With no shortage of distressing economic news out there, new travel and restaurant statistics provide a couple of good news stories for a Monday morning.

Starting with the tourism data, international visitors to Alberta hit an all-time high in January,* besting the previous zenith set in October 2025. Compared to 12 months earlier, the number of international visitors entering Canada via Alberta was up by 7.2% to start the year.

Total visitors from countries other than the U.S. was up by 2.6% on a year-over-year basis, but it was our American neighbours who were the main reason for the uptick, with visits by U.S. residents up by 9.1%. More flights into the province, a favourable exchange rate for American travellers, and ongoing destination marketing efforts are among the factors behind the increase in visitors.

It’s only one month, but January’s numbers suggest Alberta’s tourism sector will continue to be an economic bright spot in 2026. According to Travel Alberta, visitor spending in the province reached its highest-ever annual level at $15.2 billion last year.

The national picture is less positive with the number of non-resident visitors still coming in below pre-pandemic levels.  

Turning to sales at restaurants and bars, January was also a record month for Alberta, with sales reaching over $1.1 billion for a year-over-year increase of 9.5%.

January’s sales build on a strong performance last year that saw annual revenue rise by 5.9%.

The rise in the number of international visitors helps explain the increase in restaurant and bar sales, but it also suggests visitors from other parts of Canada and, of course, Albertans themselves are continuing to support the sector by eating out/ordering in.

As we’ve stressed before, while rising sales are a positive trend for the sector, there has also been upward pressure on operating costs. Unfortunately, this  could get worse, with the Iran war already increasing fuel prices and potentially causing food costs to rise even higher (thanks in part to spiking fertilizer prices).

*The data in today’s Twenty-Four have been adjusted for regular seasonal variation.

Answer to the previous trivia question: The average expected cash payout to CoolIT employees following the company’s sale to Ecolab is US$240,000.

Today’s trivia question: What did McDonald’s restaurants first introduce in 1968?