22-05-2025
Maine will aggressively encourage Canadian visitors, Mills assures business owners
May 21—KENNEBUNK — Gov. Janet Mills reiterated a warm invitation to Canadian visitors this summer during a roundtable discussion Wednesday with local business owners, who shared with her both concern and cautious optimism as the start of tourist season fast approaches.
"Maine has a brand, and I think it's a good one," Mills told a group of 10 Kennebunk-area business people gathered inside a small room at the Seaside Inn. "We want to protect it."
Mills said that although President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian products and his dismissive rhetoric toward the United States' northern neighbor have been damaging, that doesn't mean the upcoming season will be a bust. She pledged to continue supporting businesses and encouraging visitors not to blame Maine — or boycott us.
To that end, the governor directed the state Department of Transportation to install 13 metal signs at major border crossing that will read "Bienvenue Canadiens." The Office of Tourism also is printing hundreds of signs to offer to businesses that want to hang them.
"It's a simple message, but I hope it's a powerful one," Mills said.
Mills also announced that she and other Northeast governors have set a date of June 16 to meet with the premiers of nearby Canadian provinces to talk about the importance of maintaining good relationships despite the tensions between Trump and new Canadian prime minister Mark Carney.
State officials are predicting a decrease of about 25% in Canadian visitors at a time when Maine is still trying to return to pre-pandemic numbers. Last year, 797,900 visitors from Canada spent an estimated $497.7 million in Maine.
The York County town of Kennebunk is one of many tourist-reliant communities up and down Maine's expansive coast that are preparing for the season amid uncertainty.
"I am concerned that the president's rhetoric is making Canadians feel very unwelcome," Mills said.
Local business owners agreed. Ken Mason, who owns the Seaside Inn where the roundtable was held, said his establishment has heard from many former Canadian customers who don't plan to visit Maine this year. It's not the tariffs, Mason told the governor, it's their honor.
"French Canadians in particular are very proud," he said.
Trump has derided Canada, saying it should become the 51st state.
Other businesses in York County say tariffs are having a big impact, and owners worry about having to eat the increased costs or raise prices and pass them on to consumers.
Michelle McGuire owns a local bakery, Boulangerie, and said the cost of items such as eggs and chocolate has eaten into her already-thin profit margin.
Kiersten Wilcox, who owns KW Contemporary Art gallery, said tariffs are hurting her, too, but she's worried about broader economic uncertainty.
"I'm in a luxury goods business," she said. "And people aren't spending money like they did before."
Kim Howard, with the Old Orchard Beach Chamber of Commerce, said hospitality bookings are down between 10% and 20% so far, and for campgrounds, the number is higher. But anecdotally, Howard said, there have been small signs of hope. Some Canadians who canceled earlier this year are coming back, she said.
"I hate to use this phrase but we're cautiously optimistic," Howard said. "We just need the weather to hold."
Ed Hodgdon with the Maine Beaches Association, a state-designated marketing agency for York County towns, said he, too, has seen a subtle shift recently.
"So long as we don't hear any more talk about a 51st state, we're hopeful," he said.
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