Latest news with #ThousandIslandsInternationalTourismCouncil
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
U.S. road trip destinations seeing signs of Canadians staying away
While Upstate New York has long been an attractive destination for road trippers from eastern Ontario and western Quebec, heated rhetoric about a U.S.-Canada trade war and annexation threats appears to be cooling interest. Straddling the St. Lawrence River between Ontario and New York, the Thousand Islands is so integrated, it has a bi-national tourism board that promotes destinations on both sides of the boundary. "Regardless of anybody's feelings of the policy in the U.S. or Canada, we can unequivocally say that the rhetorical piece, the tariffs piece, the widening [exchange rate gap] is hurting Canadian visitation into the United States," said Corey Fram, director of the Thousand Islands International Tourism Council. February saw nearly half a million fewer Canadian passenger vehicle trips across the U.S. border – a figure drawing comparisons to the drop during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fram said bookings appear to be slowing and they've seen an increase in negative comments on their promoted social media posts. "We picked up on our ads with U.S. landmarks drawing a lot of negative responses from Canadians and then Americans pushing back and retaliating on that, so what we did was eliminate those ads facing Canadian audiences," Fram said. He said some Americans in those comments didn't understand Canadians withholding their dollars was a way to have their voices heard. Canadian visitors spend $40 million to $50 million US per year on the U.S. side of the Thousand Islands, Fram said. While he hasn't noted an increase in cancellations so far, he expects a measurable decrease in Canadian visitors to the American side by the end of the year. On the Canadian side, Ross McCarney said there have been steady bookings ahead of Rockport Boat Lines cruise season. "We're still seeing bookings from Americans, we're seeing bookings from Europeans, Asian countries and domestically in Canada," he said. While he expects there may be a boost from Canadians choosing to vacation domestically, he's also monitoring changing U.S. travel requirements for guests wary of what that might mean. The Canadian-owned and operated line doesn't plan on changing its marketing material or routes. "We're in quite a unique situation where you're buying a Canadian cruise but we're travelling into U.S. waters because we're just so close." Their dock is about three kilometres from the U.S. border and major attractions like Boldt Castle are on U.S. islands – though depending on the tour guests won't necessarily set foot on American soil. Cancellations reported Further east, in the American Adirondacks, the local tourism association has heard reports of cancellations tied to the heated rhetoric coming from Washington, D.C. "We've seen individual families choosing not to come. We've heard of whole hockey teams choosing not to come to some of our international sporting events and then some group travel bookings," said Dan Kelleher, CEO of the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST). He estimates there's been a 40 per cent drop in Canadian-based web traffic on ROOST's sites for Lake Placid and other destinations. A photo of Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks mountain range, New York State, USA. (Daniel Tripp/Wikimedia Commons) Kelleher said he's explained that talk of annexation and tariffs has been hurtful to Canadians and he notes people outside border communities may not understand the level of interdependence. "If you come and walk around a lot of our communities here in the Adirondacks, you'll see Canadian flags flying right alongside American flags. You'll see signs in both English and French," he said. "Educating people across the United States about how closely our two economies [are] linked will hopefully help drive some policy changes both at the state level and in Washington." He said a 20 per cent drop in Canadian visitors would cost the local economy $12 million US and municipal governments $600,000 US in lost revenue. The U.S. Travel Association says Canada is the top source of international visitors to the United States and just a 10 per cent reduction in Canadian travel could result in $2.1 billion US in lost spending – New York is one of the most visited states. "We just want to make sure our Canadian friends know how much they're valued and loved," Kelleher said. The Thousand Islands International Tourism Council has launched an ad campaign focusing on how the bi-national region is a draw for both Canadians and Americans. (Thousand Islands International Tourism Council) In the Thousand Islands, Fram said they've launched a campaign touting the Thousand Islands as a destination where "we've always met in the middle." "We've always worked cooperatively here. We're going to keep the light on. Reconciliation is gonna start along border communities in places like the Thousand Islands," he said.
CBC
25-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
U.S. road trip destinations seeing signs of Canadians staying away
While Upstate New York has long been an attractive destination for road trippers from eastern Ontario and western Quebec, heated rhetoric about a U.S.-Canada trade war and annexation threats appears to be cooling interest. Straddling the St. Lawrence River between Ontario and New York, the Thousand Islands is so integrated, it has a bi-national tourism board that promotes destinations on both sides of the boundary. "Regardless of anybody's feelings of the policy in the U.S. or Canada, we can unequivocally say that the rhetorical piece, the tariffs piece, the widening [exchange rate gap] is hurting Canadian visitation into the United States," said Corey Fram, director of the Thousand Islands International Tourism Council. February saw nearly half a million fewer Canadian passenger vehicle trips across the U.S. border – a figure drawing comparisons to the drop during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fram said bookings appear to be slowing and they've seen an increase in negative comments on their promoted social media posts. "We picked up on our ads with U.S. landmarks drawing a lot of negative responses from Canadians and then Americans pushing back and retaliating on that, so what we did was eliminate those ads facing Canadian audiences," Fram said. He said some Americans in those comments didn't understand Canadians withholding their dollars was a way to have their voices heard. Canadian visitors spend $40 million to $50 million US per year on the U.S. side of the Thousand Islands, Fram said. While he hasn't noted an increase in cancellations so far, he expects a measurable decrease in Canadian visitors to the American side by the end of the year. On the Canadian side, Ross McCarney said there have been steady bookings ahead of Rockport Boat Lines cruise season. "We're still seeing bookings from Americans, we're seeing bookings from Europeans, Asian countries and domestically in Canada," he said. While he expects there may be a boost from Canadians choosing to vacation domestically, he's also monitoring changing U.S. travel requirements for guests wary of what that might mean. The Canadian-owned and operated line doesn't plan on changing its marketing