Manitoba tourism reached new heights in 2025

Despite a devastating wildfire season, tourism in Manitoba hit record highs in 2025.

The province welcomed more than 11 million visitors who spent a total of $2.4 billion, generating nearly $450 million in provincial tax revenues, Travel Manitoba announced on Tuesday.

“Manitoba is a bit of a hidden secret, so it’s really exciting to see more and more people from across the country and internationally discovering everything that we have to offer,” said Angela Cassie, interim president and CEO of the Crown corporation.

Manitobans accounted for the bulk of tourism, with 9.37 million of the total 11.1 million visits. Spending grew 6.6 per cent year-over-year to $1.27 billion.

Around 1.13 million Canadians from other provinces visited Manitoba, a 15.3 per cent increase, and they spent $6.14 million (28.3 per cent more than in 2024).

United States and other international tourism also grew: visits increased by 50 per cent and 52 per cent, respectively. (Around 471,000 Americans visited in 2025, while 111,000 came from international countries. Spending hit $361 million and $151 million, respectively.)

The numbers come from Statistics Canada, which in May 2025 reinstated exit interviews in the international section of the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport, Travel Manitoba said. The practice had been paused since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many tourism operators and businesses experienced significant losses due to a record wildfire season, Cassie noted. Travel Manitoba estimates more than 100 tourism assets were affected in some way by the more than 445 fires that forced evacuations in numerous communities.

Travel Manitoba has, in recent years, promoted the province as a four-season destination — an approach that paid off in a year when visitation and visitor spending decreased between April 1 and June 30.

“The strength of those other (three) quarters really made a difference in terms of the overall impact for the sector and, ultimately, for Manitobans,” Cassie said.

Travel Manitoba benefited from increased investment from the provincial government, she added. Budget 2025 allotted an additional $4.5 million to the Crown corporation, on top of the $13.9 million it’s received annually for the last few years.

The increased investment allowed Travel Manitoba to expand its marketing efforts in “key markets” and target international visitors in collaboration with Indigenous Tourism Manitoba, Destination Canada, and Winnipeg Economic Development and Tourism, Cassie said.

“That investment was a game changer for us,” she said, adding Travel Manitoba generated $23 in visitor spending for every $1 invested across its marketing efforts.

Travel Manitoba also invested some of its increased funding in a program aimed at strengthening the long-term resiliency of the industry, Cassie said. The Wildfire Resilience Assistance Program paid eligible tourism operators up to 90 per cent of the cost of a protection kit that is compatible with Manitoba Wildfire Service standards and includes sprinklers, hoses and a pump.

The first 100 kits were delivered in spring 2026; a second call for applications closed last month.

“We know that there are a few operators who had to use it this year,” Cassie said. “The wildfire season wasn’t as extensive in 2026, but there were still wildfires and so we know that the units are effective.”

Cassie joined Travel Manitoba as chief operating officer in 2023. She stepped into her interim role after Colin Ferguson, the organization’s former president and CEO, retired in June.

Travel Manitoba’s board of directors is looking for Ferguson’s replacement with support from Harris Leadership Strategies, said Sara Stasiuk, interim chairperson. There are strong candidates from a range of sectors and backgrounds, she added, and the recruitment process is on track.

“People are noticing Manitoba,” Stasiuk said. “There’s a lot of momentum here, and I think there’s been a really strong response to the search which reflects that.”

Stasiuk, who is president and CEO of The Forks North Portage Partnership, said she was not surprised by Manitoba’s 2025 tourism statistics.

“Manitoba has been punching above its weight for years, and to see it actually play out in the stats is really rewarding,” she said.

Natalie Thiesen, vice-president of tourism at Winnipeg Economic Development and Tourism, said the 2025 numbers are “encouraging.”

“What the (Travel Manitoba) release shares is the importance of tourism’s role as a significant economic driver for Winnipeg and for Manitoba,” Thiesen said.

Winnipeg received 3.7 million visitors last year, which generated $1.8 billion in spending, she added.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca