posted 02-03-2006 11:05 AM         

TORONTO (CP) - Travellers from the United States would rather visit Mexico and the Caribbean than the Great White North, tourism officials complained Wednesday as they urged all levels of government to generate some badly needed buzz about Canada.

"Too many Americans are not considering Canada for vacation," said Rod Seiling, president of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association.
"Unfortunately, when they think of our country, they only see the age-old stereotype of the three M's - moose, mountains and Mounties."

Without an NHL hockey season last year, Canada fell even further off the radar screen, said Seiling, a former defenceman with the league's New York Rangers.

"The only way to change that is through marketing."

Statistics from the Canadian Tourism Commission indicate Canada as a whole saw 4.6 per cent fewer U.S. travellers last year compared with 2004. Automobile traffic was down 6.7 per cent, the commission said.

The decline was acutely felt in Ontario, a province visited by roughly 33 per cent fewer U.S. citizens over the last five years, Seiling said. The city of Toronto bore the brunt of that impact, he added.

Still, he admitted the city is doing fairly well and has successfully rebounded from the devastating effects of two deadly SARS outbreaks in 2003. Not including visits from stateside, international travel to Toronto has risen 50 per cent in the past five years.

"But we are losing momentum and we need to get it back," Seiling said as he urged the Ontario government to spend $30 million on boosting tourism in the province and for Ottawa to dedicate an additional $100 million to the cause.

"Unless action is taken now, we not only risk losing the gains we have made, but we could slide backwards."

Seiling said tourism is down across the country, with a large chunk of the decline coming from travellers in border states who are discouraged by hassles crossing the border, the high dollar and the price of gas.

Bruce MacMillan of Tourism Toronto said the biggest problem is Canada's reputation as a dull place. He said the country needs a national strategy to rebrand its image and called on the newly elected Conservative government to make tourism a priority.

"Border security, currency rates, lingering perceptions of Canada that there's nothing to do - these are national issues," MacMillan said.

"As soon as a new federal minister is appointed, we'll be seeking to open a dialogue with him or her to ensure that tourism issues are at the top of their federal agenda."

Seiling complained that the Canadian Tourism Commission is underfunded by about $20 million. The agency currently gets about $78 million a year.

By comparison, MacMillan said Australia spends more than $200 million annually on its national tourism strategy.

MacMillan said the tourism industry brings $4 billion a year into Toronto alone and supports 100,000 jobs in the city, traditionally the destination of choice for most U.S. visitors.

"The pain here is more," said MacMillan. "Over 50 per cent of our business is U.S.-based, so when that starts to drop off, we hurt more than anyone else."

Finding out exactly why U.S. travellers are shunning Canada is the focus of a large-scale study by the Canadian Tourism Commission.

Aside from exchange rates and difficult border crossings, there are other factors that have emerged anecdotally, said commission president Michele McKenzie.

"It is becoming apparent that many neighbouring Americans are not sure Canadians still like them," she wrote in a recent article for Front Desk, an industry newsletter.

"This perception is fuelled by geopolitical issues (such as Canada declining to join the war in Iraq) and also by some of the commentary floating across the border."

The Comprehensive Study on U.S. Market Challenges is expected to be released later this month.

posted 02-03-2006 01:01 PM         

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dave Mills:
This does not extend to the people I have met there once across the border, they have always been a pleasure to be around.

---

posted 02-03-2006 01:31 PM         

quote:

---

Originally posted by Wayne Finch:
Maybe they haven't been to AC's Canadian hideout.
http://www.worldsbestbars.com/city/toronto/alley-cats-toronto.htm

---

Wayne,
What kinda places you sending these guys to?

Please read the Comments section on the club!

Ever heard the saying 'don't act like your s*** don't stink cause those roses really smell like poo poo'? That is how I would sum up my experience at this venue. Not only was the service inadequate and slow, the waiters were rude and deficient especially the manager who lacked severely in professionalism. Not worth the pricey dishes, weak alcoholic beverages and the mandatory ($) coat check.

by: Steph, 23 January 2006

I'm still trying to make it up to Halifax to see Jim. Man...this kinda treatment you guys are mentioning makes me a little uneasy.
I can just see it now...one of the officers at "Checkpoint Charlie" accidently scratching the side of my cat with his sidearm, while he's performing a full body cavity search on my cat.

posted 02-03-2006 02:04 PM         

quote:

---

Originally posted by Tytanium-K:
Doc,
but it seemed I was treated like a criminal

---

Ken and Rich...you're 100 % right about the border crossing and like Wayne said it almost feels like you're guilty until proven innocent.
Totally agree that first impressions are so important and the border definitely is a first impression.
Once you've good through the uncomfortable drill...the 3 M's are there waiting for you....Moose,Mountains and The Mounties!

posted 02-03-2006 02:51 PM         

------------------

posted 02-03-2006 04:16 PM         

quote:

---

Originally posted by Wayne Finch:
It's the 407

---

U.S. murder suspects arrested in shootout at B.C. border

The incident on Tuesday night temporarily closed the Canada-U.S. border crossing, and caused dozens of Canadian guards to walk off the job, fearing for their safety.

The Peace Arch border crossing, Tuesday.
The chase started when two men tried to get into Canada.

Officials say Ishtiaq Hussain, 38, and Jose Antonio Barajas, 22, are now in custody. One of the suspects was wounded in a shootout with police.

U.S. sheriffs say the pair managed to make it to the check point about a metre before Canadian soil.

"They [drove] through the border and they almost struck two uniformed officers," said Bill Elf of the Whatcom County Sheriff's Department.

The suspects continued northbound and struck the Peace Arch itself at one point.

Witness Bill Whittle didn't see the ensuing gunfight but he heard it.

"I heard about seven or eight gunshots on the other side of the Peace Arch," he said. "One of [the suspects] was shot. [The police] got him out of the car."

Suspects Ishtiaq Hussain, 38, of Pakistan, and Jose Antonio Barajas, 22, of Mexico, were arrested amid gunfire at the end of a high-speed chase Tuesday, police said. Hussain was shot and wounded by U.S. border guards.

Toews suggested Canada should be embarrassed by the incident.

"I think it does nothing for our national image. I find it very disturbing that our officers felt compelled to leave because of this threat to their personal safety," he said.

"I understand their concerns very well and don't fault them. What surprises me is that the former government refused to properly equip our officers."

The Canadian side of the U.S.-Canada border is monitored by the 4,500-member Canada Border Services Agency, supplemented in some posts by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and local police departments.

I'm seriously thinking of taking the Kat to Newfoundland this August for a cruise of Gros Morne National Park....I should know in a week or so if i can get the first 2 weeks of August for vacation.......Check out the pictures....
http://www.photoscanada.com/gallery/grosmornenationalpark

http://grosmorne.com/main.htm

anyone interested in going along is certainly welcome....

posted 02-03-2006 11:19 PM         

quote:

---

Originally posted by halicat:
If you feel that it isn't worth the hassle to get into our country then why would you want to visit ?
In my eyes its very minor inconvenience, and if your not doing anything wrong, then you have nothing to worry about..

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by BeWare:

The question was asked so I responded. Would you rather I had said something like the country is boring? I believe there are people that won't come back because of a bad experience at the border. JMO

---

1) your opinions are your own, and I respect them.

2) Saying our country is boring would not bother me in the least,
I am proud of boring...to some nature is boring.

3) People that don't want to visit Canada because our border guards aren't farting rainbows can go somewheres else....Most, if not all, Canadians are OK with that.

Good Thread Doc....