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We're No. 1! Canada tops New York Times' list of 2017 travel destinations

A view of Two Jack Lake in Banff National Park is shown in an undated handout photo. Parks Canada is preparing for an increase in visitors this year as people across the country and around the world request free annual passes to explore the nation's natural treasures as part of Canada's 150th anniversary celebration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Travel Alberta *MANDATORY CREDIT*

Canadians won’t have to travel far to visit the New York Times’ top destination of 2017: we’re already here.

Canada took the No. 1-spot on the newspaper’s list of ’52 Places to Go in 2017,‘ beating out destinations like Chile’s Atacama Desert and Tijuana, Mexico.

The Great White North was praised for our, yes, wide-open spaces, and also our “cosmopolitan” cities. Another draw is the 150th anniversary of Confederation, and the federal government’s decision to make all national parks free in celebration.

“All of the country’s more than 200 national parks and historic sites are offering free admission through the year, from the turquoise lakes and mountain peaks of Banff in Alberta to the rolling dunes and red sandstone cliffs of Prince Edward Island along the Atlantic Coast to the newest reserve, the glacial-rounded Mealy Mountains in Labrador,” the Times wrote.

Last year, Toronto was No. 7 on the New York Times list of ’52 Places to Go in 2016.’ This year, the city didn’t make the cut. But there was one similarity: both last year and this year, the Times said the weak Canadian dollar was a big incentive for American visitors.