DENVER – While the number of international visitors to the U.S. has dropped off during the past year, Canadians are heading to destinations south of the border in record numbers, according to Brand USA.
“It’s our number one international market, with some 20 million visitors,” Brand USA President and CEO Chris Thompson said during the U.S. Travel Association’s recent IPW tourism trade show in Denver. “The good news is that in 2017 … the Canadian numbers are actually up.”
Brand USA, which works with the travel industry to maximize the economic and social benefits of travel, is the premier sponsor the IPW show.
U.S. government figures show that 20.2 million Canadians visited such popular American destinations as Orlando, San Francisco, New York City and Hawaii last year. That’s up 4.8 percent from 2016, despite the Trump presidency sparking headlines of a “Trump slump.”
“Most of my experience prior to Brand USA was with the state of Florida,” Thompson said. “Of course, we love the Canadians in Florida and we have a great relationship with them.”
Not only are tourists from Canada arriving in record numbers, they spent $19.4 billion on their visits in 2016, Brand USA said.
More than one out of four international arrivals to the U.S. in 2017 were Canadians. At the same time, overall international visits to the U.S. were down 3.8 percent, Brand USA said.
U.S. authorities are forecasting a 22 percent increase in Canadian visits between now and 2022.
Thompson said Brand USA has undertaken a number of significant marketing programs in an effort to boost visitation. In the last five years, Brand USA has boosted visits to the U.S. by more than 5.4 million, with incremental spending of $17.7 billion, he said.
