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Canada’s tourism industry is going on an offensive — rolling out ad campaigns in US border states to lure Americans back to the Great White North.
US travel to Canada dipped by about 10% in recent months, amid the raging trade war between the two neighbors.
A TV commercial currently airing in New England and New York shows an American tourist in a baseball cap and sweater tied around his shoulders, quietly telling a Canadian hotel employee that he comes from the United States.
The employee looks awkwardly towards him and presses what looks like some kind of red panic button – before bursting out a smile and walking across the desk to hug him.
Other ads take more of a practical approach, trying instead to appeal to American’s pocketbooks.
One billboard campaign simply reminds Americans how much further their dollar will go north of the 49th parallel.
“$1 USD = $1.43 CAD,” reads the billboard from Destination Ontario, which has been spotted in Detroit and Cleveland, among other border towns. “Spend less, do more.”
American tourists make up the bulk of visitors to Canada – last summer, 78.5%, nearly four out of five visitors to the Great White North came from the US.
The drop hasn’t been as dramatic as Canadian tourists to the US – who’ve boycotted the country en masse, leading to a 30-40% fall in air and land travel.
But it’s sure to make a dent in the tourism industry – according to Statistics Canada, Americans spent $15.3 billion in the country last year.