Hochul Blames Trump as Canadian Tourism to New York Declines Amid Trade Tensions

Canadian visitors are pulling back from traveling to New York as fallout from President Donald Trump’s trade policies strains cross-border relations.

The U.S.–Canada tariff dispute has led to higher costs for farmers and manufacturers while also hitting tourism hard. The unfavorable exchange rate now sits at about $1 U.S. to $1.38 Canadian, making vacations south of the border increasingly expensive for Canadians. Many who once chose New York for summer trips are instead vacationing closer to home in provinces like British Columbia and New Brunswick.

The chill goes beyond economics. A Pew Research Center survey in July showed only 34% of Canadians view the U.S. favorably, the lowest rating ever recorded. Nearly 60% of respondents described America as the country’s greatest threat and 77% said they worry about U.S. economic influence. Trump’s past remarks referring to Canada as “the 51st state” only deepened the resentment.

Governor Kathy Hochul, speaking earlier this month, acknowledged the strain while stressing the effect it has on local communities.

“I talk about the impact directly on Western New York because I know it’s real. I took my grandbaby – first visit to Buffalo ever, she’s 3 years old last weekend. Canal side - I’ve always looked at that and said, ‘I want to have grandkids someday because they’ll like this so much.’ And finally the grandkids are here,” she said. “I said to the leadership at Explore & More - an extraordinary children’s museum - I said, ‘What’s it been like for you?’ He says, ‘We’re devastated. We used to get 1,400 Canadians visiting every month, now it’s 40.’”

Border traffic reflects that decline. Crossings from Canada dropped 22% in July compared to last year, with only 1.7 million trips recorded. Western New York, where Canadian visitors account for as much as 40% of tourism revenue, has been especially hard hit. New York City is also bracing for a 10% decline in Canadian tourists.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has been vocal about the damage.

“Upstate NY’s Main Streets are paying the price for Trump’s tariffs with higher costs and fewer tourists. New York wants to welcome our Canadian friends with open arms, but Trump has crushed NY’s summer tourism industry by driving them away with his reckless trade war with Canada,” Schumer said in a June statement. “Since Trump took office, we have seen over 2 million fewer travelers cross over the Upstate NY-Canada border, and nearly 500,000 fewer in July, which is usually the height of tourism season.”

The timing is especially difficult given that the tourism sector has nearly rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. Mark Dorr, president of the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association, said July normally marks the industry’s busiest month. Hotel occupancy in New York stayed flat compared with the previous July, while room rates were up 4%. Nationwide, occupancy dipped 1% while average rates held steady.

Still, the loss of Canadian business has created a regional imbalance. Communities closest to the border, including the North Country and Western New York, are suffering the most while growth elsewhere is largely fueled by domestic travelers. Dorr noted that tourism groups have adjusted their marketing strategies accordingly.

“In marketing to those Canadian visitors, because of the feelings between the two, they’ve really scaled back their marketing efforts there because they get some negative feedback, like, ‘Hey, we’re not coming no matter what. So stop marketing here,’” he told City & State. “So they’ve kind of changed their marketing strategy, and made it more domestic to try to draw from within the state or the Northeast to fill that gap.”

New York still has no shortage of attractions to offer whether it’s Broadway and the Yankees in the city or Niagara Falls and the Catskills upstate. The state also recently came off a record year for tourism and Dorr predicts full recovery to pre-pandemic levels as soon as next year.

For some, though, the hope is not just about numbers but about mending cross-border ties. Businesses are offering special deals to entice Canadian travelers and officials like Hochul are sending a clear message of reassurance.

“What will it take to get things back on track? We love you. It wasn’t us, it was him,” Hochul said.

Hochul Blames Trump as Canadian Tourism to New York Declines Amid Trade Tensions