The impact of security on travelers across the Canada–US border
Highlights
► Examination of the impact on the number of travelers crossing the Canada–US border. ► Two regression models were tested holding exchange rates and gas prices constant. ► Security measures since 9/11 have negatively impacted the number of travelers. ► Impact greater for American visitors to Canada than Canadian visitors to the US.
Introduction
The events of September 11, 2001, directly affected travel and tourism across the United States, Canada, and many other countries throughout the world. All trade and travel between the United States and Canada came to a standstill as the border closed for approximately 24 h and all civilian air traffic was grounded for two days (Goodrich, 2002). Recognizing the Canada–US border’s economic importance and need to keep it open and secure, the two countries worked cooperatively to produce the Smart Border Accord, signed on December 12, 2001. This accord includes a 32-point action plan that focuses on security while facilitating the flow of people and goods across the border (Government of Canada, 2001). Since then, other security measures have been implemented, such as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), which have raised even more concerns about the impact of security on the movement of people across the Canada–US border (Abelson and Wood, 2007, Alden, 2008, Alper and Hammond, 2009, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, 2009, Conference Board of Canada, 2005, Muller, 2010). While much of the research to date has focused on the impact of increased border security on trade (Bradbury, 2010, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, 2009, Globerman and Storer, 2009, Goldfarb and Robson, 2003, MacPherson et al., 2006), little attention has been paid to the impact of security measures on movement of people across the Canada–US border (Abelson and Wood, 2007, Alden, 2008, Conference Board of Canada, 2005).
Although several researchers have examined the impact of 9/11 on the tourism industry, most have either limited their focus to the US (Bonham et al., 2006, Goodrich, 2002, Gut and Jarrell, 2007) or the airline industry (Lee et al., 2005, Ready and Dobie, 2003, Rupp et al., 2005). Research has shown that tourism and demand for travel are highly susceptible to shocks such as incidents of terrorism, economic fluctuations, currency instability, natural disasters or incidents of contagious disease (Bonham et al., 2006, Knowles and Matthiessen, 2009, Ritchie et al., 2010). Such occurrences reduce people’s propensity to travel but even lesser events can also impact travel, such as the perceived ‘hassle’ of crossing the border, longer wait times at the border, the need to obtain a visa, weather issues, or even traffic congestion (Nyaupane and Andereck, 2008, Timothy, 1995, Timothy and Tosun, 2003). This study aims to investigate the impact of security measures, including the effect of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, on the movement of travelers utilizing automobiles across the Canada–US border. Specifically, what has been the impact of the increased security procedures introduced since 9/11 on the number of people crossing the Canada–US border?
Section snippets
Borders as barriers to tourism
International borders and boundaries have been found to influence tourism in two distinct ways – one negative and the other positive (Knowles and Matthiessen, 2009, Smith, 1984, Timothy, 1995, Timothy and Tosun, 2003). Borders can act as barriers that negatively influence the flow of tourists (Knowles and Matthiessen, 2009, Timothy and Tosun, 2003). International borders delineate the sovereign boundary between two countries and are indicated physically in some manner, sometimes rather
The pattern of cross-border trips
Fig. 2 shows the number of American and Canadian cross-border travelers by automobile between 1989 (the year the Canada–US Free Trade Agreement went into effect) and 2011 (Statistics Canada, 2012). As the graph shows, more Canadians have typically traveled to the US than Americans to Canada. This pattern is particularly significant given the fact that the population of Canada is approximately a tenth of the size of the United States. As the variability in the graph indicates, the number of
Impacts of security on travelers across the Canada–US border
As mentioned previously, while there is the belief that security measures have impacted the number of travelers crossing the Canada–US border, there are also several other factors that could also explain the decline in travelers. Thus, this study examines empirically the impact of security measures put in place since September 11, 2001, on the number of people crossing the border by automobile. Specifically this study focuses on: (1) whether security procedures put in place since 9/11 at the
Discussion and conclusions
In summary, the results of this study show that various security procedures put in place since 9/11 have negatively impacted the movement of travelers across the border. Between 1991 and 2011 the number of Canadian travelers crossing the border by automobile has declined by 32.5 million travelers or by 44.3%, with the greatest decline, 51.8%, among same-day travelers (those travelers crossing and returning the same-day). The results from the regression model predicted that the WHTI resulted in
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