Motorcycle tourism spans day rides, overnight journeys, cross-border travel and off-road recreation. Available measurements range from modeled 2022 Canadian economic effects to a UK baseline around 2012 and a Blue Ridge Parkway survey reported in 2014.
Key Motorcycle Tourism Statistics
The following figures summarize the most useful measured or modeled results:
- In 2022, C$788.6 million in modeled total output was generated by on-road motorcycle-trip tourism in Quebec, Canada.
- In 2022, C$702.2 million in modeled total output was generated by on-road motorcycle-trip tourism in Ontario, Canada.
- In 2022, C$527.7 million in modeled total output was generated by on-road motorcycle-trip tourism in Alberta, Canada.
- In 2022, C$525.9 million in modeled total output was generated by on-road motorcycle-trip tourism in British Columbia, Canada.
- In 2022, C$388.2 million in modeled GDP was contributed by on-road motorcycle tourism in Quebec, Canada.
- In 2022, C$322.7 million in modeled GDP was contributed by on-road motorcycle tourism in Ontario, Canada.
- In 2022, C$183.4 million in modeled taxes were generated by on-road motorcycle tourism in Ontario, Canada.
- In 2022, C$156.4 million in modeled taxes were generated by on-road motorcycle tourism in Quebec, Canada.
- Around 2012, 5.3 million motorcycle-tourism day trips per year were estimated for the United Kingdom.
- Around 2012, 2.5 million overnight-trip nights per year were associated with UK motorcycle tourism.
- Around 2012, 109,000 UK riders per year were estimated to take tourism-related motorcycle trips abroad.
- Around 2012, 46,000 international riders per year were estimated to visit the UK for tourism-related motorcycling.
- Around 2012, £562 million in domestic tourism spending per year was estimated to be related to motorcycling in the UK, in 2012 prices.
- In the Blue Ridge Parkway survey reported in a 2014 article, 189 completed surveys described recreational motorcyclists in the region.
- In that Blue Ridge survey, 85% of respondents were men.
- In that Blue Ridge survey, average reported trip spending was US$1,032 per respondent.
- In that Blue Ridge survey, average round-trip travel distance was approximately 1,531 miles.
- In 2022, C$272.3 million in modeled total output was generated by off-road motorcycle tourism in British Columbia, Canada.
- In 2022, C$217.4 million in modeled total output was generated by off-road motorcycle tourism in Alberta, Canada.
- In 2022, C$141.4 million in modeled GDP was generated by off-road motorcycle tourism in British Columbia, Canada.
Contents
- Canadian on-road motorcycle tourism output
- Canadian motorcycle tourism GDP
- Canadian motorcycle tourism taxes
- Blue Ridge Parkway spending and rider profile
- UK motorcycle tourism travel volumes
- Off-road motorcycle tourism data and definitions
Canadian on-road motorcycle tourism output
The Canadian study measures tourism spending connected with on-road motorcycle trips through an economic-impact model. Its output figures include direct, indirect and induced effects, so they are modeled economic activity rather than receipts collected by businesses.
| Province | 2022 modeled total output |
|---|---|
| British Columbia | C$525.9 million |
| Alberta | C$527.7 million |
| Saskatchewan | C$159.0 million |
| Manitoba | C$133.9 million |
| Ontario | C$702.2 million |
| Quebec | C$788.6 million |
| New Brunswick | C$110.9 million |
| Nova Scotia | C$96.3 million |
| Prince Edward Island | C$22.3 million |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | C$39.4 million |
The largest reported provincial estimates were Quebec at C$788.6 million, Ontario at C$702.2 million, Alberta at C$527.7 million and British Columbia at C$525.9 million. The smaller provincial estimates were C$22.3 million in Prince Edward Island and C$39.4 million in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Source: Economic Impact Study of On-road Motorcycles and Off-highway Vehicle Recreation in Canada, 2022 estimates.
Canadian motorcycle tourism GDP statistics
GDP is a different measure from total output: the study reports the modeled direct, indirect and induced contribution to GDP associated with on-road motorcycle tourism.
| Province | 2022 modeled GDP contribution |
|---|---|
| British Columbia | C$272.9 million |
| Alberta | C$268.7 million |
| Saskatchewan | C$85.4 million |
| Manitoba | C$68.5 million |
| Ontario | C$322.7 million |
| Quebec | C$388.2 million |
| New Brunswick | C$54.1 million |
| Nova Scotia | C$46.7 million |
| Prince Edward Island | C$11.3 million |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | C$22.3 million |
Quebec recorded the highest reported modeled GDP contribution at C$388.2 million, followed by Ontario at C$322.7 million. British Columbia and Alberta were also above C$268 million, while Prince Edward Island’s reported contribution was C$11.3 million.
These values should not be read as a national total or as a comparison of profitability between provinces. They are province-specific modeled contributions for 2022 and retain the study’s direct, indirect and induced scope.
Source: Economic Impact Study of On-road Motorcycles and Off-highway Vehicle Recreation in Canada, 2022 estimates.
