American tourism groups and travel providers are warning of the potential economic impact of cancelled holiday trips. The Canadian side of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont., on March 8.GEOFF ROBINS/AFP/Getty Images
Carlos Wilson and his mother had a trip planned next month to Las Vegas. But because of the hostile rhetoric coming from south of the border, they have decided to remain in Canada, setting their flight destination to Newfoundland instead.
Mr. Wilson, who was able to change his reservation free of charge because his airline had already switched his original flight time, says he is strongly opposed to supporting the American economy at this time, given U.S. President Donald Trump’s menacing of Canada.
“It felt unsafe and it felt unpatriotic to travel to the U.S. right now,” said Mr. Wilson, a 48-year-old psychotherapist. “It’s not only tariff threats, but threats of annexation that make me want to keep my money in Canada. I feel safer in Canada right now.”
Mr. Trump’s trade war against Canada, along with his repeated calls for this country to become a 51st state, have been fuelling a Canadian consumer revolt against U.S.-made goods and services – and calls to choose Canadian alternatives instead.
American tourism groups and travel providers, in turn, are warning of the potential economic impact of cancelled holiday trips as part of the backlash, adding to concerns that Canadians were already cutting spending in the U.S. because of the weak Canadian dollar.
March is typically a busy time for cross-border travel with school children across the country off for spring break, which is staggered throughout the month depending on the province. It’s not yet clear how much impact travel cancellations are having.
U.S. Custom and Border Protection data show that about 3.5 million travellers crossed into that country in February, down from about four million the year before – the first time in at least three years that year-over-year trips to the U.S. decreased. Border crossings in January were up – 4.2 million compared with 3.8 million in the same month last year.
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However, U.S. CBP agent Youssef Fawaz said in a statement that U.S. bound traffic on the Ambassador Bridge, the busiest crossing along the border, and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel last weekend was typical with “no significant changes to report.”
Air Canada announced weeks ago that it was reducing service to American destinations and cancelling American-bound flights. WestJet said there hasn’t been any changes in the number of American flights this month, while Air Transat, which has limited U.S. exposure, said American ticket sales are down slightly from Canada. Porter Airlines said its cancellation rate was consistent with previous years.
Flight Centre, a travel agency, reported a 40-per-cent decrease in February bookings from Canadian travellers heading to the U.S.
Michael Ianni, a Vancouver-based event manager, is one of the Canadians making a trip this month to the United States, attending a 70th birthday party for his father in Lake Havasu, Ariz. Mr. Ianni said his vacation was booked before Mr. Trump’s inauguration, and it’s too late now to get the refund he wants.
“I’m a gay man with growing concern around Trump and his rhetoric, but I can’t pull out of my trip without losing my deposit, which stings doubly because of the value of our currency,” he said.
Mr. Ianni said his father’s hometown is in the border community of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., where Algoma Steel announced layoffs last week in response to Mr. Trump’s 25-per-cent tariffs on Canadian steel. As a form of protest, Mr. Ianni said he intends on pinning a Canadian flag to his backpack and wearing a Vancouver Whitecaps jersey while in Lake Havasu, a popular beach town.
“I want to be with my dad on his birthday, but it feels like Mr. Trump’s rhetoric has given permission for certain Americans to give their worst instincts a pass,” he said. “In America, I worry about whether or not I’m safe.”
Tour operator Adam Burn, director of group sales for SkiCan, has been booking trips for Canadians around the world, including to U.S. destinations, for 22 years. He said the decline of the Canadian dollar had U.S. vacation packages from Canada in free fall before Mr. Trump’s inauguration.
Given the current climate, however, Mr. Burn said he expects the number of Canadian tourists visiting the U.S. to drop even further.
“Even if everything in the States was normal, with a bad dollar, Canadians are going to pass on the U.S.,” he said.
For example, Mr. Burn said he recently had a large group of skiers pull out of a planned trip to Jackson Hole, Wyo., as they decided to travel to Vienna instead.
“We’re seeing clients determine that if they can get a European ski holiday versus visiting Colorado, or else staying domestically and spending their money at home, Canadian travellers are staying away from the U.S.”
That is exactly what Clay Williams has decided to do. The 64-year-old engineer from Elmira, Ont., had planned a two-week camping trip on his Harley Davidson to the Florida Everglades, with a stop-off in Fort Wayne, Ind. In the past, he’s made similar trips to Alabama and Colorado, and loves camping in the U.S.’s national parks.
This year, however, he said he can no longer support the U.S. economy. Instead of visiting Florida, Mr. Williams is now riding his Harley to Nova Scotia.
“After that 51st state rhetoric, I feel like I have to defend my country,” Mr. Williams said. “I love my friends down there in America, but I can’t support Donald Trump’s United States.”