US & Canadian Destinations Most Dependent on Tourist Spending

Tourism is a major economic driver across North America, but the size of a destination’s tourism industry does not necessarily tell us how dependent it is on visitors.

Major cities such as New York, Toronto and Las Vegas attract millions of travellers and billions of dollars in visitor spending each year. However, smaller destinations can be much more reliant on tourism once spending, employment and economic output are considered relative to the size of the local area.

To identify the North American destinations most dependent on tourism, the study compared locations using a tourism dependency score based on measures including visitor spending per resident, visitors per resident where data was available, tourism-related employment and tourism’s contribution to economic output.

For travellers, the findings highlight something that can be easy to overlook when planning a trip: some of the places where tourism matters most are not necessarily the biggest or most obvious destinations. From Moab and the Outer Banks to Victoria and Niagara, visitor spending plays an important role in supporting local businesses, jobs and communities.

And exploring destinations like these often means going beyond the headline attractions – finding independent restaurants, navigating between sights, making bookings, checking local recommendations or simply working out where to go next. Having reliable mobile connectivity can make that much easier, particularly when visiting somewhere unfamiliar.

The rankings are designed to compare destinations within their respective categories, rather than directly comparing a US city with a Canadian province, for example.

1. Key West / Florida Keys –– score 83.1/100

The Florida Keys take the top spot because tourism is particularly significant across several measures, rather than being driven by one standout figure alone.

• Tourism dependency score: 83.1
• Annual visitor spending: $3.84 billion
• Visitor spending per resident: $47,461
• Population: 80,908
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 75.8%
• Tourism-facing industries’ share of economic output: 22.1%

2. Gatlinburg & Sevierville, Tennessee –– score 83/100

Gatlinburg and Sevierville finish just 0.1 points behind the Florida Keys, with tourism-facing industries accounting for 55.5% of employment. What particularly pushes the area up the ranking is economic output: tourism-facing industries account for 34.6%, the highest share among the five leading US destinations.

• Tourism dependency score: 83.0
• Annual visitor spending: $3.93 billion
• Visitor spending per resident: $39,225
• Population: 100,184
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 55.5%
• Tourism-facing industries’ share of economic output: 34.6%

3. Moab, Utah –– score 82.8/100

Moab’s relatively small population helps put the scale of its tourism economy into perspective. Despite having fewer than 10,000 residents, annual visitor spending reaches $456.6 million – equivalent to almost $47,000 per resident – while two-thirds of employment is in tourism-facing industries.

• Tourism dependency score: 82.8
• Annual visitor spending: $456.6 million
• Visitor spending per resident: $46,649
• Population: 9,788
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 66.3%
• Tourism-facing industries’ share of economic output: 26.2%

4. Jackson Hole, Wyoming –– score 82/100

Jackson Hole has the most striking visitor-to-resident figures in the whole study, welcoming around 142 visitors per resident each year. Its $1.75 billion in visitor spending also works out at more than $75,000 per resident, showing how significant tourism is relative to the area’s small population.

• Tourism dependency score: 82.0
• Annual visitors: 3.3 million
• Visitors per resident: 141.8
• Annual visitor spending: $1.75 billion
• Visitor spending per resident: $75,086
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 41.9%
• Tourism-facing industries’ share of economic output: 21.1%

5. The Outer Banks, North Carolina –– score 78.9/100

The Outer Banks combines particularly high visitor spending per resident with one of the largest tourism-facing employment shares in the ranking. Annual visitor spending is equivalent to almost $55,000 per resident, while 75.1% of employment sits within tourism-facing industries.

• Tourism dependency score: 78.9
• Annual visitor spending: $2.10 billion
• Visitor spending per resident: $54,980
• Population: 38,183
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 75.1%
• Tourism-facing industries’ share of economic output: 14.3%

The rest of the top 10 includes Park City, Utah (67.2), Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama (58.6), Orlando, Florida (52.4), Las Vegas, Nevada (47.2), and Destin and Fort Walton Beach, Florida (45.0).

Despite ranking lower for overall dependency, Orlando and Las Vegas have by far the largest tourism economies among this group, generating $59.9 billion and $50.8 billion in annual visitor spending respectively.

Looking beyond individual destinations, Nevada ranks as the most tourism-dependent US state, followed by Hawaii and the District of Columbia.

1. Nevada –– score 84.6/100

Nevada’s position at the top reflects how deeply tourism is embedded in the state economy. Almost three in ten jobs are in tourism-facing industries, while visitor spending reaches $63 billion annually – equivalent to more than $19,000 per resident.

• Tourism dependency score: 84.6
• Annual visitors: 52.4 million
• Annual visitor spending: $63 billion
• Visitor spending per resident: $19,364
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 29.3%
• Tourism-facing industries’ share of economic output: 16.2%

2. Hawaii –– score 74.3/100

Hawaii has an even higher concentration of tourism-facing employment than Nevada, at 35.3%, or more than one in three jobs. Visitor spending is also worth almost $20,000 per resident, helping explain why the state sits in second place.

