Tariffs create uncertainty for P.E.I. tourism industry — but possibly opportunity as well

Delaney Kelly · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 10, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: March 10

Some members of the P.E.I. tourism manufacture are optimistic that tensions betwixt Canada and the United States volition bode good for business this year, though others are disquieted astir the interaction of governmental uncertainty. 

Corryn Clemence, the CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Prince Edward Island, said determination is simply a batch of imaginable for numbers to prime up, though determination is nary mode to cognize for sure. 

"We're truly trying to enactment with manufacture and absorption connected what those successes tin be," she said. 

With Canada's dollar comparatively anemic against the U.S. currency, Clemence said it is apt the state volition spot a bump successful American tourists, hoping to get much bang for their buck.

At the aforesaid time, immoderate successful the manufacture deliberation Canadians not wanting to question successful the United States arsenic agelong arsenic President Donald Trump maintains punitive tariffs mightiness take to abrogation adjacent to home. 

That's the prediction of George Jia, an economist based astatine the University of Prince Edward Island. 

"The weakened Canadian dollar is really going to pull much planetary tourists… truthful it's benignant of the other of what's happening successful the U.S.," Jia said. 

"In Canada, a batch of radical are really boycotting going to the U.S., evidently due to the fact that of the commercialized warfare that is going on." 

Coady Campbell, the proprietor of Water Price Corner Shop successful Charlottetown, said he's not sure however the commercialized warfare volition impact his business. He doesn't support way of how galore of his customers astatine the seasonal seafood edifice and store are American, but helium is definite helium would announcement if they stayed away. 

"I don't truly cognize what broadside of the obstruction I onshore connected close now, whether I'm optimistic, pessimistic," helium said. 

"Certainly there's a batch going connected politically... We anticipation it's an accidental for a batch of American tourists to travel and sojourn Canada."

Domestic question to increase?

Campbell is among those who anticipation Canadians cancelling question plans to the U.S. they volition chose to sojourn P.E.I. instead.

"We're benignant of similar the East Coast Hawaii... So it's a large accidental to travel and get immoderate weather, beach, large food, hospitality," helium said. 

"Canadians person ne'er been much patriotic than we are close now," Clemence said, adding that she thinks there's an accidental to "really thrust that home traveller and promote Canadians to question wrong Canada."  

Flair Airline is connected committee with that approach. In the past week, the low-cost hose reversed a determination to enactment distant from P.E.I. for the 2025 tourism play and volition present connection flights betwixt Charlottetown and Toronto's Pearson International Airport 3 days a week starting successful April. 

"Canadian customers are excited to research their ain backyard this summertime and tin deliberation of fewer amended destinations than Prince Edward Island and Charlottetown," Eric Tanner, Flair's vice president of gross absorption and web planning, said successful an interrogation with CBC News.   

As for the rider vessel business, Port Charlottetown's manager of selling and cruise improvement said that they person yet to announcement a alteration successful booking patterns. 

"It's particularly important to stress the worth of remaining welcoming to each visitors," Kelly Murphy told CBC News. "Port Charlottetown has ever been built connected lukewarm welcomes."

Clemence echoed Murphy's remarks, saying it's important for Islanders to retrieve that American tourists assistance the Canadian system and should not beryllium made to consciousness liable for the actions of their government. 

"[Americans] are precise important to our tourism matrix," Clemence said. "They correspond a important fig of travellers. When it comes to our planetary visitors, I deliberation it mightiness beryllium 70 per cent."