Canadians continue to respond to tariffs and other attacks from U.S. president Donald Trump, and according to one travel expert, they’re making a statement en masse by spending their travel dollars elsewhere.
Claire Newell told Global Winnipeg that strong reaction against visiting the U.S. is something she’s hearing every day from clients and industry colleagues.
“There’s no question in my mind that this will continue until Donald Trump stops taking punches at Canadians,” she said.
Statistics, Newell said, seem to be bearing that out, with surveys showing the number of Canadians unwilling to travel to the United States increasing from 28 per cent in January to a recent poll that shows more than 60 per cent of Canadian travellers would prefer to spend their money elsewhere.
And that “elsewhere” is often right here at home.
“Canadians love to travel, but they’re angry so they’re spending their Canadian travel dollars anywhere but the U.S.”
Travel Manitoba is hoping to capitalize on that, according to president and CEO Colin Ferguson. He said they will be marketing more heavily and more broadly across Canada, highlighting hotspots like Churchill and the province’s hunting and fishing destinations.
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“Manitoba is one that’s probably not at the top of the bucket list. But for people who haven’t been to Manitoba, or they haven’t been to other parts of the country, I think there’s a significant opportunity and we’re hoping we’re going to see some lift there,” said Ferguson.
“Certainly, we will see lift amongst Manitobans staying at home and travelling within the province.”
Economic Development Winnipeg also said the year is shaping up to be a big one for tourism. They’re seeing a lot of interest from Canadians who have never visited, or haven’t visited in many years.
Natalie Thiesen, VP of Tourism, adds that although Canadians are changing their travel plans, they’re not seeing Americans do the same.
“We’re also seeing from our U.S. neighbours that there’s still an intention from border states to come to Manitoba, and we are ready to welcome them with open arms,” said Thiesen.
