Faced with the uncertainty of the Trump era, tourism is doing quite well

The weak Canadian dollar, which could fall even further if the Trump administration imposes tariffs, has the potential to attract more visitors to Canada and allow the tourism sector to perform well.

At Sunshine ski resort in Alberta, the lift ticket costs $175, but converted into US dollars, it drops to US$120, a bargain, as a similar ticket costs double in Colorado.

Waterton Lakes National Park slows down in winter. Most hotels and businesses are closed, but the owner of two hotels and president of the local chamber of commerce, Shameer Suleman, expects a very busy summer.

We take a lot of reservations over the phone and when we give them the converted rate, [les touristes américains] are shocked. They have no idea how weak the Canadian dollar is right nowhe explains.

It’s very cheap compared to some places in the US.

Right now, $1 Canadian is worth 69 US cents.

A little further west, the ski resorts of the Rockies are already seeing the effect of the weak Canadian dollar on attendance. According to Emmett McPartlin, the Lake Louise resort’s sales and marketing director, the number of American visitors has increased this season, and the exchange rate is a factor.

We see it in the comments online. We hear it from our visitors. Excellent value for money is a topic of conversation among visitors and Americans in particularhe said.

The observation is the same at the Sunshine ski resort.

According to vice-president of communications, Kendra Scurfield, the relative affordability of Canadian slopes is a good selling point. Our biggest challenge in attracting Americans is reminding them where we are, how they can get to us and what they can do here. They have plenty of ski options within their country itselfshe said.

Credit cards risk getting hot

In terms of economic benefits, the American tourist is interesting. They want to eat at the best restaurants, they want to shop, ski and discover what makes Canada differentobserve Kendra Scurfield.

The director of the Ted Rogers School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Toronto Metropolitan University, Frédéric Dimanche, doubts that the weak dollar alone will attract more tourists to Canada, but he believes that it could increase the spending of these visitors.

It will encourage them to spend a little more, maybe extend their stays, maybe go shopping, maybe choose a higher class of hotel than the one they had thought abouthe said.

Frédéric Dimanche believes that this advantageous exchange rate should be put forward more in the promotion of tourism in Canada.

We don’t dare tell people that we have a cheap destination. But Americans are not really aware of the value of their dollar compared to ours.

All the mentions of Canada by Donald Trump, joke or not, could also give a little boost to this tourist season, according to the professor. It perhaps increases notoriety and above all, in people’s minds, Canada can grab a few placeshe says.

More Canadian tourists expected

The websites of the group’s hotels Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts have seen the number of visits from American Internet users increase by more than 50% in recent weeks. What is equally interesting for the group is that interest from Canadians is also on the rise, according to the group’s president, Larkin O’Connor.

We are seeing an increase in bookings from Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario. We saw a big increase in Saskatchewanhe said. There is no doubt for him: the weakness of the Canadian dollar is to blame, since traveling outside of Canada has become even more expensive.

For Larkin O’Connor, this increase in tourism is a good thing, if it comes at the right time. In Banff or Lake Louise, where his properties are located, the summer months are full, regardless of the value of the dollar.

We are focusing on the other eight months of the year when we have availability, and we hope that Canadians will help us fill those times.he said.