TORONTO — Discover America Canada committee members received a warm welcome from U.S. Consul General, Baxter Hunt and his wife, Deb Derek at a garden reception yesterday in Toronto.
Hunt shared the latest outlook for Canadian tourism to the U.S. as guests enjoyed the grounds and views at the U.S. Consul General’s Residence in midtown Toronto.
Projections for 2024 are all good, said Hunt. Some 22.7 million Canadians are expected to visit the U.S. this year, spending $18.2 billion.
“We are so delighted to have you here, the Discover America Canada committee,” said Hunt. “You are the people who do so much to support tourism and the travel industry to the United States.”
He noted that Canadians are very experienced travellers to the U.S., and many are looking for new destinations stateside. “When Canadians visit the States about 45% of them will visit two or three cities and about 11% of them will visit four or more cities in a single trip. So these are folks who really get around and who are looking for new opportunities,” said Hunt.
Hunt arrived in Toronto in October 2023 to take up the U.S. Consul General post. “And one of the very first events that I did was the Discover America Media Day. And I was fortunate enough there to be able to meet some of you, and also folks from a lot of other destinations across the U.S. And it just reinforced for me how important the Canadian market is for the U.S. tourism sector.”
THE EASE OF MOBILE PASSPORT CONTROL & MORE
Hunt is looking to spread the word about the ease of Mobile Passport Control (MPC), and how it can expedite the border process for travellers coming into the U.S., along with pre-clearance at many Canadian airports.
“It just keeps getting easier for people to travel to the States,” said Hunt. “Many of you are familiar with the clearance program that the Customs and Border Protection Agency runs. We do this at airports around the country, Pearson being the biggest. Pearson is one of the biggest ports of entry for the United States. We have about 6 million people pass through Pearson every year to travel to the U.S. And to be clear, this program just makes it that much easier.”
Meanwhile the Mobile Passport Control (MPC) app is a free app that people can use to make the border experience easier as well. “I recommend that you all steer people in that direction,” said Hunt.
NEW WEBSITE FOR DISCOVER AMERICA – CANADA
The Discover America Canada team facilitated yesterday’s event, and early on there was a shout-out to DAC mainstay (and VoX International founder) Sue Webb.
Sana Keller, who serves on the DAC board as a director, encouraged attendees to keep several dates open on their calendars for Discover America – Canada events.
The annual Discover America Media Day is set for Oct. 30 “and exhibitor registration is now open,” said Keller. Close to a dozen exhibitor tables have already been sold and Keller says he’s expecting another sellout this year.
Discover America Canada also has a new website, at DiscoverAmericaCanada.org.
“We’re very excited about it,” says Keller. “All of the registrations and membership renewals will now be happening on that website. So no more PDFs. It’s all going to be online and we’re asking all of you to like, to follow, and to share. We want to make sure we all highlight our new website and encourage our postings to grow along with awareness of the destination and the association.”
Other events on the Discover America Canada calendar include a new webinar tentatively scheduled for Sept. 4, and DAC’s annual holiday event, taking place Nov. 26.
“Thank you to all the board members that are here today. Everyone has been doing a terrific job of keeping this organized organization not only alive, but thriving with fresh new ideas,” said Keller.
For more information about Discover America Canada see DiscoverAmericaCanada.org.
