Canadian tourism industry gets proactive as US visitors drop
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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 man and woman embracing.
An American tourist looks confused as he receives a warm hug from a Canadian hotel employee in a new TV ad. YouTube/Tourisme Cantons-de-l’Est

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.”


"$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."
Americans make up more than three-quarters of tourists to Canada. Destination Ontario

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.

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