Canadian tourism INBOUND numbers for 2008 are in. Mexico and Spain showed healthy growth.

Statistics Canada published its International Travel: Advance Information bulletin for December 2008 and the Jan-Dec 2008 period. Overall international visits to Canada were down 9.9% compared to a year earlier. No surprise here, US visits were down 12%. Europe was up 2.5% though stalwart United Kingdom was down 6% for the year (a sign of the economic downturn). French inbound tourism was substantially higher (at 12.2%) mostly due perhaps to Quebec's 400th Anniversary year. Asian inbound was down 3.2% mostly because of Japan's continuing decline. The House of the Rising Sun sent 16.4% less tourists in 2008 than in 2007 and is now close to losing its place to Mexico. Mexico, while showing signs of weakness in December (it was down 10.5%) grew 8.1% in 2008. Mexico was only 16,371 visitors away from trumping Japan as the 4th most important overseas market for Canada after the UK, France and Germany. Spain, by the way, held up very well considering the economic issues. Spanish inbound grew by 12.9% in 2008, breaking the 75,000 visitors to Canada mark for the first time. India, by the way a market the CTC has announced it will enter, was up 9.3% for the year.
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Jaime Horwitz MBA
www.canadaenespanol.ca