Olympic exposure to such areas as Gastown in Vancouver could draw tourists to Canada later.Jeff Vinnick
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER
When Eddie (The Eagle) Edwards shows up in Manitoba next month, the Canadian Tourism Commission will be counting on the former Olympic ski jumper to prime the pump for foreign visitors to Canada in 2010.
Mr. Edwards - the ungainly British athlete who placed last at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics but endeared himself to spectators with his thick glasses and eccentric personality - is slated to carry the Olympic torch on Jan. 7 in Winnipeg. His Canadian appearance is being arranged by the CTC and organizers of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
The CTC, a federal Crown corporation, is optimistic that publicity from an array of foreign athletes and entertainers hoisting the torch during the cross-country relay, capped by coverage of the Vancouver Games, will help to put Canada's bruised tourism industry on the road to recovery.
"World exposure is coming Canada's way with the 2010 Vancouver Games," said Andrew Clark, the CTC's vice-president of market development.
In 2009, the recession sharply reduced the number of visitors from the United States and the vast majority of overseas countries such as Britain. But as the economic skies slowly clear, Canadian tourism players are poised to reap the rewards, whether airlines, hotels or restaurants.
While a huge rebound isn't in the offing, tourism traffic into Canada in 2010 is expected to improve from 2009 because of the ripple effects of the Feb. 12-28 Olympics.
Vancouver-based CTC has helped line up a variety of former Olympians from foreign countries to carry the torch, including figure skater Philippe Candeloro of France and speed skater Ye Qiaobo of China.
"We can't predict the economy, but the 2010 Olympics will be good for tourism," Mr. Clark said, adding "2009 was challenging."
In the first nine months of 2009, the number of foreigners staying one or more nights in Canada fell 7.6 per cent to 13 million, compared with the same period in 2008, according to Statistics Canada. The number of visitors from United States slid 5.6 per cent to 9.68 million over the first nine months of 2009, while the number of tourists from non-U.S. countries tumbled 13 per cent to 3.33 million.
Key overseas markets slumped, with the number of British visitors to Canada dropping 18.5 per cent to 581,932. Other notable slides in tourists entering Canada include those from Japan, South Korea, Australia, Brazil, India, Hong Kong and Mexico.
The CTC budgeted $10-million annually in 2009 and 2010 for marketing Canada to "priority and emerging international markets" - money obtained through Ottawa's special stimulus funding. The targeted markets are the United States, China, Brazil, India and Mexico. China has been the rare bright spot for Canadian tourism, with the number of visitors from the Chinese mainland rising 1.1 per cent to 127,787 in the first nine months of 2009, despite tough economic times.
The influx of Chinese business and leisure trips is forecast to stay strong in 2010 because China recently granted "approved destination status" to Canada. The move allows travel agents in China to market Canada and makes it easier for residents from mainland China to visit Canada, especially as part of leisure tour groups, the Conference Board of Canada said.
Robert Kokonis, president of airline consulting firm AirTrav Inc., forecasts that Canada could attract 353,000 visitors from China in 2015, more than double the estimated 170,000 in 2009. Even without approved-destination status, the number of annual visitors from China has surged 120 per cent since 2003, when the SARS outbreak deflated trips between China and Canada.
Air Canada is considering boosting its flight frequencies on the Toronto-Beijing and Toronto-Shanghai routes.
Effective March 28, Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. will increase the number of weekly non-stop flights between Toronto and Hong Kong to 10 from the current seven. "Once in Hong Kong, travellers can seamlessly connect to 17 cities in mainland China through its sister airline, Dragonair," Cathay said in a statement.
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YEAR OF THE SLUMP
Here are the percentage declines in overnight visitors from key foreign markets entering Canada in the first nine months of 2009, compared with the same period in 2008:
United States -5.6 per cent
Britain -18.5
France -3.9
Germany -4.5
Mexico -31.7
Japan -30.8
South Korea -27.5 Australia -16.1
India -3.7
Hong Kong -17.5
Brazil -13.7
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Tourism Commission
Brent Jang