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U.S. tourism groups want to win Canadian visitors back. A testy trade war is not helping

From PBS NewsHour · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • U.S. tourism organizations are offering promotions and discounts to bring back Canadian visitors after travel to the United States fell sharply.
  • The effort faces stronger opposition from an escalating trade dispute, including tariffs imposed by both countries and increasingly hostile rhetoric.
  • Canadians made 25% fewer return border crossings and spent about $2.4 billion less on travel to the United States in 2025 than in 2024, according to Statistics Canada.

American tourism officials are trying to welcome Canadian visitors back, even as an increasingly bitter trade dispute makes the invitation harder to accept. Billboards, banners and online advertisements across the United States have promoted affection for Canada and offered special deals to travelers from north of the border.

Josh Loewen, a Vancouver resident and marketing executive, said he understood the conciliatory campaign. But after President Donald Trump returned to office and spoke about making Canada the 51st state, the number of Canadians traveling to the United States plunged. The trade war now threatens to deepen what had been an informal consumer boycott, just as it appeared to be easing slightly.

It's such a big ask right now.

· Josh LoewenThe Vancouver resident described the difficulty of the U.S. tourism industry's effort to attract Canadian visitors.

“It's such a big ask right now,” Loewen said of the tourism industry's attempt to attract Canadians before a new president enters the White House. “It's just a wasted effort.”

It's just a wasted effort.

· Josh LoewenLoewen criticized the campaign to bring Canadians back amid the political and trade tensions.

Relations deteriorated further after U.S.-Canada trade negotiations collapsed last month. Trump imposed import taxes of up to 50% on a range of Canadian products, and Canada responded with tariffs of its own. Trump also ordered the U.S. government to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America,” while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called insults from members of Trump's Cabinet childish and undignified.

Tourism officials have continued their outreach. New York launched a “NY Loves Canada” promotion with discounts on hotels, restaurants and attractions. Some downtown Las Vegas hotels are treating the Canadian dollar as equal to the U.S. dollar, and Las Vegas tourism officials traveled to Canada to meet advisers, tour operators and airline representatives. “We're here to make sure you know that we care about Canada,” said Steve Hill, president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Brand USA also plans to bring its Travel Week trade event to Canada for the first time in October. Canadian residents made 25% fewer return border crossings and spent about $2.4 billion less on U.S. travel in 2025 than the previous year, according to Statistics Canada.

We're here to make sure you know that we care about Canada.

· Steve HillThe Las Vegas tourism official spoke during a visit to Canada aimed at rebuilding Canadian travel.
About this summary

Originally published by PBS NewsHour in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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