U.S. Tourism Industry Mounts Campaign to Re-Engage Canadian Travelers Amid Escalating Trade Tensions

POLICY WIRE — Las Vegas, United States — American tourism boards are rolling out aggressive outreach campaigns to lure back Canadian travelers—even as bilateral relations deteriorate sharply following the reimposition of steep tariffs and inflammatory political rhetoric.

Josh Loewen, a 45-year-old Vancouver-based marketing executive, said the barrage of U.S. ads—from billboards to social media promotions—has been impossible to ignore. Yet he remains unmoved: his family skipped the U.S. entirely this year, choosing Mexico instead, and hasn’t crossed the border since Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration.

The rupture deepened after trade negotiations collapsed last month. Trump imposed import duties of up to 50% on Canadian goods, prompting reciprocal action from Ottawa. The White House also ordered the renaming of Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America,’ while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney dismissed Cabinet-level insults as childish and undignified.

New York state launched its ‘NY Loves Canada’ initiative this summer, offering discounts at hotels, restaurants and attractions. In Las Vegas, several downtown properties began accepting the Canadian dollar at par with the U.S. dollar. Steve Hill, president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, told travel partners in Vancouver: ‘We’re here to make sure you know that we care about Canada.’

Nationally, Brand USA is bringing its Travel Week series to Canada for the first time in October—expanding and rebranding its earlier Canada Connect program. That effort comes as Canadian overnight visits to the U.S. dropped 25% in border crossings last year, with travelers spending CA$3.3 billion (US$2.4 billion) less than in 2024, according to Statistics Canada.

Air travel from Canada to the U.S. began declining in September 2023. The agency attributes the steepest pullback to Trump’s second-term rhetoric—including claims about making Canada the 51st state—and the resulting consumer-led boycott. Analysts labeled the shift ‘persistent’ in a July report, noting it extended well into 2026.

Modest gains emerged during May, June and July—coinciding with the cohosted 2026 World Cup. Carney attended the final match in New Jersey alongside Trump. But car-based border crossings drove the uptick; air travel remained below year-earlier levels through June. U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office data shows overnight Canadian visits declined further in the first half of 2026.

One day after the World Cup ended, Trump announced new tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods—citing barriers to U.S. automobiles, alcohol and dairy. Hospitality consultant Deborah Friedland of Eisner Advisory Group called it ‘one step forward and two steps back’—a pattern threatening to derail recovery just before the critical winter snowbird season.

Florida saw a 7% drop in Canadian visitors in 2025, per Visit Florida. Visit California estimated a 20% decline in Golden State visitation, citing Tourism Economics data. Eileen March, a 41-year-old Calgary life coach, said she no longer feels safe or welcome in the U.S. and refuses even U.S. layovers—her travel ban tied directly to who occupies the White House next.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)