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Canadians travel to the US more
than ever
16 October 2007
As the Canadian dollar is continuing
to rise, more Canadians are opting for
vacationing in the United States.
The soaring Canadian dollar is making
travel to the neighboring United
States more affordable than ever,
according to travel agencies in
Canada.
Disney vacations are very popular now,
according to Don Johnston, of CAA
Travel, Canada. “Families are showing
a lot more interest there now that the
dollar is more competitive.”
This trend, Don Johnston added, is not
something that happened overnight;
“rather it has been occurring more
regularly as the dollar got stronger
and as word of affordable travel
spread.”
Johnston said that while he is happy
about the increase in demand for
travel to the United States, people of
Canada need to understand that it
could have negative effects for
Canada’s own tourism. The high
Canadian dollar could discourage US
travelers from visiting Canada.
Besides the United States, more and
more Canadians are now interested in
visiting countries such as China,
Thailand, and other parts of Asia.
Jean Hammerlindl, of Regina’s The Art
of Travel, says that travel bookings
have gone up in 2007 compared to the
year before. Bookings have already
been made for 2008.
According to Jean Hammerlindl, there
has been an increase in travel to
anywhere that the US dollar is spent.
“There has been increased travel from
Canada to the Caribbean, for cruise
nights, and a large increase to Disney
vacations. Even grandparents are now
taking their grown children and
grandchildren to Disney parks,” says
Hammerlindl.
She says there are so many positives
with the Canadian economy right now
and that “people are excited to travel
because they have job security. People
feel much safer now as they travel and
are more comfortable with the airline
regulations.”
Travel from Canada to Europe too
increased considerably in the last one
and a half years as the Canadian
dollar became more competitive with
the Euro and the British pound.
Travel to usual winter getaways such
as Mexico is still hugely popular,
according to Don Johnston.
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