CANADA’S TOURIST TRAFFIC

Hokitika Guardian, 9 June 1931, Page 5

CANADA’S TOURIST TRAFFIC

WORTH £50,000,060 TO DOMINION.

TORONTO, April ]6.

In a foremost place 'among contributors to the national wealth of Canada is the tourist, and principally 'the United States tourist. Last year, according to complete figures recently compiled 4,110,009 American automobiles entered Canada for a. period not exceeding 24 hours, and 1,297,000 on permits good for two months, in the same period 747.000 Canadian cars were registered as visitors in the United States. Official statistics estimate at £50,000,000 the expenditure of tourists in Canada during 1930, which was a decline, of only £5,000,000 from the banner year of 1929. Entrants by ocean ports spent £2,000.000. visitors coming by rail ahd ship from the United States £12,000,000, and motor tourists £40,000,000. The latter sum was about £2,000,000 less than was spent by the same class in the preceding year, although the number of American automobiles increased by 900,000.

Canadian travellers in' the United States soent about £18.000,000 last year which proportionately is a heavier expenditure than made by the Americans in this country. Nevertheless, there is a heavy balance in favour of Canada on the international tourist trade, and it goes far to reduce the balance against the Dominion in the traffic in commodities across the frontier. The tourist business is increasing rapidly ns automobiles become steadily more numerous and the network oi paved roads on both sides oi the border extends and expands. A majority of the American cars enter Canada through the State of Afichigan, at Detroit. and through New A ork State at Buffalo, and in an effort to accommodate the endless procession across the Detroit frontier the Detroit River has been both tunnelled and bridged within the past few months.