Northern Canada tourism is strongly seasonal and activity-led. Across Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, non-resident visitors made 180,000 visits in Q2 2024 and spent $127.7 million. Yukon alone estimated 690,300 visitors in 2025, while the Northwest Territories recorded 72,000 visits in 2023. These figures come from different measurement programs, so the periods, definitions and geographies matter when planning a northern trip.
Contents
- Northern territory-wide visitor trends
- Yukon visitation and seasonality
- Where Yukon visitors come from and how they arrive
- Trip purpose, destinations and length of stay in Yukon
- Popular Yukon activities and package spending
- Northwest Territories visits by purpose
- Northwest Territories spending by purpose
Northern territory-wide visitor trends
Statistics Canada’s Tourism in the territories: Visits, expenditures, and getting around reports 180,000 non-resident visits to Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut in Q2 2024. That was up from 152,000 in Q2 2023, but below the 232,000 visits recorded in Q2 2019. The Q2 2024 total is therefore a recent benchmark, not a simple measure of all travel to Northern Canada.
Spending reached $127.7 million in Q2 2024, a record for any second quarter in the series. The same source records the highest quarterly visit total as 355,000 in Q3 2018 and the highest quarterly spending as $141.4 million in Q3 2018.
| Indicator | Period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Non-resident visits in the three territories | Q2 2024 | 180,000 |
| Non-resident visits in the three territories | Q2 2019 | 232,000 |
| Non-resident spending in the three territories | Q2 2024 | $127.7 million |
| Highest quarterly visits in the series | Q3 2018 | 355,000 |
| Highest quarterly spending in the series | Q3 2018 | $141.4 million |
| Highest fourth-quarter visits in the series | Q4 2023 | 52,000 |
The three territories recorded 52,000 non-resident visits in Q4 2023, the highest fourth-quarter total in the series. Average stays reached 6.3 nights per visit in Q1 2019, the longest quarterly average in the series. These quarterly results show why a northern itinerary can look very different depending on whether it is measured during summer, winter or a shoulder season. Statistics Canada: Tourism in the territories
Yukon visitation and seasonality
Yukon’s annual visitor estimates show a substantial recent increase. Estimated visitors | Yukon tourism indicators reports an estimated 690,300 visitors in 2025, 20.3% more than in 2024. The 2024 estimate was 574,000 visitors, compared with an estimated pre-pandemic peak of 575,000 in 2018. The 2025 figure is an estimate and should be read separately from survey-based visitor counts.
The Yukon Visitor Exit Survey, 2022-23 measured November 2022 through October 2023 and estimated 450,500 visitors. Those visitors arrived in 243,870 travelling parties, with an average party size of 1.9 individuals. June through September accounted for 78% of visitors during that measurement period, and August 2023 was the busiest month, with 108,500 visitors.
The survey’s seasonality is useful for practical planning: most measured Yukon travel occurred between June and September, while the annual estimate for 2025 covers a different reporting framework. The two figures should not be combined or treated as identical series. Yukon estimated visitors and Yukon Visitor Exit Survey, 2022-23
Where Yukon visitors come from and how they arrive
The 2022/23 Yukon Visitor Exit Survey found that visitors from the United States represented 62% of Yukon visitors. Canadian residents represented 29%, while overseas visitors excluding the United States represented 9%. Among Canadian visitors, British Columbia supplied 37%.
Private vehicles were the entry mode for 67% of Yukon visitors. Air travel accounted for 13%, buses for 11% and trains for 9%.
| Yukon visitor profile | Share in 2022/23 |
|---|---|
| United States | 62% |
| Canadian residents | 29% |
| Overseas excluding the United States | 9% |
| Private vehicle entry | 67% |
| Air entry | 13% |
| Bus entry | 11% |
| Train entry | 9% |
These shares describe the survey’s visitor profile and entry modes for November 2022 through October 2023. They are especially relevant when comparing a self-drive route with an air-based itinerary: private vehicles were the dominant entry mode, while the origin mix was led by United States visitors. Yukon Visitor Exit Survey, 2022-23
Trip purpose, destinations and length of stay in Yukon
Leisure or recreation was the main reason for visiting Yukon for 50% of all visitors in the 2022/23 survey. At least one night in Yukon was spent by 70% of visitors, and the average stay among Yukon overnight visitors was 3.0 nights.
