WATCH: BC tourism is getting huge boost from the slumping Canadian dollar, and not just from other countries. Nadia Stewart reports.
Thinking twice about that trip to the States? You’re not alone. More Canadians are hesitating when it comes to making travel plans south of the border, a newly released survey finds.
The results of the Insights West online survey conducted from June 11 to June 15, is representative of a national sample of Canadian travelers. Of those who took part, 62 per cent say the declining Canadian dollar has had a “significant” or “medium” impact on their travel plans.
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“One out of five who say that they’ve already cancelled a trip they had planned to the U.S.,” said Mario Canseco, Vice President of Public Affairs for Insights West.
He says people are opting to travel within Canada or to just stay home instead: good news for Canadian tourism and local businesses.
“We saw it during the World Cup for instance. A lot of Americans wanted to watch the games and they spent a lot of money–not only going to the games–but also enjoying what the city has to offer,” said Canseco.
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“If that trend continues, we’re going to be seeing more American tourists here than we have seen over the past two, three years.”
As of May, 1.6 million Americans have visited B.C. this year, and industry watchers believe a low loonie is just one of the factors drawing tourists across our borders.
“We’re seeing strong growth everywhere. Close to 10 per cent from the U.S. up to the end of May and really good growth from all of our markets: from Europe, China, from Australia,” said Marsha Walden, Vice President and CEO Of Destination British Columbia.
However, there is a flipside to this story. While travelers are looking to take advantage of Canada’s weak dollar, British Columbians are trying to avoid losing out because of it. Shauna Vu, general manager for the Burnaby-based Travel Best Bets, says they’re seeing declining interest in popular American destinations.
WATCH: Washington State retailers are getting hammered by the low Canadian dollar. Elaine Yong took the temperature of cross-border shoppers today.
A trip to Bellingham, where cross-border shoppers make up a significant part of the Washington State town’s economy, reveals plenty of empty parking lots at this time of year.
“It is getting into an area that a a lot of us are keeping our fingers to the pulse,” said Guy Occhiogrosso of Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce.
“We don’t really know where the pain point is, we suspect it may be lower 70s. But this community has seen the ebbs and flows. And probably in a few years we’ll be talking about it being the other way.”
Vu said people are opting for cruises and trips to Europe instead. She believes it could take some time before British Columbians look to head south of the border again. Canseco agrees.
“I think it might get worse before it gets better. Looking at the numbers, especially looking at the oil prices, there’s a chance that the dollar is going to be falling even further. So, if we were to do this two, three months down the road, maybe the numbers would be higher in terms of not spending as much money in the states.”
– With files from Justin McElroy
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