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Ron Chapple

Canadians are warming to foreign travel as the post-recession mindset perks up with the loonie's ascent, spurring forecasts of a robust summer for trips to the United States and overseas.

For those looking for adventures south of the border and abroad, the Canadian dollar's climb to parity with the greenback, if sustained, will save them hundreds of dollars on foreign vacations this summer.

Nina Slawek, who co-owns consumer travel website TakeOffEh.com, said tour operators saw bookings to Europe begin to improve in February, as the Canadian economy healed and the loonie strengthened.

"There is pent-up demand for travel," Ms. Slawek said yesterday.

After last year's recession and H1N1 influenza outbreak dampened travel, Canadians are increasingly choosing to visit the U.S. and overseas destinations, especially Europe, industry watchers say.

"There is something about the Canadian dollar getting at par with the U.S. dollar. People say, 'Wow, this may not last.' Last year, we had the recession and H1N1 and a whole host of reasons not to travel. But the confidence seems to be back," said Allison Wallace, spokeswoman for Flight Centre Canada, a Vancouver-based travel agency group. Flight Centre is coming off its best March, when it enjoyed a spike in flights to places such as Florida, California and Las Vegas. Ms. Wallace said Europe is now on the radar of many Canadians.

"If the dollar stays at par or close, we expect it to have a very strong influence on Europe travel this April to September. It will definitely be the incentive needed for anyone sitting on the fence about whether or not to go this summer," Ms. Wallace said.

Robert Kokonis, president of airline consulting firm AirTrav Inc., is booking a trip this summer to Finland, and he reckons that his family stands to save nearly $1,300, or 18 per cent, from what hotels, car rental, food, a cruise and other items would have cost last summer, before the loonie strengthened against the euro. For instance, six nights at a hotel in Finland that would have left his family with a $1,340 bill last summer now costs $238 less, based on this week's exchange rates.

Jonathan Carroll, president of vacation retailer itravel2000, said he has been witnessing a healthy recovery in outbound travel.

"People feel good about the Canadian economy, when they compare it to the U.S. or the U.K.," Mr. Carroll said. "Parity changes the mindset of the Canadian consumer, and attitudes toward travel changes. You're getting a better bang for the buck."

On the flip side, last year's recession sharply reduced travel to Canada. The downward trend for inbound tourists into Canada won't be easy to shake this year because of the rising loonie, overshadowing some of the benefits of the post-Olympic glow from the Vancouver Games, travel experts say.

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Canadians' top 10 foreign destinations

1. United States

2. Mexico

3. Britain

4. Cuba

5. France

6. Dominican Republic

7. Germany

8. Italy

9. Netherlands

10. China

Source: Statistics Canada

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