For the first time since the last recession, Canadians spent less money on tourism at home for a second consecutive quarter, but a travel expert suggests that we may simply be experiencing Canada 150 fatigue.

The report, released Thursday, found that tourism spending in the first quarter of 2018 totalled $21.8 billion, a modest 0.2 per cent boost from the previous quarter.

A closer look at the figures found that Canadians spent less in the early winter months of this year. The greatest drops were seen in recreations and entertainment (-2.6 per cent) vehicle fuel (-1.4 per cent) and food and beverage services (-1.4 per cent).

But Statistics Canada also found that Canadians spent more money on accommodations and air travel, which almost made up for the difference. The total decline accounted for 0.1 per cent, which comes after a much steeper 0.9 per cent drop in the previous quarter.

It’s the first time since the start of 2009 – just months after the 2008 recession broke – that two back-to-back drops in domestic spending were recorded.

The reason could be that, after a full year of Canada 150 celebrations, Canadians simply want something new, says Jillian Dickens, director of Bannikin, a Canadian travel and tourism consultancy.

“Canadians were really proud and enthusiastic of Canada last year, and I think that there could be some fatigue,” Dickens told CTVNews.ca.

“But I can say that travel habits are typically cyclical, so it’s not all bad news for domestic travel. We can expect to see a comeback in two to three years’ time.”

Despite lower domestic travel numbers, strong international numbers drove overall tourism spending into the black.

International visitors to Canada spent more on air travel (3 per cent), accommodations (1.2 per cent) and food and beverage services.

Many of those visitors appear to be from overseas. Same-day visits by Americans zipping across the border into Canada dropped in early 2018, but overnight travel from abroad increased, Statistics Canada found.

Canada has seen a surge in travellers from China in recent years. According to Destination Canada, a record-setting 682,000 arrivals from China were recorded in 2017, up 12 per cent from 2016.

“I think that Canada among Chinese travellers is considered a very attractive destination for the wide open spaces, the nature, the fresh air, which is a real entire for Chinese travellers,” Dickens said.

The political climate in the U.S. has also drawn wealthier Mexican travellers to choose luxury Canadian destinations over the U.S., Dickens said.

She suspects Canada’s international travel reputation got a sizeable boost in 2017 after topping several high-profile lists, such as the New York Times’ “52 Places to Go in 2017,” which credited Canada 150.

“I think Canada 150 certainly helped Canada’s international numbers for 2017 and 2018, and hopefully years to come,” she said.

As for Canadians who work in tourism, employment dropped 0.4 per cent after a flat-lined fourth quarter in 2017. Most of those losses were in air transportation.