Travel Manitoba hoping for local spring break boost, amid recent anti-American sentiment

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 29, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

With the commencement of outpouring interruption this weekend, some Manitoba families are taking a hard look astatine their question plans successful airy of the ongoing commercialized warfare betwixt Canada and the United States.

"People are recognizing that they are successful complaint of wherever they walk question dollars and radical are making a conscious decision," said Linda Whitfield, communications vice president astatine Travel Manitoba.

Spring interruption has mostly been a fashionable clip for section tourism, fixed however abbreviated the schoolhouse interruption is, compared to summer vacation, for instance.

But with a emergence successful the outgo of living, including state prices, Whitfield said much Manitobans have been searching successful caller years for a "close to location getaway" that mightiness connection a amended bargain.  

Now the ongoing trade warfare betwixt Canada and the U.S., paired with threats of annexation, is besides playing a relation successful driving a surge for section travel. 

"They privation to bargain not conscionable Canadian, but local, and that means supporting Manitoba tourism," Whitfield said. 

While the bureau volition person to hold until aft outpouring interruption to find if determination was a surge successful question this year, Whitfield said Travel Manitoba has seen much radical asking for section tourism alternatives. 

"On our socials, 'spring break' is 1 of our astir fashionable searches … it is astir apt lone 2nd to autumn suppers," she added. 

At Winnipeg Richardson International Airport connected Friday, immoderate travellers said they're keeping the U.S. retired of their question plans for the clip being. 

Martin Entz, who is travelling to Ottawa for a household birthday, said his household is showing their displeasure implicit the ongoing concern successful the U.S. by staying distant from it. 

"We volition debar the U.S. arsenic agelong arsenic they correspond an existential menace to our sovereignty," helium said. 

Shannon Petrie said she has besides crossed the U.S. disconnected immoderate aboriginal itineraries. 

"I conscionable don't privation to enactment the U.S. economy," she said. "I don't privation to beryllium supporting the U.S. astatine immoderate clip soon." 

Petrie and Entz aren't the lone Canadian residents cutting backmost connected visits to the United States.

Data released by Statistics Canada aboriginal successful March shows that the fig of instrumentality trips among Canadians travelling by car to the U.S. declined importantly successful February, down 23 per cent compared with a twelvemonth earlier.

Return trips made by aerial besides dropped a smidge, declining 2.4 per cent connected a yearly basis.

Latest numbers from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection show  a akin picture, with a 18 per cent driblet successful the fig of travellers driving from Canada into North Dakota and Minnesota successful February compared to the aforesaid period past year.