
How the low Canadian dollar is bringing visitors to Canada at a record rate
Apr 1, 2016
Why travellers prefer Blue Cross
Apr 1, 2016
Canadian tourism is booming once again, just as it did in the early 2000s, when the dollar was at a similarly low level. The cheap exchange rate has Americans once again heading north, where they can get more bang for their travel buck, especially those who live close to the Canadian border and are only a short car ride away.
However, many travel experts warn that Canada should not depend solely on a low dollar to boost its tourism.
“While the low dollar will draw more Americans to Canada, the Canadian travel industry should not depend on it,” says Rob Taylor in the Globe and Mail. Taylor is vice-president of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, which lobbies for the industry.
“I don’t want my industry to be contingent on a low dollar,” he says, adding that the industry also works hard to attract wealthy travellers, who tend to spend more. “We are not a cheap discount destination.”
It’s not just Americans who are taking advantage of the lower cost to travel to Canada. International travellers are also choosing to visit Canada, many of whom would have likely visited the United States, but the rates are just too good to pass up in the Great White North.
Destination Canada reports that “Canada welcomed 854,300 international visitors in November 2015, up 9% compared to November 2014. From January to November 2015, Canada recorded 16,600,000 international arrivals, up 7.4% relative to 2014.”
The Tourism Snapshot report also found that:
These numbers show that more people are not only visiting from the United States, they are coming from all over the world.
Travellers to Canada spend their time primarily in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec, and contrary to the upswing in tourism, the number of travellers to Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Alberta, Prince Edward Island and the Yukon decreased in 2015.
Destination Canada found that:
The other important factor to consider is that the lower dollar is keeping Canadians home and enticing them to invest in domestic tourism. Rather than take a day trip to the United States, Canadians are now looking for destinations closer to home.
Destination Canada found that:
No trip planning is complete without travel medical insurance for visitors to Canada. If you are hosting visitors from an international destination, you can never be too prepared, and our insurance coverage will ensure your guests have access to the travel assistance they need while in Canada. Contact us today or get a travel insurance quote for visitors to Canada online.