• Tourism dependency score: 74.3
• Annual visitors: 9.69 million
• Annual visitor spending: $28.6 billion
• Visitor spending per resident: $19,931
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 35.3%
• Tourism-facing industries’ share of economic output: 11.1%

3. District of Columbia –– score 68.8/100

Washington DC stands out for the sheer volume of visitors relative to its resident population, welcoming around 39 visitors for every resident. It also records the highest visitor spending per resident among the top five, at just over $24,000.

• Tourism dependency score: 68.8
• Annual visitors: 27.2 million
• Annual visitor spending: $16.6 billion
• Visitor spending per resident: $24,012
• Visitors per resident: 39.3
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 14.1%
• Tourism-facing industries’ share of economic output: 4.7%

4. Wyoming –– score 43/100

There is a sizable drop in dependency scores after the top three, with Wyoming ranking fourth at 43.0. Even so, its 8.7 million annual visitors amount to almost 15 visitors per resident, while tourism-facing industries account for 16.2% of employment.

• Tourism dependency score: 43.0
• Annual visitors: 8.7 million
• Annual visitor spending: $4.3 billion
• Visitor spending per resident: $7,329
• Visitors per resident: 14.8
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 16.2%
• Tourism-facing industries’ share of economic output: 5.1%

5. Vermont –– score 39.7/100

Vermont rounds out the top five with 16 million annual visitors – almost 25 for every resident. Its visitor spending per resident and tourism-facing employment share are lower than the states above it, which helps explain the gap in dependency scores.

• Tourism dependency score: 39.7
• Annual visitors: 16 million
• Annual visitor spending: $3.4 billion
• Visitor spending per resident: $5,259
• Visitors per resident: 24.7
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 7.1%
• Tourism-facing industries’ share of economic output: 7.6%

The remainder of the US state top 10 consists of Tennessee (33.6), Montana (32.6), North Dakota (32.6), New Mexico (32.5) and Florida (31.1).

The Canadian ranking reveals a similarly strong divide between major urban tourism markets and destinations where visitor activity has an outsized importance relative to the size of the local economy.

1. Niagara Region, Ontario –– score 95/100

Niagara sits well ahead of the other Canadian destinations analysed, reflecting the scale of tourism relative to the region’s resident economy. It welcomes around 13.6 visitors per resident, while annual visitor spending works out at nearly $6,900 per person living there.

• Tourism dependency score: 95.0
• Annual visitors: 7.5 million
• Visitors per resident: 13.6
• Annual visitor spending: $3.8 billion
• Visitor spending per resident: $6,895
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 15.2%
• Tourism-facing industries’ share of economic output: 6.7%

2. Victoria, British Columbia –– score 63.2/100

Victoria combines a relatively high volume of visitors with a significant tourism economy for its size. Its 4.9 million annual visitors equate to 11 for every resident, while tourism-facing industries account for 10.3% of employment and 7.4% of economic output.

• Tourism dependency score: 63.2
• Annual visitors: 4.9 million
• Visitors per resident: 11.0
• Annual visitor spending: $1.9 billion
• Visitor spending per resident: $4,269
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 10.3%
• Tourism-facing industries’ share of economic output: 7.4%

3. Kingston, Ontario –– score 59.9/100

Kingston’s position is particularly influenced by the number of visitors it receives relative to its population. The city welcomes around 2.6 million visitors annually, equivalent to more than 17 for every resident, despite its overall visitor spending being much smaller than Canada’s major cities.

• Tourism dependency score: 59.9
• Annual visitors: 2.6 million
• Visitors per resident: 17.4
• Annual visitor spending: $512 million
• Visitor spending per resident: $3,424
• Tourism-facing industries’ share of economic output: 3.3%

4. Red Deer, Alberta –– score 51.2/100

Red Deer records the highest visitors-per-resident figure among Canada’s top five destinations, at almost 19. Its overall visitor spending is comparatively modest at $407 million, but relative to the size of the local population that still works out at more than $3,500 per resident.

• Tourism dependency score: 51.2
• Annual visitors: 2.18 million
• Visitors per resident: 18.9
• Annual visitor spending: $407 million
• Visitor spending per resident: $3,527
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 3.4%

5. Montreal, Quebec –– score 30.5/100

Montreal has a much larger tourism economy than several destinations ranked above it, welcoming 11.9 million visitors who spend around $5.8 billion annually. Its lower dependency score reflects the size and diversity of the wider city economy, with tourism-facing industries accounting for a smaller proportion of employment.

• Tourism dependency score: 30.5
• Annual visitors: 11.9 million
• Visitors per resident: 6.2
• Annual visitor spending: $5.8 billion
• Visitor spending per resident: $3,028
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 4.8%

The rest of the ranking includes Quebec City (26.4), Calgary (21.7), Toronto (21.4), Ottawa (19.3), Vancouver (18.4) and London, Ontario (7.3).

Despite ranking lower for overall dependency, Vancouver and Toronto have the largest tourism economies among this group, generating $8.8 billion and $8.4 billion in annual visitor spending respectively, while Toronto also welcomes the most visitors at 26.5 million annually.

