Canada’s renewed investment in tourism seems to be working. The low Canadian dollar and U.S. politics also might be helping. Figures released today by Destination Canada show that arrivals into Canada last year jumped 11% to our highest level in 14 years. Visits from the U.S. reached 13,899,814; up 10%, while international arrivals jumped a whopping 16 %. In total, Canada attracted 19,979,334 visitors; the second highest amount ever and the highest since 2002. This year could be even better given it’s our 150th birthday, with parties planned coast to coast, and the continuing low dollar. There also are reports Read more
China
This is from a story I wrote for the Toronto Star golf magazine on the explosion of golf in China… You can see it in the way the mainland Chinese line up outside the Louis Vuitton shop in Kowloon. You can see it on Shenzen’s dusty roads, where cars are now far more common than the bikes that crowded China’s streets only a dozen years ago. People who suddenly come into wealth have a habit of releasing their pent-up shopping frustration by indulging in all the biggest gadgets and latest fads of the people they’ve seen enjoying the good life. Read more
