US-Canada Border Crossings Plummet

57 million foreign visitors traveled to US

(NEWSER) - Nearly 57 million foreign tourists visited the US last year, pumping more than $123 billion into the economy, Reuters reports. It's the first time a tourism record has been broken since the 9/11 attacks staggered the industry. Some 17.7 million visitors traveled from Canada and 15 million from Mexico. Some of the increase is fueled by the weak dollar. More»

US approves wireless ID that may spark identity theft

(NEWSER) - New wireless passport cards will make it easier for Americans to cross borders between Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean—but privacy groups worry that thieves will be pinching personal data off the new ID, the AP reports. One critic called the cards "inherently insecure;" officials say safeguards are built in and personal data won't be on the cards' chips. More»

Bush meets neighbors, Calderon leaves early, protests turn violent

(NEWSER) - President Bush met with his counterparts from north and south yesterday at a Canadian summit overshadowed by Hurricane Dean and greeted with violent protests. The so-called "Three Amigos" met in a Quebec château ringed by a huge security wall, outside which police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters. The summit continues today, but Mexican President Felipe Calderon is leaving early to oversee the hurricane response. More»

Panama, Finland, and Myanmar top the list

(NEWSER) - If you like cool design, upscale safaris, or a forbidden communist island, the New York Times can recommend 45 locales to visit in 2012. Among them:

• Panama. See the world-famous canal before its expansion, then stay for Panama City's economic boom and Frank Gehry's first design in Latin America—a natural history museum called BioMuseo.

He forgot his passport but remembered his scanned copy

(NEWSER) - In what looks to be a first, a Canadian traveler got across the US border via iPad. It wasn't intentional: Montreal resident Martin Reisch realized he forgot his passport en route but remembered he had a scanned copy on his Apple gadget, reports the Canadian Press . He handed over his iPad to the Customs agent, who took it into the border office, returned a few minutes later, and let Reisch drive into Vermont. More»