trips and the characteristics of Canadians who travelled during the reference period. This includes details on the duration of the trip, type of accommodation, reason for the trip, mode of transportation, expenditures, etc. and general demographic information.
The TSRC is co-sponsored by Statistics Canada, the Canadian Tourism Commission, the provincial ministries of tourism, and municipal organizations of tourism.
Why is this information collected?
This information will help governments, municipalities, agencies and the tourism industry to develop policies, products and services that correspond to travellers' needs as well as measure the contribution of domestic tourism to the Canadian economy.
Who is surveyed?
The persons eligible to be selected for the TSRC have to be part of the civilian, non-institutionalized population and live in one of Canada's ten provinces. The survey excludes full-time members of the Canadian Armed Forces, persons living on Indian reserves and in institutions.
How was I selected for this survey?
Every person who is 18 years of age or older and is a member of a household already selected for the Labour Force Survey is eligible to be randomly chosen. The selection of the respondent within a household takes into account the number of people residing in the household and the age of each member. The person selected cannot be substituted with another member of the household because his/her answers will represent the answers of many other people in Canada.
Every month approximately 7,000 people in Canada answer the Travel Survey of Residents of Canada questionnaire.
Am I required to participate in this survey?
Your participation in this survey is voluntary. However, since every respondent to this survey represents many people in the Canadian population, it is important that the selected person participate in order to ensure that the collected information is as precise and accurate as possible.
Will the information I provide be kept confidential?
Yes. Stringent precautions are taken during the collection and processing of survey information to ensure that your answers remain strictly confidential. Your responses are processed and your answers are combined with those of other respondents. The results are issued in a summary format such as a graph, chart or statistical table and cannot be traced back to you as an individual.
Furthermore, the Statistics Act guarantees that all information you provide remains strictly confidential. All employees of Statistics Canada are under oath and are liable to prosecution and severe penalties if they do not safeguard confidentiality.
Who uses the survey data? Why is it important?
This information will help Canadian businesses and governments (federal, provincial, and municipal) to invest in areas which will benefit from travel and tourism. Also the information is used to create jobs for Canadians and improve the allocation of your tax dollars. By participating in this survey, respondents will help decision makers to have a better understanding of tourism and travel in Canada.
Furthermore, the media, consultants, and university researchers are more and more interested in domestic tourism, where more than 40 billion dollars are spent every year in Canada.
When will the survey results be available?
Detailed quarterly results are officially released in The Daily approximately six months after the reference period.
If I want more information about the survey, where can I find it?
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact us.