Oh, Canada. New England tourism misses its northern neighbors.
| Vinalhaven and Camden, Maine
This past spring, Patrick Twomey recorded that went viral. Against a backdrop of trees and snow, the founder of 2Me Travel 鈥� a company based in Banff, Alberta 鈥� announced that he and his company would no longer travel to the United States.
鈥淚鈥檓 not comfortable crossing the border, and I鈥檓 not comfortable spending money under a regime that is attacking my home and also countries that I have a lot of warmth to,鈥� Mr. Twomey told the Monitor in a phone interview.
Earlier this year, the adventurer offered customers a chance to redirect their tours elsewhere or cancel the trips entirely.
Why We Wrote This
The U.S. is the only country of 184 that is expected to experience a drop in tourist spending this year. New England states in particular are grappling with an ongoing Canadian travel boycott.
鈥淭here was a lot of appetite for New England this year, and I just said, 鈥業 can鈥檛 do it,鈥欌�� says Mr. Twomey.
His sentiments are just one part of a broader international tourism dip impacting the United States. Last December, Tourism Economics forecasted that overseas travel to the U.S. in 2025 would increase more than 10% year-over-year. That number is to fall 3%. And in from the World Travel & Tourism Council analyzing the economic impact of tourism in 184 countries, the U.S. was the only country forecast to see international visitor spending decline in 2025. The U.S. is on track to lose $12.5 billion in spending compared with last year. Canadians made up roughly one-quarter of all foreign travelers who visited the U.S. in 2024, and spent $20.5 billion while there.
The drop in Canadian tourists is particularly concerning for New England states including Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine 鈥� all of which share a border with Canada. The number of Canadian passenger vehicles traveling into those states was approximately 228,000 in July, down about 105,000 vehicles compared with last year. That鈥檚 a 32% drop, according to recent U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.
But with many Canadians swearing off U.S. travel after President Donald Trump鈥檚 push this year to declare Canada the 51st state, states that usually have strong relationships with their northern neighbors find themselves reaching for solutions. Options have ranged from renaming streets and offering special discounts to hoping the fall leaf-peeping season and visitors from other states will make up the difference. But even some Americans are steering clear.
Toronto resident Catherine Maule found herself rethinking her annual summer trip to visit her family in Maine. Ms. Maule, an American, met her Canadian husband in college and moved to his home country in 2000. In June, she for the Bangor Daily News explaining her decision to forgo traveling to the U.S.
鈥淚 was just sort of wrestling with some very complicated feelings about what鈥檚 happening politically in the United States, and in particular watching the expulsion of immigrants,鈥� she says by phone. 鈥淚t feels to me very much like a moral decision, an ethical decision. It鈥檚 less about a personal fear.鈥�
Ms. Maule鈥檚 American friends in Canada 鈥渁re wrestling with similar issues.鈥� Many, she says, 鈥渉ave made the same decision that 鈥� at least for now 鈥� they won鈥檛 go.鈥�
Both Ms. Maule and Mr. Twomey know many Canadians who have canceled their trips to the U.S., instead opting for domestic travel in Canada or trips abroad elsewhere.
鈥淚t鈥檚 almost embarrassing at home now to say you鈥檙e going,鈥� Mr. Twomey says. 鈥淚t has to be something necessary.鈥�
Visit Rue Canada. Please?
Vermont鈥檚 tourism department has partnered with local businesses to offer discounts to Canadian visitors. And in a symbolic gesture, over the summer, Burlington鈥檚 City Council temporarily renamed one of its main streets to Canada Street, or Rue Canada.
Between January and July, there was crossing the border to Vermont compared with the same period in 2024. According to the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing, Canadian visitors normally total around 750,000 annually and contribute approximately $150 million to the state鈥檚 economy.
While complete data on summer tourism numbers will take months to come out, 鈥渁necdotally 鈥� things are a little soft this year,鈥� says Jeff Lawson, the director of Hello Burlington and vice president of tourism and marketing at the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Local businesses, he says, aren鈥檛 seeing 鈥渢he levels of visitors that they would normally see.鈥� Mr. Lawson points to marinas on Lake Champlain that 鈥渉ave seen a pretty steep drop in their slip rentals, and a lot of that can be attributed directly to Canada, since we do share a lake with Quebec.鈥�
Mr. Lawson has heard from many Canadians who have changed their travel plans.
鈥淎 lot of the people that write in from Canada are remarkably thoughtful and respectful, and they say, 鈥楬ey, we love Burlington, we love Vermont. We know you guys didn鈥檛 really vote for this, but you have to understand. We鈥檝e come every year for the last 20 years, but we鈥檙e not coming until something changes at the federal level,鈥� he recounts. 鈥淲e just don鈥檛 feel comfortable putting money into the American economy at this time.鈥欌��
For his part, Mr. Lawson says he understands.
鈥淒efinitely a bitter pill to swallow when we realize this is just outside of our influence and it鈥檚 not something we ask for or necessarily deserve, though that鈥檚 kind of got nothing to do with it,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e just making a decision in the best interest of their country.鈥�
Welcome to Maine
Domestic travel to Maine has buoyed that state鈥檚 economy, with stateside tourists seeking out rugged New England charm and Portland鈥檚 trendy food scene. at Acadia National Park are up, as are Maine Turnpike toll numbers. And at , passenger traffic is up 9% over last year鈥檚 all-time high.
The good news comes after high-level concerns from Maine鈥檚 governor that the Pine Tree State could lose 225,000 Canadian tourists this year as a result of U.S.-Canada tensions.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 hundreds of thousands fewer people staying in our hotels, our B&Bs, fewer people making reservations at restaurants, shopping at our small businesses, buying souvenirs and products that we retail here in Maine,鈥� Gov. Janet Mills said at a news conference this spring.
Over Memorial Day weekend in May, the streets of the midcoastal towns of Camden and Rockport, as well as the Penobscot Bay island of Vinalhaven, were noticeably emptier than usual. Several restaurants had not yet opened for the season. For her part, Governor Mills visited Canada in June, and the Maine Office of Tourism installed signs welcoming Canadians at the border.
鈥淲hile domestic visitation is keeping activity levels strong, the reduced presence of Canadian travelers can be felt in areas that traditionally rely on cross-border visitors,鈥� the Maine Office of Tourism said in a statement. 鈥淎necdotal feedback from local Chambers of Commerce and business owners suggests that domestic travel is helping balance out this dip, but international tourism remains an important piece of Maine鈥檚 long-term visitor economy.鈥�
Will autumn leaves draw the peepers?
New Hampshire鈥檚 White Mountains faced a slow start to the summer, largely due to a string of rainy weekends, according to Charyl Reardon, president of the White Mountains Attractions Association. Visitor numbers picked up in July, but 鈥渘atural attractions that kind of attract Canadian visitors are definitely seeing much more of an impact from their lack of visits than, say, an amusement park like Santa鈥檚 Village or Story Land.鈥�
鈥淎 lot of it isn鈥檛 necessarily the dollar rate exchange or anything like that,鈥� Ms. Reardon says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely, sadly, a little bit of a political exchange that鈥檚 kind of going on.鈥�
As New England tourism bureaus and local businesses prepare for leaf-peeping season 鈥� late September to mid-October 鈥� and winter skiing, hopes for the elusive Canadian tourist remain low.
鈥淚 do think that we鈥檒l continue to see that trend as we have this summer that [Canadians] necessarily won鈥檛 be visiting,鈥� says Ms. Reardon.
鈥淲e certainly have a very good relationship with our friends to the north and are ready for them to visit when they are.鈥�
