American tourism to Quebec may have dipped, but visitors are still coming — apologetically
In 25 years working at a Quebec hotel, Stephan Comeau says he's never seen so many Americans come in apologizing for "the political situation in their country."
Comeau is the front desk manager at Ripplecove Hôtel & Spa in the Eastern Townships. He said some Americans even call ahead to ask if being from the United States will be a problem.
But not everybody is worried.
"I feel welcome and I want to support Canada," Daisy Benson told Radio-Canada while having a drink with her partner outside the Hovey Manor in North Hatley, Que., in late May.
Border crossing data shows fewer Americans are coming to Canada, and some theorize tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump may be the problem: travellers may fear they won't be welcome north of the border.
The number of trips Americans took to Canada by car declined 10.7 per cent in April and 8.4 per cent in May compared to the same months last year.
Air travel was also down, with a 5.5 per cent drop in April and a slight 0.3 per cent decline in May, according to data from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
Despite the dip compared to 2024, the number of American air travellers over the first three weeks of May remains nearly seven per cent higher than in 2023. Travel was at a near standstill in 2020 and 2021, and remained quite low in 2022.
Looking back to 2019, about five per cent more U.S. travellers arrived by air than this year.
Encouraging Americans to come visit
At least one tourism association, Tourisme Cantons-de-l'Est in the Eastern Townships, has launched an ad campaign to reassure their neighbours they'll be warmly welcomed.
It aims to dispel fears as the summer season gets underway. The ad is playing on YouTube and on TVs in northeastern United States.
The organization's head, Shanny Hallé, said the exchange rate "is very favourable for Americans right now, so they can experience luxury vacations inexpensively."
The campaign emphasizes affordability while "reaffirming our values of hospitality," she said, to help Americans feel welcome.
Between January and April, she said, entries at the Quebec-U.S. border fell by a little more than four per cent.
Montreal tourism expected to be around par
Yves Lalumière, president and CEO of Tourisme Montréal, said the slower start wasn't unexpected given recent tensions, but he expects American travel to remain around average — plus or minus three to five per cent.
"We're not looking at any decline that is drastic," Lalumière said, noting the Grand Prix is expected to bring in two million visitors.
It's not going to be a record year, he said, but it won't be a bad one either. He called it a stable positive and said there are no signs of a significant slowdown.
"We're still early in the game for the summer," he said. "August, September and October are good months for American clientele as well."
With fewer Canadians travelling to the U.S., he said Canadian organizations and businesses are planning conventions and meetings in Montreal instead. At the same time, the city is working to attract more international visitors.
The Montreal airport has continued diversifying its routes to reduce reliance on any one market. Lalumière said the city is now connected to 156 markets, with flights from places like India, Dubai and Tokyo.
"We've added a lot of flights. A lot of countries," said Lalumière.
Like Lalumière, Glenn Castanheira said there was a downturn in American travellers, but momentum is returning. He's the executive director of downtown Montreal's merchants' association, which grew concerned when the trade war began and Trump started threatening Canada's sovereignty.
While he remains cautiously optimistic, Castanheira said efforts by groups like his — along with the Montreal Chamber of Commerce, Tourisme Montréal and others — suggest Americans aren't particularly worried about crossing into Canada.
They know they're welcome, he said, but they're saying "sorry" so often that he jokes Americans may be becoming Canadian.
"Add to the mix that the American dollar is to the advantage of the Americans, that's a huge player," said Castanheira, who studied at Harvard University.
