Low loonie prompting a shift in travel plans for Canadians
Posted January 16, 2015 5:12 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – We’re changing our winter travel habits because of the low loonie. People looking for a sunny spot are avoiding US destinations.
A weaker Canadian dollar means you’ll pay more – almost 20 per cent more right now. Claire Newell with Travel Best Bets says she is seeing a dip in the number of people going on cruises because everything on board is sold in American currency. “We might be able to get them great packages for air and hotel, but it’s for everything else that they have to pay for. Their restaurants, their entertainment, that kind of thing. Their shopping! It really adds up and it adds up more if you’re taking a family.”
She says this could be behind Allegiant Air’s decision to cut its Hawaii route, fewer Canadians are flying there out of Bellingham. “There will be demand for it, but there’s not going to be as much demand because people know that there’s going to be a time when our dollar is stronger and they can go to those destinations where they have to pay in US dollars.”
Instead, Newell sees vacationers choosing places like the Dominican, Cuba and Mexico, where US currency isn’t the standard.
