Hundreds murdered in France and Belgium. Greek and Italian islands overwhelmed with refugees. A mosquito-borne virus spreading from Rio de Janeiro to South Beach.
A tumultuous 2016 forced many Canadians to re-evaluate their travel plans. Hereâs a look at how world events are impacting where tourists are heading.
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Scandinavia
France, Belgium and Turkey were the three European countries that experienced declines in visitors in the first nine months of 2016, according to the
The reason was headline-grabbing terrorist attacks, including the Bastille Day assault on Nice that in July, the bombings of Brusselsâ airport and subway that took in March and the explosions at Istanbulâs airport that left
Those fears are causing many choose Denmark, Sweden and Norway for fix of European charm. Travel to Scandinavia was up six per cent jump in the first nine months of 2016.
Spain and Portugal
Italy and Greece saw little to no growth in tourism in the first nine months of 2016, while Spain and Portugal saw double-digit increases.
One reason: Spain and Portugal offer the same Mediterranean climate, cultural experiences and abundant food and wine as Italy and Greece but without an ongoing migrant crisis.
Nearly all of the 350,000 migrants who by sea in 2016 have shown up on the shores of either Greece or Italy, where the humanitarian crisis has overwhelmed tourist towns.
Chile and Uruguay
Zika virus, which causes some babies to be born with deformed brains, spread to at least 58 countries in 2016.
Almost all of the most popular sun destinations in the western hemisphere are affected, causing potential parents and other cautious Canadians to avoid places like Cuba, Mexico and Brazil.
But there are a few countries in our hemisphere that are still Zika free, including Chile and Uruguay. Chile, which is protected from Zika-spreading mosquitoes by the Andes Mountains, saw a year-over-year increase in visits the first half of 2016.
Canada
With a high U.S. dollar, many Canadians are expected spend their summer vacations exploring other parts of their home and native land.
Itâs a good year to stay home: Canadaâs 150th birthday means bigger-than-usual July 1st bashes and
Montreal will also be extra exciting in 2017, as it spends $100 million on a year-long 375th birthday party.