Canadians Unlikely to Travel to the U.S. due to Mandatory Passport Requirement

In advance of the Canada-US-Mexico Summit meeting in Cancun, the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) has released a travel survey that shows the negative impact of a U.S. passport requirement.

As of December 31, 2006, the United States Government has a requirement that all citizens entering the U.S. –either by sea or by air- must be in possession of a passport.

In the Hotel Association of Canada survey, 37 percent of Canadians say they would take at least one trip to the U.S. this year, with nearly a quarter (24 percent) indicating at least a one-night stay. However, when asked if they would still travel to the U.S. if a passport requirement were in place, 27 percent said they would likely call off the trip.

America is Canada´s largest inbound market. Almost 75 percent of Canadian business comes from the US. If a huge percentage of Americans needs to cross the border but will cancel travel due to the passport issue, Canada´s meetings and conventions business will suffer tremendously.

The Hotel Association of Canada is the national organization representing the lodging industry in Canada. Membership encompasses the provincial and territorial hotel associations, the corporate hotel chains, independent hotels, motels and resorts and the many suppliers to the hotel industry.

The survey was conducted with 2007 adult Canadians by Fleishman Hillard Canada (formerly GPC Public Affairs) about their leisure and business travel as well as opinions on current issues affecting travel in Canada.