Close X
Friday, November 8, 2024
ADVT 
National

Where Have The Canadian Tourists Gone? Weak Loonie Keeps Them From Visiting US

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 04 Dec, 2015 01:10 PM
    ORLANDO, Fla. — Around this time of year, Joel and Lorraine Leydier usually make their annual drive from their home near Toronto to South Carolina. But this year, they're staying in Canada due to the weak loonie, and others are doing the same.
     
    Visits by the United States' largest supply of international visitors are forecast to be down by 8 per cent this year and another 1 per cent next year. By comparison, overall international visits to the United States are expected to be up half a percentage point this year and up more than 2.5 per cent next year.
     
    Still, some 21.1 million Canadians are expected to come to the United States this year, making up almost 30 per cent of the U.S.'s international visitors.
     
    "We will probably hold off until the dollar straightens itself out a bit," said Joel Leydier.
     
    The Canadian dollar this year has dropped to its lowest level against the U.S. dollar in more than a decade. The loonie has slid 25 per cent against the U.S. dollar in the past three years and now is worth about 75 cents US.
     
     
    After Canada, the biggest sources of international tourists in the United States are Mexico, with a forecast of 17.9 million visitors this year; the United Kingdom, 4.4 million visitors; Japan, 3.5 million visitors; and Brazil, 2.3 million visitors.
     
    In Florida, where 4.2 million Canadians vacation annually, Canadian visits are down 1.4 per cent for the first three quarters of the year, even though overall tourism is up by 5.5 per cent, and Florida is on the path to break the 100 million visitors mark. Florida is the second most popular state for Canadian visitors, trailing only New York.
     
    The Miami market caters to more affluent Canadians and hasn't been as affected as other parts of the state, said Bill Talbert, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.
     
    "We are attracting more of the upscale Canadian traveller," said Talbert, whose city saw Brazilians supplant Canadians four years ago as the top source of visitors.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Former Tory James Moore Opposed As Next Chancellor Of B.C. University

    The petition, posted Friday by an anonymous senator from the Prince George, B.C.-based university, had topped 1,000 signatures by early Tuesday.

    Former Tory James Moore Opposed As Next Chancellor Of B.C. University

    Governor General David Johnston Calls Arrival Of Syrian Refugees A 'Defining Moment' For Canada

    Governor General David Johnston Calls Arrival Of Syrian Refugees A 'Defining Moment' For Canada
    OTTAWA — Gov. Gen. David Johnston issued a rallying cry Tuesday for Canadians to welcome refugees who are fleeing the conflict in Syria, calling Canada's response to the crisis a "defining moment" for the country.

    Governor General David Johnston Calls Arrival Of Syrian Refugees A 'Defining Moment' For Canada

    Federal Shortfalls On Track To Be $10.8 Billion Bigger Than Forecasts: Watchdog

    Federal Shortfalls On Track To Be $10.8 Billion Bigger Than Forecasts: Watchdog
    The government is on track to deliver annual shortfalls that will be as much as $10.8 billion higher than expected, the parliamentary budget office said Tuesday.

    Federal Shortfalls On Track To Be $10.8 Billion Bigger Than Forecasts: Watchdog

    Canada Rebounds With 2.3 Per Cent Quarterly GDP Growth, But Weakness Persists

    OTTAWA — Canada has climbed out of the recession that nudged the economy into reverse over the first half of 2015 — but a rebound in growth during the third quarter has already shown signs of lost momentum.

    Canada Rebounds With 2.3 Per Cent Quarterly GDP Growth, But Weakness Persists

    India's 'Real Dirt' Lies In Minds, Needs A Clean-up: President Pranab Mukherjee

    President Pranab Mukherjee here on Tuesday exhorted people to go strongly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Mission but ensure the society was first cleansed from within as evinced by Mahatma Gandhi through his life.

    India's 'Real Dirt' Lies In Minds, Needs A Clean-up: President Pranab Mukherjee

    Mayor Calls Mount Polley Permit Early Christmas Present For Cariboo Miners

    VICTORIA — The British Columbia government has approved a permit allowing water discharge from a mine that was the centre of an environmental disaster, and the decision has drawn cheers from the area's mayor.

    Mayor Calls Mount Polley Permit Early Christmas Present For Cariboo Miners