"What I am trying to say is, we're not that concerned because Americans know how welcome they are, especially here in Montreal."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
Mark Carney's first big test on the world stage
KANANASKIS, Alberta — In Canadian diplomatic circles, 'Charlevoix' is shorthand for summit disaster. Avoiding a repeat of the 2018 summit that Donald Trump set ablaze is job one for Prime Minister Mark Carney this week as he hosts G7 leaders. Carney came to power by campaigning openly against Trump's belligerence. But now he has a direct line to the president, with whom he's negotiating an economic and security deal. It's a high-wire good cop/bad cop routine — and the rookie politician is playing both roles on home soil. 'Carney really does have to square a circle,' said Louise Blais, a senior special adviser on U.S. and international affairs at the Business Council of Canada. 'Canadians feel bruised by the president. So he's got to be nice, but not too nice.' Blais warned that Trump could easily be distracted by a cold welcome from angry and frustrated Canadians who don't want him on their side of the border. Even if protesters won't get near the summit, demonstrations are sure to make news. 'We know that the president pays attention to the media, so I just hope that Canadians give the prime minister a little bit of grace to navigate this summit,' she said. Carney welcomes his counterparts and a phalanx of other world leaders and influencers amid a swirl of crises in the Middle East and Ukraine, widespread tariff consternation and social unrest on America's streets. Add to that list the shocking back-to-back shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers in their homes — and a deadly Air India disaster. There's a lot to disagree about, and even more to be distracted by. Janice Stein, founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, says keeping the band together for the entirety of the agenda would count as a win. 'This summit is all about relationship management,' Stein told POLITICO. 'If the prime minister can keep all the allies at the table, that alone will enable agreement on some issues — but paves the way for better management of the issues that are important to everyone.' In other words: If Trump and the allies stick around the Kananaskis lodge for the duration, that could — maybe — make it easier to get things done together down the road. Christopher Sands, director of the Hopkins Center for Canadian Studies, credits Carney with bringing pragmatism to his hosting duties. Sands said Carney took unpleasant conversations about defense spending off the table, at least for now, when he unveiled a plan to reach NATO's current benchmark of 2 percent of GDP. 'He understands the problems. He's not showboating,' Sands said. 'He wants to deliver positive change. He doesn't want to have a fight over the communiqué.' Officials from multiple delegations have telegraphed there will be no traditional joint communiqué to cap the confab, though all sides will work to hammer out issue-specific statements wherever they can cobble together common ground. With so many colliding variables, including the prospect of all-out war between Israel and Iran, few summit-watchers are willing to predict what else will come of the gathering. Only three months on the job, Canada's prime minister is also attempting a series of tricky diplomatic resets with some of his country's thorniest frenemies. Carney's decision to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew backlash from Canada's Sikh lawmakers and the wider diaspora. Canada's national police force is currently investigating allegations that Indian government agents were linked to the murder of a Sikh activist in a Vancouver suburb. Carney has also moved to thaw relations with China following a seven-year diplomatic deep freeze, and he extended an invite to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — another rocky relationship under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. China isn't invited to Alberta and the Saudis aren't attending, but Goldy Hyder, the Business Council of Canada's president and CEO, pointed to the invite list as a signal that Carney is not like his predecessor. Trudeau, whose relationship with Trump was fraught for most of their shared years in office, hosted that tense confab in Charlevoix that went off the rails. 'We've been seen to be a bit preachy around the world,' Hyder said, referencing a view that the former prime minister was keener to project values than accept tradeoffs in his country's best interest. 'We have to lean in more with our own interests and our role that we can play in a world that is rapidly changing,' Hyder told POLITICO. That means dealing with global players that don't embrace liberal democracy. Arif Lalani, a senior adviser at StrategyCorp and former Canadian ambassador in Iraq, Jordan and Afghanistan, has long called for a reset with India, China and Gulf nations. 'You have to be intellectually and diplomatically uncomfortable,' Lalani said. 'But that doesn't mean you can't tell right from wrong. You can still act with your values, but you've got to deal with the world as you find it.' Investors are waiting. 'Capital is emotionless. It goes where it grows,' said Hyder. 'We need to show that the G7, and countries that are invited there, understand the importance of creating the right environment for capital to be deployed in their respective countries to build energy security and supply-chain resilience.' The Kananaskis guest list also includes Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. They're joined by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and World Bank President Ajay Banga. A Canadian official briefing reporters last week had high hopes for Carney's dance card: 'Scheduling will be challenging, but the intent will be for the prime minister to meet with as many of the leaders as possible, and we certainly hope all of them.' Still, not everyone stayed on the guest list. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto withdrew two days before the summit, opting instead for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Pence says US ‘needs to be prepared' to help Israel destroy Iranian nuclear program
Former Vice President Pence on Sunday said that the United States 'needs to be prepared' to help Israel destroy the Iranian nuclear program. 'If Israel needs our help to ensure that the Iranian nuclear program is destroyed once and for all, the United States of America needs to be prepared to do it, because this — this is about protecting our most cherished ally,' Pence told CNN's Dana Bash on 'State of the Union.' On Thursday overnight, Israel bombarded Iran, moving forward with its largest-ever military operation against its common Middle East rival and upending a push from President Trump for a nuclear deal with Iran. The U.S. attempted to quickly distance itself from the strikes that targeted critical nuclear facilities and killed Iran's top military leaders. However, Trump administration officials were reportedly briefed on plans prior to the strikes. Iran later retaliated by launching swarms of drones following the Israeli military strikes. On Sunday, the conflict had stretched into its third day. 'They've been working on intercontinental ballistic missiles that could reach the United States,' Pence said of Iran on Sunday. On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the U.S. did not take part in the Israeli strikes inside Iran. 'Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,' Rubio said via a statement.
