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Every U.S. state along Canadian border is hurting financially due to decline in tourists from Canada: new report
Declining Canadian tourism is adversely affecting American businesses in every state along the U.S.-Canada border, according to a n ew report by the U.S. Senate Democrats’ Joint Economic Committee.
“In 2024, Canadian tourism contributed $20.5 billion to the U.S. economy and supported 140,000 American jobs,” states the report , released on Wednesday. “The negative impacts of President Trump’s tariff policies have been particularly stark in states along the U.S.-Canada border, which have many businesses that rely on short-term visits by Canadians.”
The decline has arisen from President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Canada , as well as his imposition of several rounds of tariffs, amid repeatedly broken off trade talks , says the committee in its report.
It reviews the latest drops in Canadian tourism in all border states and includes testimonials from business owners.
“Going back for generations, Canadians have visited New Hampshire and many other states along the U.S.-Canada border to see family or friends, stay in our hotels, share a meal at our restaurants, and shop at our stores,” U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee was quoted as saying in the report . “However, in the wake of President Trump’s reckless tariffs and needless provocations, fewer and fewer Canadians are making trips to the United States, putting many American businesses in jeopardy and straining the close ties that bind our two nations.”
New Hampshire newspaper, Concord Monitor , pointed to that state seeing 30 per cent fewer visitors from Canada last summer “as the Trump administration’s tariffs, border controls and hints about taking over our northern neighbour chilled the two nations’ relationship.”
Elizabeth Guerin, owner of Fiddleheads in Colebrook, N.H. told the committee: “Being only eight miles from the border, normally Canadians make up anywhere from 15-25 percent of visitors. Now, I can probably count the number of Canadian visitors on one hand. I’m just trying to plug along and keep my nose above the waterline.”
From January to October 2025, the Joint Economic Committee found a decline in the number of passenger vehicles crossing the U.S.-Canada border of nearly 20 percent compared to the same time period in 2024. Some states experienced declines as large as 27 percent, states the report. That coincides with American businesses in states along the border reporting fewer tourists, more hotel vacancies, and lower sales.
Shirley Hughes, president and CEO of Visit Fargo-Moorhead in Fargo, N.D. and Moorhead, Minnesota is quoted as saying: “These are more than numbers; they represent missed revenue for local businesses, reduced hotel demand, and fewer dollars supporting jobs and investment in our community.”
The drop in visits from Canadian tourists have had a noticeable impact on the bottom line of several businesses. Scott Osborn, president and co-owner of Fox Run Vineyards in Penn Yan, New York says: “With Canadians making up about 10% of our business, fewer cross-border travellers mean fewer tastings, tours, and wine sales — a ripple effect that touches our entire operation, underscoring how important cross-border tourism is to our business model.”
Vermont TV news station WCAX noted the report’s inclusion of anecdotes from businesspeople such as Christa Bowdish, owner of the Old Stagecoach Inn in Waterbury, Vermont.
“The damage to the U.S. relationship with Canadian tourists has taken an emotional toll, says Bowdish. “This is long-lasting damage to a relationship and emotional damage takes time to heal. While people aren’t visiting Vermont, they’ll be finding new places to visit, making new memories, building new family traditions, and we will not recapture all of that.”
The report states that Canadian customers have been telling U.S. tourism operators they were hesitant to cross the border due to current political tension.
“The joy of the ‘shopping day trip’ has been replaced by anxiety over border enforcement and tariffs. Additionally, we are situated on the primary corridor for families traveling from Quebec to the Maine coast, and the usual parade of vacationers heading to Old Orchard Beach simply didn’t show up this year,” says said Kyle Daley, owner of Soloman’s Store in West Stewartstown, N.H.
“When our neighbours stay away, our margins disappear and in groceries those margins are vanishingly small to begin with. The friction at the border is no longer just a headline; it is an empty parking lot and a threat to our livelihood. We are all eager to see normality and civility restored in our long productive relationship with our neighbors to the north.”
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