LOW LOONIE INCREASES CANADIAN TOURISM
By Adnews Staff
The low Canadian dollar last year lured an increased number of American travellers to Canada, according to Statistics Canada. But the value of the Canadian dollar also deterred Canadians from crossing the border. Americans made 14.9 million overnight trips to Canada in 1998, an increase of 11.1% when compared to 1997. Canadians made 13.4 million overnight visits to the U.S., a decrease of 11.2%. Canadians made 2.2 million same-day car trips to the U.S. in December, up 2.7% from November. Americans made 2.4 million day trips, down .9% from November. Just over one million Canadians made overnight trips to the U.S in December, a 2.6% jump from November. Overnight trips to Canada from Americans fell 1.8% to 1.3 million. Residents of other countries made 341,000 overnight trips to Canada in December, an increase of 1.7% over November. Canadians compiled 370,000 trips to other countries, a drop of 1.8% from November. For 1998, residents of other countries made four million overnight visits to Canada, a decline of 6.8%.