Low Canadian dollar should boost northwestern Ontario tourism, publisher says

The publisher of a U.S.-based tourism magazine said the relatively weak Canadian dollar should help increase the number of Americans travelling to northwestern Ontario this year. 

Shawn Perich of Minnesota's Northern Wilds publication said the combination of a 70-cent (US) loonie along with lower gas prices has created an ideal situation for Americans to travel north in 2016. 

From great fishing spots to excellent restaurants, Perich told CBC News that Canada has plenty to offer U.S. tourists and border crossings appear to be smoother today than in past years. 

• Cheap Canadian dollar finally luring Americans north

"I don't think it's as much of an issue as it was post 9/11," he said. "I don't notice it any where near as much as I did a number of years ago, and I'm going across the border pretty frequently."

Perich acknowledged that tourist sites such as lodges that already deal in American funds may not be impacted as severely by the low loonie, but this is not always the case and many operations also use Canadian dollars. 

U.S. travellers interested in partaking in a road trip to Thunder Bay should know that as of Tuesday, regular gasoline is selling for as low as 72 cents and as high as 89 cents per litre in the city, according to figures from GasBuddy.com. The relatively cheap price at the pump is due in part to tumbling oil prices. 

Also, the Canadian dollar was trading at 72 cents (US) before North American stock markets opened Tuesday.