WHTI, the Recession, and Cross-Border Travel

A year has passed since final implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI, the so-called passport law), and almost two years have passed since the economic “meltdown” of late 2008. Each of these events would be expected to have an impact on cross-border travel. This article looks at recent cross-border travel trends, seeking to understand the impacts attributable to the two events. While our usual focus is the Canada – US border, trends at the Mexico – US border are also examined here, as the two borders have exhibited differing patterns in recent years, and the differences are instructive