Unlike the bird for which their currency is nicknamed, more Canadians won’t be flying south this year. A low loonie has caused one in five Canadian travellers to cancel their travel plans to the United States and one in 10 to cancel their travel plans entirely this year.
“The declining Canadian dollar and economic downturn is encouraging Canadian travellers to modify their vacation plans, including vacationing closer to home,” said Jane Ha-Trapp, vice-president of polling firm Insights West, in a press release. “This represents an opportunity for Canadian tourism destinations who are more likely to attract visitors who normally vacation outside of Canada.”
According to Insights West’s online poll, 82% of Canadian travellers say the declining dollar has affected their travel plans. The number of Canadian travellers who say the dollar has had a significant impact on their travel plans has increased by three percentage points since a similar poll conducted last year, reaching 27%.
Almost three in five Canadians plan to make fewer trips to the United States than they usually do, up 11% from the previous year. The domestic tourism industry is expected to benefit as a result, with 57% of Canadians saying they plan to travel to other parts of Canada, while 58% said they were more likely to do more travel within their home province.
According to the polling, all sectors of the tourism industry are likely to feel some of the impact of a falling dollar. Two thirds of Canadian travellers say that they plan to spend less on their trip as a result of the weakened loonie. One in four Canadian travellers say they will likely stay with friends or family rather than in paid accommodation.
Only 7% of Canadian travellers say the economic downturn has not affected their travel plans.
