Canadians Remain Top U.S. Tourism Spenders

TVA Money: Canadian tourists were the top spenders in the U.S. for the third straight year in 2010, boosting spending by 18%, according to Visa Inc. figures.

Canadian Visa card holders spent a total of $9.2 billion last year, up from $7.8 billion in 2009, it said. The second biggest spenders on their Visa cards came from the U.K., with British tourists shelling out $2.5 billion.

"Canadian tourists continue to have a positive impact on the U.S. tourism economy,” said William Sheedy, group president, the Americas. “The strong willingness and desire of Canadians to travel across the southern border reinforces the importance of the North American tourism to the region’s economic growth.”

The bulk of the Canadian spending was through the “remaining merchant” category, which includes ATMs, money transfers and banking institutions, with a total of $1.7 billion spent.

Canadians also spent the same amount in the “other retail” category on items such as jewelry and bookstores.