The federal government says Canada’s appeal as an international tourist destination has been damaged by the 2023 forest fire season, which was the country’s most destructive on record. Foreign spending in Canada dropped in 2023 over pre-pandemic levels, according to documents obtained by Canada’s National Observer through the Access to Information and Privacy Act. In the Northwest Territories alone, 62 of 180 business members reported revenue loss of $8 million, and $1.8 million in increased costs directly attributable to wildfires in 2023, Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) statistics show. Some of the drop likely resulted from travel advisories issued in 2023 by Germany and the United States. The United States also had air quality advisories for smoke from fires burning in Canada that drifted across the border. The document, a briefing note to the minister, singles out B.C. as one of the hardest-hit provinces.