Higher U.S. passport fees could put a damper on local tourism
From the Toronto Star:
Tourism industry officials in Toronto and Niagara Falls say they are shocked to learn the U.S. State Department plans to raise passport fees by as much as 35 per cent.
A new adult passport would cost $135, up from $100. Since last summer, passports have been mandatory to cross the Canada-U.S. border. The new fees, which could come into effect in mid-March, mean U.S. passports for a family of four would cost $480.
“It’s a total surprise, and under the circumstances, I’m rather shocked,” said Niagara Falls Tourism chair Wayne Thomson.
“It’s very difficult to get our American visitors across the border for so many reasons right now. This is certainly not good news for people in the U.S. who may not be able to afford a passport and it’s certainly not good news for tourism destinations,” he said.
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Fewer Americans coming to Canada
From the Niagara Falls Review:
Fewer Americans came to visit Canada in October than in September, while the number of Canadians travelling to the United States was up slightly the same month, according to new data from Statistics Canada.
Travel by U. S. residents to Canada fell 2.6% to 1.6 million in October, compared to the previous month. This was the first decline in four months, the agency reported this week.
Travel to the United States by Canadian residents edged up 0.1% to 3.3 million.
By contrast, travel to Canada from destinations other than the United States increased by 3.2% to 332,000 in October.
Travel to Canada by United Kingdom residents -Canada’s largest overseas market – increased by 15.3% to 62,000 trips. Trips to Canada from Germany and Australia also posted double-digit gains.
Two-way cross-border car traffic at Niagara Falls bridges has been steady, said Brent Gallaugher, of the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission.
“Auto traffic is holding its own or is creeping up. We’re not in bad shape there,” said Gallaugher. “Trucking is down.”
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Border Crossing Wait Times
If you are planning a shopping trip to Buffalo, Niagara Falls, or Toronto keep visiting NiagaraBlog.com. We will be featuring a series of posts that will save you time and money. Travellers interested in a cross border shopping spree are probably contemplating which border crossing to take. You have 3 options; the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara [...]Millions fewer visitors coming to Niagara in 2009
From Niagara This Week:
The double whammy of the brutal recession and new identification rules at the border have devastated cross-border travel that’s a backbone of Niagara’s crucial tourism sector, gutting thousands of jobs here, figures from the Binational Tourism Alliance show.
In an attempt to try to reverse the disturbing trend, the alliance is pushing local, provincial and federal governments to buy into an action plan designed to get more people crossing back and forth across the border.
Related posts:
- Fewer U.S.-Canada tourists cross border From UPI.com: The number of people traveling between the United...
- U.S. diplimoat assures regional tourism leaders on border crossings From Hotel Online: An American diplomat reassured regional tourism officials...
- September 1-2, 2009 – Journey to Niagara Falls Someone with a Blogger blog posted twice (including pictures and...
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Millions fewer visitors coming to Niagara in 2009
From Niagara This Week:
The double whammy of the brutal recession and new identification rules at the border have devastated cross-border travel that’s a backbone of Niagara’s crucial tourism sector, gutting thousands of jobs here, figures from the Binational Tourism Alliance show.
In an attempt to try to reverse the disturbing trend, the alliance is pushing local, provincial and federal governments to buy into an action plan designed to get more people crossing back and forth across the border.
Related posts:
- Fewer U.S.-Canada tourists cross border From UPI.com: The number of people traveling between the United...
- U.S. diplimoat assures regional tourism leaders on border crossings From Hotel Online: An American diplomat reassured regional tourism officials...
- September 1-2, 2009 – Journey to Niagara Falls Someone with a Blogger blog posted twice (including pictures and...
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