material or routes. "We're in quite a unique situation where you're buying a Canadian cruise but we're travelling into U.S. waters because we're just so close." Their dock is about three kilometres from the U.S. border and major attractions like Boldt Castle are on U.S. islands – though depending on the tour guests won't necessarily set foot on American soil. Cancellations reported Further east, in the American Adirondacks, the local tourism association has heard reports of cancellations tied to the heated rhetoric coming from Washington, D.C. "We've seen individual families choosing not to come. We've heard of whole hockey teams choosing not to come to some of our international sporting events and then some group travel bookings," said Dan Kelleher, CEO of the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST). He estimates there's been a 40 per cent drop in Canadian-based web traffic on ROOST's sites for Lake Placid and other destinations. Kelleher said he's explained that talk of annexation and tariffs has been hurtful to Canadians and he notes people outside border communities may not understand the level of interdependence. "If you come and walk around a lot of our communities here in the Adirondacks, you'll see Canadian flags flying right alongside American flags. You'll see signs in both English and French," he said. "Educating people across the United States about how closely our two economies [are] linked will hopefully help drive some policy changes both at the state level and in Washington." He said a 20 per cent drop in Canadian visitors would cost the local economy $12 million US and municipal governments $600,000 US in lost revenue. The U.S. Travel Association says Canada is the top source of international visitors to the United States and just a 10 per cent reduction in Canadian travel could result in $2.1 billion US in lost spending – New York is one of the most visited states. "We just want to make sure our Canadian friends know how much they're valued and loved," Kelleher said. In the Thousand Islands, Fram said they've launched a campaign touting the Thousand Islands as a destination where "we've always met in the middle." "We've always worked cooperatively here. We're going to keep the light on. Reconciliation is gonna start along border communities in places like the Thousand Islands," he said.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trarrifs could hurt Thousand Island tourism
Mar. 12—Corey Fram's job to attract Canadian visitors to Jefferson County has gotten a bit harder since President Donald J. Trump started talking about tariffs to the country to our north. Calling it a challenge, Fram, the director of the Thousand Islands International Tourism Council, still doesn't know what to expect from the on-again, off-again, on-again tariffs that have caused anxiety on both sides of the border. "I'm very concerned about the impact that they will have on Canadian tourism," he said. Trump's rhetoric about tariffs and turning Canada into a 51st state has triggered negative emotions from Canadians. They have booed the American National Anthem at the start of National Hockey League games in Canada since Trump began talking about the issue. And Fram has acknowledged that Canadian sovereignty and negative feelings about the United States could keep visitors away from the Thousands Islands region this summer. The tariffs also come at time of a wide gap in the two country's dollars, with the Canadian dollar's current worth at 69 cents compared to America's. That also could be an issue with keeping Canadians from making trips from crossing the board. With the summer visitors season still a couple months away, he's "making adjustments" to his messaging in marketing. That's because Canadians are the single largest group of visitors who come to the north country, so even a drop off of 10% to 15% could have a significant impact on the region's tourism dollars. He noted that 11% of the local workforce is employed in the restaurant and hospitality industry. But Fram has stressed the Thousands Islands and Canadian tourism industries have enjoyed a partnership for years. He pointed out that there are three Canadian flags that fly outside his offices in Alexandria Bay. With his interest only in promoting the region's tourism and staying away from politics, it continues to benefit both markets to work together, he said. So far, there are no signs that Canadians are canceling their visits to the Thousand Islands. But it will be difficult to pinpoint why a visitor decides not to make a trip and cancel a reservation that they have for July, he said. According to partial figures for last month, crossings over the Thousand Islands Bridge are down from last February compared to this year, he said. So marketing is focusing on themes such as the scenic islands, boating, beaches and lake waters. There won't be any mention about iconic American historic places to visit or reminders of the War of 1812 in the messaging. River and lake communities depend on Canadians visiting during the busy summer tourism season. For more than 50 years, Sackets Harbor has held the Can-Am Festival to celebrate the two countries' friendship every summer. Opening in May, the Sackets Harbor Visitors Center in the heart of the quaint village is a popular destination throughout the season. Kathy Keating, with the visitors' center, expressed concerns about the impact the tariffs will have on her village. "We're going to do everything we can to make Canadians feel welcomed," she said. In Alexandria Bay, the Chamber of Commerce kicks off the summer with Victoria Day, a Canadian public holiday that celebrates Queen Victoria. The day, this year on Monday, May 19, offers Canadian visitors with specials at local businesses. Chamber Executive Director Ashley Carlos remains optimistic about the summer, despite Trump's threats. "I think it's going to be another successful season and everything that comes with it," she said. Meanwhile, Fram has been talking to his Canadian tourism counterparts more often since the tariff talk began, saying that they work normally together on visits from both sides of the border. The Thousand Islands are tourist destinations for both markets and important for their economies, he explained. Local governmental officials on both sides of the St. Lawrence River are aware of what's at stake. "It's important to keep open the lines of communication," he said. Fram has been doing several media interviews, including with the Toronto Star and Reuters news agency, to talk about the possible impact of the situation from the tariffs that change daily. To promote county tourism, Thousand Islands officials also will head above the border to talk to tourism-associated organizations, such as bus charter companies, he said. In the past, the Thousand Islands tourism industry has bounced back from the COVID pandemic when it was closed to people from coming from Canada for two summers. Other tourism seasons were hit hard by high-water and low-water issues with Lake Ontario, which kept visitors coming to the north country. If the tariffs cause issues this summer, Fram hopes "to look back" and see it "as a blip" with a subsequent bounce back afterward. "We're going to get by, but it's going to take some time," he said. Unless President Trump backs off his insistence on tariffs before the season hits full swing this summer.
