International travel account, first quarter 2003 (preliminary) - ARCHIVED

Canada's international travel deficit - the difference between what Canadians spend abroad and what foreigners spend in Canada - rose from $427 million in the fourth quarter of 2002 to an estimated $585 million in the first quarter of 2003. This was the first increase in Canada's travel deficit since the second quarter of 2002. Canada's travel deficit with the United States grew because both the number of trips made by Americans to Canada and their travel spending declined. Canada's travel deficit with countries other than the United States reached a new high in the first quarter because overseas visitors spent less in Canada and Canadian travellers increased their spending in overseas countries.