At provincial and territorial level, the ranking looks quite different. Yukon narrowly takes first place ahead of Prince Edward Island, while the Northwest Territories ranks third.

1. Yukon –– score 79.9/100

Yukon’s relatively small population means tourism spending carries considerable weight when measured per resident. Its $276.2 million in annual visitor spending is equivalent to almost $6,300 per resident, helping it narrowly take first place.

• Tourism dependency score: 79.9
• Annual visitor spending: $276.2 million
• Visitor spending per resident: $6,296
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 5.1%
• Tourism share of economic output: 3.0%

2. Prince Edward Island –– score 79.8/100

Prince Edward Island finishes just 0.1 points behind Yukon, but its tourism dependence shows up particularly strongly in employment and economic output. Tourism accounts for 7.3% of employment and 3.3% of economic output, both higher than Yukon.

• Tourism dependency score: 79.8
• Annual visitor spending: $726.9 million
• Visitor spending per resident: $4,347
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 7.3%
• Tourism share of economic output: 3.3%

3. Northwest Territories –– score 73.5/100

The Northwest Territories records the highest visitor spending per resident of the top five, at almost $7,200. However, its shares of tourism employment and economic output are lower than those recorded in Yukon and PEI, placing it third overall.

• Tourism dependency score: 73.5
• Annual visitor spending: $321 million
• Visitor spending per resident: $7,192
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 4.1%
• Tourism share of economic output: 2.4%

4. British Columbia –– score 43.7/100

British Columbia has by far the largest tourism economy among the top five, generating almost $20 billion in annual visitor spending. However, its much larger population means that falls to around $3,700 per resident, while tourism represents a smaller share of employment and economic output than in the three regions above it.

• Tourism dependency score: 43.7
• Annual visitor spending: $19.98 billion
• Visitor spending per resident: $3,728
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 3.7%
• Tourism share of economic output: 2.2%

5. Nova Scotia –– score 37.1/100

Nova Scotia completes the top five, generating more than $3 billion in annual visitor spending, or just over $3,000 per resident. Tourism’s share of employment is slightly higher than in British Columbia, but lower spending per resident and economic output contribute to its lower overall score.

• Tourism dependency score: 37.1
• Annual visitor spending: $3.15 billion
• Visitor spending per resident: $3,078
• Employment in tourism-facing industries: 4.3%
• Tourism share of economic output: 2.1%

Newfoundland and Labrador ranks sixth with a score of 28.7, followed by Alberta (25.2), New Brunswick (22.0), Nunavut (21.6), Ontario (13.5), Quebec (13.2) and Saskatchewan (11.2).

What the Rankings Tell Us About Tourism Dependence

The results show why the destinations with the biggest tourism industries are not necessarily the destinations most economically dependent on visitors.

Orlando generated almost $60 billion in visitor spending, Las Vegas generated more than $50 billion and New York City generated $51 billion. Yet none tops the US dependency ranking.

Instead, smaller destinations including the Florida Keys, Gatlinburg and Sevierville, Moab, Jackson Hole and the Outer Banks rise to the top because visitor spending is particularly large relative to their resident populations, while tourism-facing industries account for significant proportions of local employment and economic activity.

A similar pattern emerges in Canada. Toronto and Vancouver have some of the country’s largest visitor economies, but Niagara, Victoria, Kingston and Red Deer rank higher for tourism dependency.

The findings demonstrate the difference between having a large tourism economy and having an economy that is highly reliant on tourism. For the destinations at the top of these rankings, changes in visitor demand can therefore have consequences extending far beyond hotels and attractions, affecting a significant share of the wider local economy.

What Do the Rankings Mean for Travellers?

For travellers, these rankings offer a different way of deciding where to travel. Rather than just highlighting the places attracting the most visitors, they reveal destinations where tourism plays an especially important role in supporting local businesses, jobs and communities.

Many of these places are not the usual major-city hotspots, and exploring them can mean relying more on your phone for maps, local recommendations, bookings, translation and communication. Staying connected makes it easier to discover what is around you, from independent restaurants and shops to attractions and experiences you might otherwise miss.

For travellers, looking beyond the obvious destinations can therefore mean discovering somewhere new while supporting the communities that rely most heavily on visitor spending.

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Methodology

The study analysed 110 US and Canadian destinations, comprising 35 US cities and destination areas, 11 Canadian cities, all 50 US states plus the District of Columbia, and all 13 Canadian provinces and territories.

Destinations were ranked within their respective geographic groups using a tourism dependency score based on available measures including direct visitor spending per resident, visitors per resident, employment in tourism-facing industries and tourism’s share of economic output.

Direct visitor spending was used rather than wider economic-impact estimates. Where tourism data covered a county, metropolitan area or wider destination rather than the administrative city itself, population, employment and economic measures were matched as closely as possible to the geography covered by the tourism data.

Scores are intended for comparison within each individual ranking only. Differences in the availability and methodology of tourism statistics mean scores should not be used to directly compare, for example, a US city with a Canadian province.