It was new rather than auld acquaintances at the start of this calendar year. Canada travel picked up in January 2012 where it left off in late 2011, with a 2% rise in international visitors (670,000) over January 2011, according to the latest Tourism Snapshot by the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC)’s Research department.

Some other key stats:

• The Germany market was full of beans in January 2012, posting a third consecutive monthly rise (9%) in visitor numbers to Canada.
• CTC’s other European markets remained sluggish, with the UK and France both registering a 7% dip in visitors heading west across the Atlantic.
• Just when you thought that Chinese consumers were easing off travel, this market hit another astonishing high, with a 44% year-on-year surge in visitors to Canada in January 2012.
• The Japan market is going from strength to strength, notching a third consecutive monthly growth in January 2012 of 16%.
• Mexicans remain eager to explore the Great White North, with 16% more consumers heading to this country in January 2012.
• Americans enjoyed more overnighters in Canada in January 2012; a 2% uptick in air travel was enough to steer the overall figure up 0.4%.
• Overall spending by US consumers in Q3 2011 grew 5% to $2.9 billion, despite a 4% drop in the average spend per trip.
• Brazilians remain the big spenders from CTC’s key international markets; their travellers spent on average $1,719 per visit to Canada (though that’s down 9% on Q3 2010).
• The China market recorded the largest increase (34%) in travel spending in Q3 2011, charging ahead of Australia (20%) and Brazil (15%).
• Canadians continued to look for new horizons in the first month of 2012, taking 2.6 million overnight trips, a 7% rise on January 2011.
• Meanwhile, Canadian consumers were more positive in January 2012: the Index of Consumer Confidence, released by The Conference Board of Canada, edged up to 73.9.
• The Americans were back on the fence. The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index slipped in January 2012 to 61.1.

The Tourism Snapshot examines statistics and travel trends up to Jan. 31, 2012, in CTC’s—and partners’—key global markets.

Read the Tourism Snapshot – January 2012 in full.