Canada: Strong dollar spurs record trips abroad

Canadians are heading abroad in record numbers with their robust dollar. While the United States remains the most popular destination, overseas trips in August surpassed the 600,000 mark for the sixth month this year, Statistics Canada figures show. Before this year, the 600,000 mark had never been reached.

Spain, Italy, Croatia and Ireland are popular this year, with particular focus on Mediterranean cruises, travel agents said. In recent weeks, bookings have shifted to sun spots such as Mexico and the Caribbean.

Where once Canadians opted for cheaper package tours, now they're willing to book hotels and air separately.

"We've been on an increase since the dollar's been going up for the past year," said Allison Eaton, Vancouver-based spokeswoman for the Flight Centre. "I definitely attribute a lot of that to the strong dollar."

read more >>>

A place for cheap airline tickets: www.Skytours.ca