Yukon was the primary destination for 35% of visitors. Alaska was the main destination for 56% of visitors passing through Yukon, indicating that Yukon can function both as a principal destination and as part of a wider northern route.
Travel across communities was also varied. One Yukon community was visited by 43% of visitors, two communities by 26%, and three or more communities by 22%. These percentages describe the reported community-visit categories and should not be added to create a complete visitor total because the survey categories and reporting context are distinct.
For trip planning, the survey points to two broad patterns: shorter Yukon stays centered on one community, and multi-stop itineraries connected with Alaska or several Yukon communities. The 3.0-night average applies only to overnight visitors, not every visitor counted in the survey. Yukon Visitor Exit Survey, 2022-23
Popular Yukon activities and package spending
Activity counts in the 2022/23 Yukon survey show strong demand for outdoor, cultural and seasonal experiences. Visitors completed 566,900 unguided camping activities, 541,100 visits to a historic site, park or building, 537,100 local-cuisine experiences and 526,300 unguided hiking activities.
Unguided northern-lights viewing accounted for 417,700 activities. These are activity counts, and one visitor’s activity can be counted in multiple communities, so they are not equivalent to unique visitors or trips.
| Reported Yukon activity | Count in 2022/23 |
|---|---|
| Unguided camping | 566,900 |
| Historic site, park or building visit | 541,100 |
| Local-cuisine experience | 537,100 |
| Unguided hiking | 526,300 |
| Unguided northern-lights viewing | 417,700 |
A travel package included Yukon for 25% of visitor trips in 2022/23. Those packages averaged $5,448 per travelling party and generated $310.6 million in visitor spending. Visitors reported another $284.6 million spent in Yukon excluding travel-package expenditures. The exclusion matters: package spending and spending outside package expenditures are separate measures, not figures to add without a compatible accounting definition. Yukon Visitor Exit Survey, 2022-23
Northwest Territories visits by purpose
The Northwest Territories Visitation and Spending Data 2015-2023 reports 72,000 total Northwest Territories visits in 2023. Total leisure visitation was 56,880 visits. Aurora viewing was the largest listed leisure purpose, with 29,520 visits.
Other reported purposes included 11,520 visits to see friends and relatives, 7,400 outdoor-adventure visits, 4,320 general-touring visits, 3,600 fishing visits and 520 hunting visits.
| Northwest Territories purpose | Visits in 2023 |
|---|---|
| Aurora viewing | 29,520 |
| Visiting friends and relatives | 11,520 |
| Outdoor adventure | 7,400 |
| General touring | 4,320 |
| Fishing | 3,600 |
| Hunting | 520 |
| Total leisure visitation | 56,880 |
| Total visitation | 72,000 |
The NWT source states that its 2023 visitation values are modeled estimates based on multiple sources, including the 2023 Airport Exit Survey, air passenger volumes, hunting and fishing licences, and historical figures. They should therefore be treated as modeled 2023 estimates rather than a single direct headcount. Northwest Territories Visitation and Spending Data 2015-2023
Northwest Territories spending by purpose
Total visitor spending in the Northwest Territories was $129.3 million in 2023, including $76.1 million from leisure visitors. Aurora-viewing visitors generated $35.7 million, the largest spending amount among the listed purposes.
Fishing visitors generated $7.1 million in spending, while general touring generated $12.3 million. Hunting generated $4.5 million, outdoor adventure generated $10.0 million, and visitors travelling to see friends and relatives generated $6.7 million.
| Northwest Territories purpose | Spending in 2023 |
|---|---|
| Aurora viewing | $35.7 million |
| General touring | $12.3 million |
| Outdoor adventure | $10.0 million |
| Fishing | $7.1 million |
| Visiting friends and relatives | $6.7 million |
| Hunting | $4.5 million |
| Total leisure visitor spending | $76.1 million |
| Total visitor spending | $129.3 million |
The spending figures use the same modeled-estimate context as the NWT visitation figures. For travelers comparing trip styles, the data identifies aurora viewing as the leading listed purpose by both visits and spending, while fishing, hunting, general touring and outdoor adventure represent smaller but separately measured segments. Northwest Territories Visitation and Spending Data 2015-2023