Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Canadian strong dollar effect on San Diego snowbirds

"The weather has a lot to do with it"

It's an ill wind that blows no one any good, so will the weak dollar help San Diego? For example, the Canadian dollar, which as recently as early 2002 was worth 62 cents, is now at parity with our dollar. Will Canadian snowbirds rush in bigger numbers to the desert this winter? Will San Diego get more Canadian tourists? Surprisingly, the effect may be small.

Yuma, Arizona, attracts 70,000 snowbirds a year. "The RV parks expect no more than normal," says Ken Rosevear, head of the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce. The number of visitors kept rising while the Canadian dollar (called the "loonie" because of the loon on the coin) was weak. He doubts traffic will pick up with the loonie strong.

Sponsored
Sponsored

El Centro, which gets about 10,000 snowbirds a year, doesn't have room for more, although they may go out to Bureau of Land Management space in the desert and also go to Brawley, Niland, and Holtville, says Cathy Kennerson, head of the El Centro Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. She hopes that those staying nearby will do more shopping in El Centro.

Erica Savage, executive director of the Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce, says, "I hope that with the Canadian dollar where it is, we will find a lot more of our northwestern tourists venturing down for longer stays" and spending more. The town has a full-time population of 3000 that swells to 7000 in the winter.

However, Jack Giacomini, who runs three large hotel facilities in Mission Valley, doubts there will be much effect on San Diego tourism. "There are more conditions than just the balance of the dollar and the loonie," he says. "Typically, the weather has a lot to do with it -- if it's bad weather there and good here. The exchange rate doesn't hinder anybody unless it's way out of control, so I don't expect a significant change because of that." He does believe, though, that Canadians who come here will spend more money.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Tiny Home Central isn’t solving the San Diego housing crisis

But it does hope to help fill in the gaps
Next Article

Gilbert Castellanos, Buddha Trixie, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Shane Hall, Brian Jones Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival

Grand Socials, gigs, and record releases in Del Mar, City Heights, Solana Beach, Little Italy, and Ocean Beach

It's an ill wind that blows no one any good, so will the weak dollar help San Diego? For example, the Canadian dollar, which as recently as early 2002 was worth 62 cents, is now at parity with our dollar. Will Canadian snowbirds rush in bigger numbers to the desert this winter? Will San Diego get more Canadian tourists? Surprisingly, the effect may be small.

Yuma, Arizona, attracts 70,000 snowbirds a year. "The RV parks expect no more than normal," says Ken Rosevear, head of the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce. The number of visitors kept rising while the Canadian dollar (called the "loonie" because of the loon on the coin) was weak. He doubts traffic will pick up with the loonie strong.

Sponsored
Sponsored

El Centro, which gets about 10,000 snowbirds a year, doesn't have room for more, although they may go out to Bureau of Land Management space in the desert and also go to Brawley, Niland, and Holtville, says Cathy Kennerson, head of the El Centro Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. She hopes that those staying nearby will do more shopping in El Centro.

Erica Savage, executive director of the Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce, says, "I hope that with the Canadian dollar where it is, we will find a lot more of our northwestern tourists venturing down for longer stays" and spending more. The town has a full-time population of 3000 that swells to 7000 in the winter.

However, Jack Giacomini, who runs three large hotel facilities in Mission Valley, doubts there will be much effect on San Diego tourism. "There are more conditions than just the balance of the dollar and the loonie," he says. "Typically, the weather has a lot to do with it -- if it's bad weather there and good here. The exchange rate doesn't hinder anybody unless it's way out of control, so I don't expect a significant change because of that." He does believe, though, that Canadians who come here will spend more money.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Tiny Home Central isn’t solving the San Diego housing crisis

But it does hope to help fill in the gaps
Next Article

Dating Sites For Little People: Best Platforms & Tips

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.