01-04-2025
Central New York could see negative impact on Canadian tourism due to tariffs
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — On Tuesday, April 1, Sen. Chuck Schumer gave his outlook on how President Trump's tariffs will impact Canadian tourism in Upstate New York.
'Hotels worry they won't see tourists, we know how during the summer season how many Canadian tourists come and see the beauty of New York,' Schumer said. 'Restaurants worry their cost of food will sky rocket and they'll lose Canadian customers.'
The president of Visit Syracuse says Central New York hasn't felt a loss yet.
'With the summer months coming, the summer and fall tend to be the peak seasons,' said Danny Liedka, the president of Visit Syracuse. 'That's when we'll start to see those numbers diminish.'
Liedka says Canadians are responsible for 10-15% of tourism in the area and generate around $120 million a year.
'Destiny, certainly, is the biggest destination for them. They love to shop when they are here,' Liedka said. 'But they also love our arts and love our food and music scene here. So, I think restaurants and shopping are going to be impacted the most.'
Visit Syracuse is preparing to help local businesses with marketing.
'We'll take it personally from Visit Syracuse's perspective to try and find ways to maximize attendance at local events to try and increase attendance through marketing efforts,' Liedka said. 'Whatever is on the books already, maximize that, and that would be the first step.'
Because a dip in tourism will impact everyone.
'If you own a piece of property in this county, tourism generates about $80 million a year in local taxes,' Liedka said. 'If you take 10% of that away, ultimately that falls on local taxpayers because the county budget is balanced with sales tax.'
Liedka says that Visit Syracuse's website has declined by 50% when it comes to Canadian visitors.
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