Unit 1

Tourism Sector

Alberta Education Outcome

Lesson 1: Industry vs Sector

"I can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything." ~ Bill Bryson


Why do some documentation and people refer to tourism as a tourism industry while others reference the tourism sector? The quick answer is that the term Canadians use has changed. While people with tourism jobs might know the distinction, few others do. There needs to be some clarification.

Click on the + beside each of the categories below for more information.





Tourism Classification: The Past

Let's start with some history. The tourism & travel industry is made up of a complex web of suppliers, tourism products, destination marketing organizations, tour operators, and travel agents to name a few. Record keeping was important in order to learn from the past, analyze successes and failures, and plan for the future. Then along came globalization.


Historic Eight Sectors


Although now outdated, for many years Canada used to reference the tourism industry which was classified into eight sectors:

  • accommodations
  • adventure & recreation
  • attractions
  • events & conferences
  • food & beverage
  • tourism services
  • transportation
  • travel trade

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Tourism Classification: The Present


Globalization changed things and tourism was affected. It was getting increasingly difficult for countries to compare statistics and trends against other countries. In 2008, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) created a common glossary of terms to break the tourism industry into broad industry groups by using a common classification system globally. In 2013, the Canadian, American (United States), and Mexican governments followed suit to ensure common analysis across all three countries. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) was created. This reclassification references the tourism sector with five different industry groups. 

Current Five Industries

Canada currently classifies the tourism sector into five different industries:

  • accommodation
  • food & beverage services
  • recreation & entertainment
  • transportation
  • travel services