Calgary 'bucking the trend' as U.S. visits to area surge amid nationwide slump

CBC

6 hours ago

Canada may be seeing fewer American visitors this spring, but Calgary is proving to be the outlier.
Statistics Canada released data this week showing 1.3 million U.S. residents made trips to Canada in April, which is down 8.9 per cent from the same month in 2024.
Looking at air travel specifically, StatsCan released data earlier this month that showed a six-per-cent drop in U.S. residents arriving at major Canadian airports in April 2025, compared to April the previous year.
However, at the Calgary International Airport, the picture was completely different, with U.S. arrivals up by 29 per cent.
Calgary's airport has been an outlier for several months in a row, with a six-per-cent increase in U.S. visitors in February and an eight-per-cent increase in March.
Across all major Canadian airports, by contrast, air travel by American residents was pretty much unchanged in February and March, compared to the same months in 2024.
"Calgary and Alberta have so much to offer," said Alisha Reynolds, president with Tourism Calgary. "We're delighted to be bucking the trend."
Reynolds said data has indicated that spending from the United States has trended positive since the beginning of the year in Calgary, and it has maintained strength through to the end of April.
She noted that Mastercard Economics Institute ranked Calgary among the emerging top destinations for summer travel among the US and Canada relative to the same time last year, the only Canadian city to make that list.
The tourism industry has been navigating a complex backdrop in recent months, with fewer Canadians travelling to the United States since U.S. President Donald Trump's election win. On the flip side, tourism associations have worried that Americans might stay home, fearing a less-than-receptive response from Canadians.
Asked why Calgary is doing so well relative to other Canadian cities, Reynolds suggested coordinated advertising and a busy convention calendar could have been contributors.
"We take a 'Team Alberta' approach … between Tourism Calgary and Travel Alberta," she said. "We've made a concerted effort through all this noise to target U.S. travelers to reinforce our city and our province as destinations of choice for both business and leisure."
Airport cites major events, favourable exchange rate
The Calgary Airport Authority said it had seen the increase in visitation to Calgary from U.S. residents this April.
It attributed that increase to a number of factors, including stronger air connectivity with U.S. routes, major event activity and favourable currency exchange for U.S. travellers.
"Overall, the strength we're seeing has continued through May and June, and aligns with what we expected heading into peak season where we expect over 67,000 passengers through YYC daily from June to August," reads a statement from the airport.
Canmore tourism sector optimistic as major events shine spotlight on town in 2025
Rob Filby, managing partner of the Rose and Crown in Canmore, has watched the uptick in American travellers first-hand. For some American tourists, the Canadian Rockies remain a strong draw, he said.
"It definitely started, I'd say in the wintertime — the American dollar was so strong. And we always get a lot of American. We're a tourist town," Filby said. "Obviously, the Bow Valley is a bucket list place where people want to come and see."
Filby, who also bartends and regularly chats with customers, said he's noticing a shift in how long American tourists are staying, too.
"Previously, they would be shorter periods, maybe three or four days over their American holiday," he said. "But with their dollar being strong, they're staying longer and spending more."
Jack Jiang, a trust and estates attorney who lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia, was visiting the region this past week. On Wednesday, he was on a flight back home with his wife after visiting Banff, which he said always had attracted him with its blue waters and great hikes.
"It was amazing. We will never look at lakes the same way again. We loved how there are many types of hikes of different skill levels and rewarding views," Jiang told CBC News via text, using the in-flight WiFi.
Jiang said he was aware of the recent strain in U.S.-Canada relations, but it didn't affect the couple much.
"We did read the recent strain in the news and were actually glad to get away from the country that initiated the tension and enjoy some off-the-grid weather," Jiang said. "Hopefully no major rift, we wish the two nations remain friendly and not hostile."
Though Canada saw an 8.9-per-cent decrease in U.S. residents taking trips to Canada in April, that still represented 76.7 per cent of all non-resident trips to Canada that month.