U.S. visits still expected

The city’s tourism manager says he isn’t concerned that the potential rising cost of American passports will have a negative impact on the number of U.S. residents travelling to Canada.

U.S. passports are poised to possibly rise from $100 for an adult passport to $135 and Paul Pepe said he thinks it will have a mixed effect on the number of Americans crossing the border at Pigeon River.

"We’re really encouraged by the number of passport holders in the U.S. in the last five years," said Pepe, noting there are 11 million active passport holders in the Midwest – the key U.S. tourism market.

"With a U.S. passport being valid for 10 years, we don’t anticipate any real short-term drop in our overnight visitation," Pepe said. "But where we do feel it’s going to have an impact in the short-term are the middle-class families and the additional cost of getting passports in that market. It may keep them away from day trips but in terms of where we’ve seen some of the trends shifting, people are coming for the overnight trips."

While the current strong Canadian dollar doesn’t help the number of American visitors, the U.S. market has been in decline for the past 10 years, since the security measures implemented after 9-11, said Pepe.

And while the national average of American visitors was down 9.2 per cent last year, it dropped only .6 per cent at Pigeon River; the border crossing usually sees about 94,000 people a year.

Pepe said that number doesn’t include the American fishing and hunting tourists crossing at International Falls and Rainy River.

In 2009, Pepe said 1.3 million Americans in their key Midwest market obtained new passports, so people who do travel will continue to do so.

"For the avid, affluent traveler who wants that trophy experience, who wants to take that motorcycle around Lake Superior … or they want that trophy angling experience or eco-tourism experience, they’re still going to travel," he said. "And there are some people who are never going to get a passport; that’s the reality. We just have to focus in and know who are our markets are and reach out to them."

"We do think there’s going to be some segments in decline," Pepe added. "But overall, we think if we continue as a region to continue the growth of our targeted marketing campaigns into the U.S., I think we can help offset some of those losses."