The Canadian travel boycott of the U.S. is still alive, as June visits are still below pre-Trump numbers. Several U.S. states are severely affected, prompting mixed U.S. tourism campaigns in response. On Wednesday, however, Democratic Vermont Sen. Peter Welch appealed for Canadian tourism during a Senate finance hearing after revealing that Canadian visits to the state have decreased by almost half.
This comes months after a new $600,000 door at the historic Haskell Free Library, which famously straddles the Quebec-Vermont border, sparked concerns among Canadians. Here’s what Sen. Welch said in his latest appeal to draw cross-border visits back to Vermont.
Vermont Senator Peter Welch Appeals to Improve Canadian Relations As Tourism Falls 40%
During the President’s 2026 Trade Policy Agenda on July 22, Sen. Welch asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer if the latter could “urge” President Donald Trump to “speak in a much more courteous way” toward Canadians after citing the 40% decline in their visits to Vermont. The senator also stressed how recent tariff changes have significantly influenced foreign travelers’ behavior.
“The tariffs are really, really troublesome in Vermont,” Sen. Welch explained to Greer. “Our tourism is down about 40%. A lot of that has to do with the rhetoric that the president has used. And I don’t blame you for that. ’51st state,’ ‘governor of Canada’—that rhetoric has really inhibited Canadians from coming down.”
On Monday, Trump slapped an additional 50% tariff on various imported Canadian goods as an act against “unequal treatment of U.S. commerce.” Interestingly, both Welch and the U.S. president expressed their “love” for Canada and its people as they each announced their opposing causes this week.
The Vermont senator said the state values its relationship with Canada “both emotionally and financially, and economically,” while Trump acknowledged in a White House press conference that he has friends up north but that without the U.S., there’s “no way” Canada can survive. On the bright side, Greer said that he wants to “work” with Welch on the matter but warned that it won’t be resolved overnight.
Before the current border tensions, 750,000 Canadians used to visit Vermont annually, contributing $150 million to the state’s economy, according to the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing’s data. However, figures have significantly dwindled since the start of the Trump administration.
The Impact Of Vermont’s Declining Canadian Tourism
Vermont commerce officials estimated about $75 million in lost spending from Canadians since the beginning of Trump’s term. Among the hardest hit sectors are accommodations, food, and alcohol sales. Canadian traffic in Vermont was notably down about 25% to 30% in 2025. As Welch said, many small businesses are struggling with steep declines in revenue as cross-border tensions continue.
TheTravel reached out to the State of Vermont’s official tourism website, Vermont Vacation, for more information but did not receive a response by the time of publication. Amy Spear, president of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, told WCAX-TV in May that Canadian tourism in Vermont “has not gotten much better,” and that the “not right now” behavior has only “solidified” at this point.
Tim Tierney of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development also pointed to the tariffs as cross-border businesses and expansions are similarly on hold. There may be slight hope, though. In May, a report from Vermont’s Agency of Commerce and Community Development showed that Canadian credit card spending in Vermont saw a 58% boost in April and 40% the next month, compared to the same months in 2025.
“Last year we didn’t see Canadians. I mean, it was somewhere close to zero,” Mike Shea, owner of the Spirit of Ethan Allen cruise ship company based in Burlington, Vermont, told NBC 5 in July. “This year our first customer was a Canadian, so it was very enjoyable and I sold them, but I gave them free tickets to go on our first group, and he was so happy.”
Of course, Vermont has not stopped pursuing Canadian tourists despite the dramatic dip in visits. Both state leaders and local businesses are actively working on extending welcoming gestures and releasing promotional campaigns to rebuild Vermont’s relationship with Canada.
What Vermont Is Doing To Win Canadian Tourists Back
One of Vermont’s most remarkable efforts to win back Canadians is its 100% Love for Canada initiative launched by Vermont Vacation. It offers special deals, discounts, events, activities, and encouraging messages to help enhance cross-border travel ties during these “weird” times. On the campaign’s website page, Vermont tells Canadians:
“As always, we’re excited to welcome you to Vermont when the time feels right, and to share everything that makes Vermont unique, like our landscape, our food, our towns, and our people who know that Vermont’s a better place when you’re around.”
The sentiment is consistent with Sen. Welch’s recent statements, proving Vermont’s dedication to maintaining its strong connection with Canada. With Canadian credit card spending up during spring, summer could be a major turning point for Canadian tourism in the state. However, the new tariffs, which will take effect on Aug. 19, 2026, could easily change that trajectory.
