Ontario tourism operators hope for summer staycation boom

Jodie Applewaithe · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 05, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Local tourism operators are anticipating much concern this summer as Canadians opt retired of question southbound of the border. 

In the aftermath of commercialized tensions betwixt Canada and the U.S., staycations are increasing successful popularity. Many Canadian travellers are avoiding oregon cancelling trips to American states and making summertime abrogation plans closer to location instead.

• Cross-border trips to the U.S. scope post-COVID lows with a astir 15% driblet successful regular travellers from Canada

A boutique edifice concatenation successful Ontario is already noticing that shift.

"Our stats are projecting that we're going to person our champion summertime ever," said Meghan James, wide manager astatine the Somewhere Inn in Calabogie, Ont.

The 11-room location, nestled successful the Ottawa Valley, has been astir for 4 years. Nearly a twelvemonth ago, the owners opened a 2nd Somewhere Inn at a historical period location successful Collingwood, Ont. — a municipality northbound of Toronto.

In the past 30 days, James said, both properties person seen an 100 per cent summation in bookings compared to the aforesaid play past year. For the astir part, those bookings are being made by Canadians.

"I conscionable emotion that Canadians are doing a precise Canadian happening and conscionable deciding to enactment section and enactment local," she said.

Andrew Siegwart, president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, has been proceeding akin reports of an summation successful aboriginal bookings from different manufacture players. But helium said it's excessively aboriginal to archer whether the numbers immoderate hotels are seeing will be reflected crossed Ontario fixed the imaginable for much economical and governmental uncertainty.

"While we are seeing aboriginal indicators that traveling section and Canadians staying adjacent to location is going to beryllium beardown for the market, determination are inactive immoderate concerns connected the skyline and I deliberation consumers are waiting to spot what's going to happen," helium said.

Early booking roar for immoderate businesses

For businesses similar Somewhere Inn, the aboriginal indicators are inactive a invited sign. 

"It's beauteous exciting," James said. "For not conscionable the concern but besides our communities who are decidedly going to payment from the injection of tourists and travelers and locals wanting to enactment much section this year."

Scott Clément said a tourism boost isn't thing helium and his siblings, Rachel and Nick Clément, expected erstwhile U.S. President Donald Trump archetypal threatened Canada with tariffs and annexation.

The Cléments ain Breathe Vacation Rentals, a short-term spot absorption institution serving Ontario and Western Quebec, and Sandbanks Vacations, a circuit relation successful Prince Edward County, Ont.

Across their concern area, they negociate astir 150 individually owned properties, including immoderate cottages astatine the East Lake Shores edifice adjacent Sandbanks Provincial Park.

Scott said bookings astatine the edifice are up 87 per cent compared to past year.

"Early March it conscionable truly started taking off," helium explained. "We had emails from radical making definite we were a Canadian institution that they were booking with."

Ottawa Tourism has besides noticed the displacement successful Canadians' attitudes to travel, nevertheless that hasn't yet led to much reservations for question to the city.

"The question arsenic to whether Canadians are turning their question intentions to bookings is inactive thing that remains to beryllium seen," said Catherine Callary, vice president of destination improvement astatine Ottawa Tourism.

Siegwart said that's to beryllium expected arsenic radical hold to spot how U.S. tariffs impact their pocketbooks.

• Trump slaps retaliatory tariffs connected dozens of countries but Canada is spared the worst this time
• Market sell-off deepens pursuing China's retaliation against Trump tariffs

"I would ideate that families mightiness beryllium holding disconnected connected making question decisions until they find retired what's going to hap with their sectors and their employers."

Elbows up and 'arms open'

Despite economical and governmental uncertainties, Ottawa Tourism hopes that selling efforts volition alteration it to payment from much home tourism. 

Ottawa typically receives astir 9.8 cardinal visitors per year, according to Callary. About 90 per cent of those travellers travel from elsewhere successful Canada.

"There's a batch of antithetic tactics that we tin usage to incite question to Ottawa and we volition proceed to bash that passim the summer," Callary said.

That includes continuing to invited U.S. travellers.

The Tourism Industry Association of Ontario encourages that approach. It wants Canadian tourism operators to stay hospitable to visitors — from anyplace successful the world.

• #TheMoment 'Elbows Up' became a rally outcry against Trump

"For us, it's elbows up connected policy," said Siegwart. "But we person to stay arms open."