Canadian motorcycle tourism taxes and employment context
The same Canadian economic-impact study reports modeled taxes generated by on-road motorcycle tourism. The supplied results identify tax totals, but do not provide a quantified employment figure for these provincial on-road results.
| Province | 2022 modeled taxes |
|---|---|
| British Columbia | C$103.8 million |
| Alberta | C$107.3 million |
| Saskatchewan | C$51.5 million |
| Manitoba | C$36.3 million |
| Ontario | C$183.4 million |
| Quebec | C$156.4 million |
| New Brunswick | C$29.8 million |
| Nova Scotia | C$26.8 million |
| Prince Edward Island | C$8.9 million |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | C$10.0 million |
Ontario had the highest reported provincial tax estimate at C$183.4 million, while Quebec’s estimate was C$156.4 million. The model includes direct, indirect and induced effects, so these are not limited to taxes paid directly by riders during a trip.
Source: Economic Impact Study of On-road Motorcycles and Off-highway Vehicle Recreation in Canada, 2022 estimates.
Blue Ridge Parkway motorcycle tourism spending and rider profile
A Blue Ridge Parkway study provides a different kind of evidence: a survey of recreational motorcyclists rather than a modeled regional account. The 2014 article reports 189 completed surveys from an online convenience sample, so the results describe respondents and should not be generalized to all motorcycle tourists.
The reported profile includes 85% men and an average age of 56 years. Summer was the riding season for 47% of respondents, and 58% traveled with a partner.
| Blue Ridge survey measure | Reported result |
|---|---|
| Completed surveys | 189 respondents |
| Men | 85% of respondents |
| Average age | 56 years |
| Average trip spending | US$1,032 per respondent |
| Summer riding season | 47% of respondents |
| Partner accompanied trip | 58% of respondents |
| Average round-trip distance | Approximately 1,531 miles |
Average reported trip spending was US$1,032 per respondent, while average round-trip travel distance was approximately 1,531 miles. These are survey results, not a national spending estimate, and the online convenience sampling limits how broadly they can be applied.
Source: Travel Preferences of Recreational Motorcyclists’, survey period reported in the 2014 article.
UK motorcycle tourism travel volumes and spending
The UK report uses a baseline around 2012 and describes motorcycle tourism through day trips, overnight-trip nights, international travel and spending. Its monetary estimate is expressed in 2012 prices, so it should not be treated as a current-price measure.
| UK measure | Baseline estimate around 2012 |
|---|---|
| Motorcycle-tourism day trips | 5.3 million per year |
| Overnight-trip nights | 2.5 million per year |
| UK riders traveling abroad | 109,000 per year |
| International riders visiting the UK | 46,000 per year |
| Domestic tourism spending related to motorcycling | £562 million per year |
The report estimated 5.3 million day trips per year and 2.5 million overnight-trip nights per year associated with UK motorcycle tourism. It also estimated that about 109,000 UK riders took tourism-related motorcycle trips abroad each year, while about 46,000 international riders visited the UK for tourism-related motorcycling.
Domestic tourism spending related to motorcycling was estimated at £562 million per year. Because the report’s baseline is around 2012 and spending is in 2012 prices, the figure is best read as a period-specific estimate rather than a current valuation.
Source: The Economic Impact of Motorcycling in the UK, report baseline around 2012.
Off-road motorcycle tourism data and measurement limits
Motorcycle tourism also includes off-road recreation, which the Canadian study reports separately from on-road motorcycle-trip tourism. In 2022, off-road motorcycle tourism generated modeled total output of C$272.3 million in British Columbia, C$217.4 million in Alberta, C$164.1 million in Saskatchewan and C$208.6 million in Manitoba.
| Province | 2022 off-road total output | 2022 off-road GDP |
|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | C$272.3 million | C$141.4 million |
| Alberta | C$217.4 million | C$110.2 million |
| Saskatchewan | C$164.1 million | C$102.0 million |
| Manitoba | C$208.6 million | Not supplied |
The reported off-road GDP contributions were C$141.4 million in British Columbia, C$110.2 million in Alberta and C$102.0 million in Saskatchewan. The Manitoba entry supplied a total-output estimate but no corresponding GDP value, so the two measures should not be completed or combined beyond the reported figures.
A separate European Commission road-safety report lists adventure motorcycles as the best-selling motorcycle type over 125cc in Europe for several years. The supplied record labels that observation as a 2022 estimate and gives Canada as its geography, while the cited report discusses Europe; the geography mismatch means the statement should be treated cautiously rather than used as a Canada-specific market statistic.
Across the Canadian output and GDP figures, the central limitation is scope: the economic-impact totals include direct, indirect and induced effects. The UK figures are period-specific estimates, and the Blue Ridge results come from an online convenience survey; none should be presented as a single globally comparable participation total.
Sources: Economic Impact Study of On-road Motorcycles and Off-highway Vehicle Recreation in Canada; Road Safety Thematic Report: Motorcycles.