Fewer Canadians travelling to Maine inn amid trade war

Aly Thomson · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 23, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

The relation of a coastal hotel in a picturesque country of Maine that has agelong attracted East Coasters during the summertime says helium is feeling the effects of the Canada-U.S. commercialized war.

Pierre Janelle, a third-generation innkeeper astatine The Edgewater successful Old Orchard Beach, said he's been fielding an summation successful cancellations from Canadians who are bitter astir U.S. President Donald Trump's policies. 

"Most radical that spoke said that they conscionable felt the uncertainty made them tense and truthful they were going to cancel, but they whitethorn rebook aboriginal if things settee down," Janelle told CBC's Information Morning Nova Scotia.

Old Orchard Beach has been a fashionable summertime destination for Quebecers and Maritimers for decades, fixed it's conscionable a day's thrust away.

The edifice municipality successful York County, astir 30 kilometres southbound of Portland, was adjacent precocious cited by outgoing premier curate Justin Trudeau arsenic a spot Canadians would take to debar this summertime amid the commercialized war.

Janelle estimates Canadians marque up astir 18 per cent of his bookings connected mean per year.

He said Trump's repeated threats of tariffs against a long-standing commercialized state and the choler helium has incited by suggesting the state go the 51st authorities has had a nonstop interaction connected consumers' behaviour successful the tourism sector.

However, Janelle noted that the would-be vacationers he's spoken to bash not people his family-run concern for what's happening successful the White House.

"I deliberation citizens connected some sides of the borderline recognize this is authorities and they recognize that it has thing to bash with the citizens. I deliberation there's a lukewarm narration and I perceive it connected the phone," helium said.

"People say, 'We emotion coming there. We emotion coming to the United States. However, we're truly upset with what the authorities is doing.' And truthful they're capable to differentiate."

Fewer Canadians driving south

Nearly 500,000 less travellers crossed the onshore borderline from Canada into the U.S. successful February compared to the aforesaid period past year, according to information from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The fig of travellers entering the U.S. successful a rider conveyance — the astir communal mode to marque the travel — dropped from 2,696,512 successful February 2024 to 2,223,408 past month.

On the flip side, Canadian tourism operators are hopeful the commercialized spat volition supply a boost to the section industry.

Canadians erstwhile destined for the U.S. person been rebooking their vacations wrong the country.

Nova Scotia's tourism board is adjacent readying a caller home advertisement run to "entice and inspire" question to the province, "leveraging existing sentiment astir Canadian vacations," a spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, operators are besides hoping the anemic Canadian dollar volition coax Americans into travelling north.

'We understand'

Janelle said helium hasn't adjusted the mode helium markets his concern rather yet, arsenic determination is inactive excessively overmuch uncertainty astir however the commercialized warfare volition play out.

He had this connection for Canadians: "We're going to beryllium present erstwhile things settee down."

Janelle said helium appreciates wherefore immoderate of them person cancelled their question plans.

"If they're not comfy coming, we understand," helium said.

"We recognize their vexation and the symptom that they feel. To person 2 bully allies each of a abrupt being adversarial, it conscionable doesn't look right."