What is it tourists don't like about Canada?

[grammafreddy]

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/why-to ... 00881.html

What is it tourists don't like about Canada?
By Steven Threndyle | Canadian Business – Thu, 31 Oct, 2013 9:38 AM EDT

Canadian Tourism Commission CEO Michele McKenzie announced last month she would be stepping down after a difficult decade at the helm of the national tourism marketing body. Statistics tell the tale: from 2000 to 2010, Canada's share of global international arrivals decreased from 2.9% to 1.7%. Our share of revenues fell from 2.3% to 1.7%.

A sharp decline in U.S. visitors and flat traveller numbers from overseas have left tourism operators ever more dependent on the domestic market. Canadians themselves accounted for 80% of spending in 2012, up from 68% a decade earlier, a recent Scotiabank report found. The report blamed the Canadian dollar's appreciation, which eroded price competitiveness, "as well as the rapid growth in emerging markets as a tourist destination."

That has left Canada with a wide and growing tourism deficit. Though the sector accounts for only 2% of the economy, it employs almost 600,000 people. And in the eyes of critics, it is getting even less competitive. "The cost of the product we're selling continues to rise. Our airports, for instance, are used as a cost centre rather than as an economic engine," laments John Winter, CEO of the B.C. Chamber of Commerce.

It's unfair to saddle the CTC with responsibility for the decline. Indeed, the Crown corporation has had some small successes that point the way to the industry's future. Under McKenzie's watch it launched "Canada. Keep Exploring," a "country branding" exercise that moved away from "moose, Mounties and mountains brochures" to screaming young zip-liners wearing helmet cameras and posting their adventures on social media.

The campaign was a hit with young, affluent travellers. It won the coveted FutureBrand No. 1 country ranking in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, travel to Canada by the under-25 age group increased by almost one-quarter.

Another growth node lies in emerging markets. Though the Harper government has been maligned for paring the CTC's budget to $58 million a year-less than that of New York City-it did negotiate Approved Destination Status with China prior to the 2010 Olympics. The effect was instantaneous; China went from the sixth- to the third-largest overseas inbound market by revenues. Canada welcomed 273,300 overnight Chinese travellers in 2012 who injected $486 million into the economy. Marketing dollars are being redirected to India and Brazil too.

Restoring Canadian tourism to its 1990s heyday is probably an impossible task. But just stopping the slide will require more such investments in targeted marketing.

[Atomoa]

- prices not including tax really rubs people the wrong way

- being charged sometimes up to $1.50 for "extra condiments" that are complimentary in most countries. This is actually out of control now and I have walked out of a few places because of it - as a Canadian.

Serve nachos with thimble full of sour cream - and charge me for more when I ask? Bye Bye.

[zoo]

I would think that 100% of the blame would go on our government. Plain and simple. The cost of travel, food, fees, taxes etc. have now just made travel here to expensive. To many other countries to see with lower costs involved.
taxes, cost etc. have always been pushed just high enough to get every penny and now we have discovered that there was a limit to how much you think people will pay. They finally made the fence too high.
We haven't opened our doors to this country we have closed them. We have out taxed our selves, closed our wilderness, rarely expanded our campsites.
Did we really think that with the ministry of tourism we could make programs to trick tourists that's its OK to come here and get soaked financially.

This is only going to get worse.

[GrooveTunes]

- prices not including tax really rubs people the wrong way

- being charged sometimes up to $1.50 for "extra condiments" that are complimentary in most countries. This is actually out of control now and I have walked out of a few places because of it - as a Canadian.

Serve nachos with thimble full of sour cream - and charge me for more when I ask? Bye Bye.

No there not.

[OREZ]

If the 90's were our "tourism heydays" maybe it was because our dollar was so low back then, especially in comparrison to the US dollar.

[underscore]

The exchange rate is now worse for Americans, and even then a lot of them don't have any spare money to exchange in the first place so they won't be taking as many trips up here.

Now I don't understand currencies as well as some people so I could be wrong here, but if tourism is dropping because our dollar is increasing, doesn't that mean that we're making less money from tourism because were' (on average) doing better in everything else? In which case I'm not terribly concerned about dropping tourism.

[Atomoa]

No there not.

Next time you are in Vegas or L.A., ask for "some more" sour cream or salsa and see if you are charged.

Here in Canada (I believe) the trend is to serve food with the bare minimum of dressing/condiments so you ask for more and are subsequently charged for it. When I order a giant plate of nachos and get a single tablespoon of sour cream - the cost of the "extra sour cream" required to garnish the dish properly should be included in the price, not added on afterwards like I ordered two deserts with my meal.

[GrooveTunes]

Next time you are in Vegas or L.A., ask for "some more" sour cream or salsa and see if you are charged.

oops..me bad. I hadn't realized Vegas and LA are countries.

[Glacier]

I have asked a few Americans I know this question.

#1 answer: The exchange rate. Many Americans I know would come up here and go skiing at one time, but not so much any more because it's so much cheaper to ski at home now.

#2 Answer: They felt unwelcome once people figure out they're American (only a small minority are hostile to Americans, but it only takes one to ruin someone's experience).

#3 Transportation: In addition to the price of gas, it takes a lot longer to drive the same distance in Canada.

[Captain Awesome]

There isn't really much to see in Canada.

[GordonH]

There isn't really much to see in Canada.

Whatever you say CA.

lol

[Captain Awesome]

Whatever you say CA.

Well, you tell me what's here to see to compel great number of people to fly from overseas or drive across several states.

[underscore]

There's lots to see, this country is friggin' huge.

Now whether or not what you can see is interesting, that's a personal opinion.

[Glacier]

Well, you tell me what's here to see to compel great number of people to fly from overseas or drive across several states.

Viagara Falls is a pretty popular spot for overseas tourists. So are Banff and Jasper as well as the Rocky Mountaineer train. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Speaking of which, Americans used to spend $40,000 a person to go hunt polar bears, but ever since the American government put polar bears on the endangered list (even though they aren't endangered), these tourists no longer come.

[underscore]

Viagara Falls.

;)