HAMPTON, N.H.-
New England business owners are crediting hot weather and a strong Canadian dollar for a good tourism season.
Manny Witt, director for the New England Tourism Bureau in Montreal, said 20 percent more Canadians are traveling to New Hampshire this summer. He said the top three New England destinations are Hampton Beach, Old Orchard Beach in Maine and Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
In Canada, gas is $1.18 a liter, or $4.46 a gallon, Witt said.
"The Canadians will fill up in the United States coming in and out," he said. "Food is (also) cheaper in the States. You take the same vacation for two weeks in Toronto and Hampton Beach; it's $800 to $1,000 cheaper in Hampton Beach."
Motel owners in Hampton Beach, N.H., say they're fully booked through August thanks to visitors from Quebec.
The Canadian dollar currently is worth about 90 cents in the United States.
In Old Orchard Beach, rain in May and June dampened the early season, keeping day trips down. But the season has now kicked into full gear and businesses are seeing an influx of Canadian tourists because of the strong Canadian dollar, said Bud Harmon, executive director of the Old Orchard Beach Chamber of Commerce.
Old Orchard Beach has been a popular vacation spot for French-speaking Canadians for decades, but business dropped off when the Canadian dollar's value dropped in relation to U.S. currency. Canadian visits have steadily climbed as the Canadian dollar has risen since bottoming out in 2002 at 62 cents, meaning it took $1.60 in Canadian money to buy $1 in greenbacks.
But the exchange rate is also taking a toll on tourism operators across the border.
Cameron Campbell, operator of Nostalgia's Nook Bed and Breakfast in St. Martins, New Brunswick, said guests from the U.S. usually make up 80 percent of his business. But Campbell said he's seen a sharp decline in the past few years, and this summer has been especially bad.
