March Break: Is the low loonie a boon for Canadian tourism industry?

As thelooniestays firmly rooted below 75 cents U.S., the Canadian tourism industry is hoping to cash in on travellers choosingto stay in the country for March Break, rather than face the exchange-rate pain of heading south.

• Low loonie has Canadians rethinking winter travel plans
• U.S. vacation hot spots offer discounts to dollar-weary Canadians
• Loonie troubles turn foreign getaways into Canadian staycations

"Canadians more and more are choosing to stay home," said Marsha Walden, CEO of Destination British Columbia.

Hotelsin Victoria and some of B.C.s big skiresorts werealready"way ahead" of where they were at the same time last yearfor March Break reservations, she said.

Walden expectsthat tourism during the breakwill follow the overall trend the province saw in 2015, when travel from British Columbiato the U.S. decreased 21 per cent compared with theprevious year.

"That has a big impact on our domestic tourism," Walden said. "We already know that our March Break is going to be really, really strong."

British Columbiaalso has good weather on its side this year, she said.

"Spring has sprung, but it's still winter on the mountains, so you get the best of both worlds."

'Still want to go to the sun'

But weather conditions are different on the East Coast, where many people are still booking trips south despite thelow Canadian dollar, according to CAA Travel.

"They still want to go to the sun," said Gary Howard, CAA's spokesman in Atlantic Canada.

A lot of people say they won't go southbecause of the low loonie, hesaid.But then, "Winter comes to Canada and then we change our mind[s]."

Rather than forgoing sunny vacations, people are "stretching that dollar," Howardsaid. Familiesmake financialadjustments such as going away forfive days instead of a week, choosingmoderatelypriced resorts over deluxe accommodations, or skippingvisits tooutlet malls.

"Vacation time when spent with family becomes more and more precious with ...busy schedules and so on," Howardsaid. "People don't like spending ... the extra money for the [dollar] exchange, but they're still going to go on vacation."

March Break reservations for vacations closer to home in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland are "OK" this year, he said.Reservations for local resortsareupbut "not going through the roof."

"I think it's an alternative for people," he said. "But, you know, you keep coming back to the cold and the winter and people are still going to go [away]."

'Embrace winter'

In Ontario, tourism officials are promotingwinter fun as another reason for people to stay in the province during March Breakrather than travelling south.

"[For] those who love to embrace winter it's always a busy time," said Lorrie Pella, vice-president of visitor engagement and northern tourism for the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation.

Pellasaid the agencyis trying to let outdoor enthusiasts knowthat"there's snow to be had in spades in the north," despite less than optimal snowconditions in southern Ontario this year.

According to Statistics Canada data published on the Tourism Ontariowebsite, travel from Ontario to the U.S. dropped by 14 per cent in 2015.Pellabelieves theplunging Canadian dollar contributed to that trend and will lead to more peoplestaying in the province for March Break this year.

In Quebec, weather is "the main factor" influencing travel decisions,according to Isabelle Toulouse, spokeswoman for Global Rservation, an online bookingcentre for hotels, condos and lodges in the province.

In an email,Toulouse said she didn'tsee much change in March Break tourism bookings within Quebecthis year, but noted manypeople wait until one or two days before their vacations to book, when they have abetter sense of the weather forecast.

"Quebecers...reserve at the last minute," shesaid.