Mexico is experiencing an unprecedented boom in Canadian tourism. The number of Canadian residents traveling to the country is estimated to increase by 11.8 percent during the first two months of 2025, compared to the previous year, according to The Globe and Mail.
The Canadian newspaper tells a story. It says that for the past three years, Don Armitage and his wife have spent the month of March in Florida. But this year, political tensions and a very low exchange rate made the trip south stressful. “I was very nervous about coming and almost decided to assume the cost of prepaid accommodations,” Armitage said.
He and his wife have decided not to return to Florida next year. They opted for Lake Chapala in northern Mexico.
“The couple is among a growing number of Canadians choosing to spend their vacation money outside the United States. Canadian tourism to Mexico, Japan, and some European destinations, for example, has increased by nearly 30 percent. While many Canadians are allocating their travel spending to exploring Canada, the number of trips abroad continues to grow,” the newspaper reports.
In addition to the 11.8 percent increase in trips to Mexico, Canadians also shifted sharply (29.7 percent) to Japan. Portugal saw an 11.3 percent year-over-year increase in the number of Canadian travelers and a 6.4 percent increase in overnight stays from January to March of this year, compared to the same period last year.
The Globe and Mail reports that the Conference Board of Canada’s April travel intentions survey showed that only 27 percent of Canadians surveyed consider traveling to the United States in the coming years, down from 50 percent in the same study last year.
“What we’re seeing is that marketing organizations in these destinations are taking advantage of the current situation between Canada and the United States and ramping up their marketing to Canadians,” said Amra Durakovic, a spokesperson for Flight Centre Canada.
But some are also gaining momentum thanks to the weakness of the Canadian dollar against the US dollar, adds The Globe and Mail. The Canadian dollar is quite strong compared to the yen.
“Affordability is also contributing to the growing interest in places like Portugal, with lesser-known cities like Funchal and Cascais among the hot destinations in Airbnb’s 2025 Canadian Summer Trends Report. As for far-flung destinations like Japan, the Canadian tourism boom is also being driven by increased connectivity,” said Durakovic. Air Canada recently confirmed the resumption and expansion of its nonstop summer service to Osaka from Toronto and Vancouver, which launched last year. WestJet introduced new direct flights from Halifax to Amsterdam in May,” the newspaper reported.
Source: sinembargo
