FREDERICTON (NEWS1130) – Falling gas prices and a weakening loonie are raising hopes within Canada’s tourism industry that 2015 will be a banner year.
Ian Jack, a spokesman for the Canadian Automobile Association, says if the low prices hold until spring, he expects an uptick in domestic car travel.
According to CAA, the national average gas price hit a high of a $1.39 per litre last June. On Friday, that average was $0.92 cents a litre. The loonie fell to just above $0.84 US.
Ian Robertson with the Tourism Industry Association of British Columbia says his province was already expecting a good year, but those factors will help. “Cause American visitors to say ‘well lets travel to Canada, the gas price is low, the dollar is favourable’ and that is where we think we will see some kind of positive movement.”
He adds this year BC tourism is forecast to be even stronger than it was during 2010 and the Olympics.