The US President, Mr. Donald Trump may have driven down international visits to the U.S., however, Canadians in record numbers are visiting south-of-the-border destinations, Brand USA officials confirmed on Monday.
“It’s our number one international market, with some 20 million visitors,” Brand USA President and CEO Chris Thompson told a press conference on the opening day of the U.S. IPW tourism conference in this Colorado city. “The good news is that in 2017 … the Canadian numbers are actually up.”
U.S. government statistics show that around 20.2 million Canadians on 2017 had visited famous American destinations like Orlando, San Francisco, New York City and Hawaii. That’s up a solid 4.8 percent up from 2016, in spite of 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.”
U.S. authorities are predicting a 22 percent growth in Canadian visits between now and 2022.
Not only Canadians are arriving in record numbers, we’re simultaneously spending a ton of cash in the U.S. Brand USA officials said Canadians in 2016 spend $19.4 billion USD on their visits.
More than one out of four international visits to the U.S. last year were Canadians; 25.4 percent in all, officials confirmed.
It’s not a blow given the consistent growth in airlift from Canadian airports to U.S. destinations. Air Canada, WestJet and Porter are consistently flying to Florida, California, Hawaii and the U.S. northeast.
Tags: Brand USA
