Canadian Personal Finance Blog

January 9th, 2007

No one wants to Come to Canada?

So tourism spending in Canada is up 1.0% over the same period last year, which is a good thing, because tourism is one of the things that Canada does (all those rich Americans and their Yankee dollars coming up to buy stuff), but I guess thanks to a very strong Canadian dollar (relatively speaking that is, I remember when the Canadian dollar was worth MORE than it’s American counterpart, but that just shows how old I am), International tourism spending in Canada is lower by 2.8% .The number of American visitors dropped by 3.9% and the number of day trips by our American cousins is down sharply.

Please come back American friends, we need your cash! Given the abominable snow conditions around Ottawa and Montreal, tourism for ski’ing is going to be pretty darn poor this year too (although instead of having the world’s longest skating rink Ottawa could open the canal for swimming maybe?).

The importance of tourism to Canadians cannot be easily discounted, and it is a major contributor to the Canadian “bottom line” so it is important to promote Canada as a great place to come for vacations, like skating on the World’s Longest Skating rink in Ottawa.

2 Responses to “No one wants to Come to Canada?”

Matt Says:
January 11th, 2007 at 5:17 am

I think this might have more to do with a general slowing of the economy in the US, not a big one just a slowing. Along with all of the added security to go back and forth between the countries.

Why would you bother waiting just to have the hassle of someone grilling you about why you are trying to cross the border without a passport where a drives license was sufficient in the past.
Big Cajun Man Says:
January 11th, 2007 at 5:32 am

I hadn’t thought of that part of it as well. It will hurt both sides of the border with this new “paranoid” view on our neighbours. My guess is cities like Cornwall and Sherbrooke are going to feel the pinch from this as well as Messina and Burlington in the States.

Matt Says:
January 11th, 2007 at 5:17 am

I think this might have more to do with a general slowing of the economy in the US, not a big one just a slowing. Along with all of the added security to go back and forth between the countries.

Why would you bother waiting just to have the hassle of someone grilling you about why you are trying to cross the border without a passport where a drives license was sufficient in the past.

Big Cajun Man Says:
January 11th, 2007 at 5:32 am

I hadn’t thought of that part of it as well. It will hurt both sides of the border with this new “paranoid” view on our neighbours. My guess is cities like Cornwall and Sherbrooke are going to feel the pinch from this as well as Messina and Burlington in the States.