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
G7 leaders gather in Canada for a summit overshadowed by Israel-Iran crisis and trade wars
BANFF, Alberta — Leaders of some of the world's biggest economic powers arrive in the Canadian Rockies on Sunday for a Group of Seven summit, overshadowed by an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran and U.S. President Donald Trump's unresolved trade war with allies and rivals alike. Israel's strikes on Iran and Tehran's retaliation, which appeared to catch many world leaders unawares, is the latest sign of a more volatile world as Trump seeks to withdraw the U.S. from its role as world policeman. Speaking on a flight to Canada to attend the summit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had discussed efforts to de-escalate the crisis with Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as other world leaders. Britain is sending fighter jets and other military reinforcements to the Middle East. 'We do have longstanding concerns about the nuclear program Iran has. We do recognize Israel's right to self-defense, but I'm absolutely clear that this needs to de-escalate. There is a huge risk of escalation for the region and more widely,' Starmer said, adding he expected 'intense discussions' would continue at the summit. As summit host, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has decided to abandon the annual practice of issuing a joint statement, or communique, at the end of the meeting. With other leaders wanting to talk to Trump in an effort to talk him out of imposing tariffs, the summit risks being a series of bilateral conversations rather than a show of unity. Trump is the summit wild card. Looming over the meeting are his inflammatory threats to make Canada the 51st state and take over Greenland. French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Greenland on Sunday for a highly symbolic stop on his way to Canada, meeting the Arctic territory's leader and Denmark's prime minister aboard a Danish helicopter carrier. Macron's office said the trip to Greenland is a reminder that Paris supports principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders as enshrined in the U.N. charter. Macron, who is one of the very few leaders to have known Trump during his first term, was the first European leader to visit the White House after Trump took office, emerging unscathed from the Oval Office encounter. But despite the two leaders' sporadic bromance, Macron's approach to Trump has failed to bear major results, with France caught up in the president's planned tariffs on the European Union. Nor did it bring any U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine despite Macron's efforts, together with Starmer, to build a coalition of nations that could deploy forces after any ceasefire with Russia, with the hope it would convince the Trump administration to provide backup. Trump is scheduled to arrive late Sunday in Kananaskis, Alberta. Bilateral meetings between other leaders are possible Sunday, but the summit program does not get underway until Monday. Peter Boehm, Canada's sherpa of the 2018 G7 summit in Quebec and veteran of six G7 summits, expects the heads of state to pivot discussion to devote more time to the war. 'Leaders can accommodate a discussion, perhaps even a statement,' Boehm said. 'The foreign policy agenda has become much larger with this.' Leaders who are not part of the G7 but have been invited to the summit by Carney include the heads of state of India, Ukraine, Brazil, South Africa, South Korea, Australia, Mexico and the UAE. Avoiding tariffs will continue to be top of mind. 'Leaders, and there are some new ones coming, will want to meet Donald Trump,' Boehm said. 'Trump doesn't like the big round table as much he likes the one-on-one.' Bilateral meetings with the American president can be fraught as Trump has used them to try to intimidate the leaders of Ukraine and South Africa. Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien told a panel this week that if Trump does act out, leaders should ignore him and remain calm like Carney did in his recent Oval Office meeting. 'He tends to be a bully,' Chrétien said. 'If Trump has decided to make a show to be in the news, he will do something crazy. Let him do it and keep talking normally.' Starmer had a warm Oval Office meeting with the president in February, wooing Trump with an invitation for a state visit from King Charles III. Trump has praised the British prime minister, despite their political differences. Last month Britain and the U.S. announced they had struck a trade deal that will slash American tariffs on U.K. autos, steel and aluminum. It has yet to take effect, however, though British officials say they are not concerned the Trump administration might go back on its word. Starmer's attempts to woo Trump have left him in an awkward position with Canada, the U.K.'s former colony, close ally and fellow Commonwealth member. Starmer has also drawn criticism — especially from Canadians — for failing to address Trump's stated desire to make Canada the 51st state. Asked if he has told Trump to stop the 51st state threats, Starmer told The Associated Press: 'I'm not going to get into the precise conversations I've had, but let me be absolutely clear: Canada is an independent, sovereign country and a much-valued member of the Commonwealth.' The war in Ukraine will be on the agenda. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to attend the summit and is expected to meet with Trump, a reunion coming just months after their bruising Oval Office encounter which laid bare the risks of having a meeting with the U.S. president. Starmer met with Carney in Ottawa before the summit for talks focused on security and trade, in the first visit to Canada by a British prime minister for eight years. German officials were keen to counter the suggestion that the summit would be a 'six against one' event, noting that the G7 countries have plenty of differences of emphasis among themselves on various issues. 'The only the problem you cannot forecast is what the president of the United States will do depending on the mood, the need to be in the news,' said Chrétien.
