‘A very emotional thing’: U.S. resort owners try to win back Canadians

Canadian airports were busy in April, but fewer passengers flew to the United States than in the past, a sign that efforts by U.S. destinations to win back Canadian tourists have yet to bear fruit.

For the third consecutive month, the number of passengers screened for flights from Canada to the United States fell compared to the same period a year ago, according to a report from Statistics Canada. Meanwhile, domestic and international travel increased.

Canadian airlines also appear to be adjusting to the new situation. Air Canada recently announced its “largest winter expansion ever,” adding 13 new routes and a 16 percent increase in seat capacity to Latin American destinations. It now offers more than 55 daily flights and more than 80,000 weekly seats to the region.

WestJet said it was reassigning planes from Canada-U.S. routes to domestic Canadian routes, Europe and popular sunny destinations in response to changing demand.

In a statement to CTVNews.ca, WestJet said:
“We are working with industry partners to mitigate the long-term impact of this situation on tourism and travel, industries that depend on the continued trust and movement of people across the Canada-U.S. border.”

“California Loves Canada” campaign
In an effort to counter the decline in travelers, some U.S. states have launched targeted campaigns for Canadians.

Visit California, a nonprofit marketing agency for California tourism, launched the “California Loves Canada” campaign in May in partnership with Expedia. Campaign officials say the response from Canadians has been positive.

“As of May 31, Canadian travelers have booked rooms at 1,740 California hotels that offer special discounts for Canadians,” Visit California CEO Carolyn Beta said in an email.

He added that most of those bookings are for this summer, and he expects to see an increase in Canadian travel for the rest of the year.

According to Beta, traffic to VisitCalifornia.com increased by more than five percent in May, and user engagement was up 15 percent. Click-through rates from organic search results were also 2,800 percent higher than usual.

Atlantic Canada Travel Growth
Despite these efforts, one travel agent told CTVNews.ca that a segment of the market is still hesitant to travel to the U.S., whether for border reasons, politics or just the general atmosphere.

“There may still be some cross-border travel in parts of Upstate New York, but we’re not really seeing a significant change,” said Jason Saracini, CEO of travel website Landsby.

Instead, Atlantic Canada has been getting the most attention this year, he added.
“It’s an intimate area, offers a real experience of the people and culture, and is cheaper in the summer than the West Coast and Rockies.”

Saracini also highlighted the growing importance of indigenous tourism, which has caught the attention of Canadian and American travelers.

“Americans may not want their entire trip to be centered around this, but they want part of their trip to be educational, especially those who have been to Canada before.”

A call for more accessible domestic travel
Julie Smigadis, director of Travel Our World, said bookings to the US have dropped in recent months, and some clients have canceled their trips altogether.

“We had a big anniversary trip to Disney canceled. There was a couple (LGBTQ2S+) who felt unsafe and unwelcome. They ended up changing their trip to Mexico, despite losing a little money,” she said. Instead, many of his clients now prefer to visit domestic destinations like Banff, Vancouver, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island.
But the main problem is the high price.

“The prices and the capacity are really crazy. It’s a shame because as a travel agent, I love showing people this beautiful country of ours, especially in this time when we want to come together as Canadians,” said Smigadis.

He called for more cooperation between the government, airlines and hotels to make domestic travel more accessible.

“I wish Canadian companies and hotels would offer discounts and incentives to encourage people to travel domestically. There needs to be a way for us to spend our money here, not abroad.”

Canadian travel to the US plummets
Expedia’s data confirms this trend. According to the company’s first-quarter earnings report, Canadian travel to the US fell by almost 30 per cent in the first three months of the year.

“Despite the recent volatility in American travel searches, Canadians are still eager to travel and rediscover the beauty of their country,” said Melanie Fish, Expedia’s director of public relations.

“A very emotional issue”

Some American resort owners say they’re feeling the drop in travelers firsthand.

“This isn’t something that can be solved with a few dollars off. This is a very emotional issue. The things that are being said are really unpleasant for Canadians and unfortunately, it’s affecting our business.”

He said resort bookings in April and May were down 30 percent from last year, and about 25 percent of their regular guests have decided not to return this year.

“I’ve reached out to dozens of long-time customers. Many of them have been our guests for more than a decade. They said, "We love Bluff Point and you, but we're not going to the US this year." Out of 130 groups, 49 said this."

While some large group bookings are still