Canadians spent $15.3 billion on their Visa cards in 2008 while visiting the U.S. last year. That, according to Visa International's latest tourism outlook report, is 19% more than they spent in the U.S. in 2007.
It also made Canadians the highest contributors to inbound tourism spending in the U.S. last year.
A total of $53 billion was spent on Visa cards by global travellers in the U.S. Other top contributors to the U.S. tourism market included the U.K. ($4.7 billion), Japan ($3.1 billion) and Mexico ($2.5 billion).
The survey results suggest that international travellers remain fairly resilient to the global recession. Only a quarter of respondents said they were less willing to travel now compared with a year ago due to the socio-economic climate. About the same proportion of respondents said they were more likely to travel internationally this year.
Travellers, however, are adjusting their itineraries because of the recession. More than half are opting to travel during off-peak seasons and a third are choosing less expensive tourist destinations.
Despite the recession, Americans are continuing to spend in Canada. The survey found that American Visa holders spent $5.5 billion in Canada last year, up 2% from what they spent in 2007.