O’ Canada, where art thou?
That’s the question the New York City hospitality industry has been asking after a precipitous drop in visits from Canadian tourists to start the year, according to Crain’s.
Last year, 1 million Canadian visitors contributed $600 million to the city’s economy and were beat by only United Kingdom tourists for visits to New York City.
But city tour operators, hotels and coach companies operating cross-border tours all reported steep drops in Canadian business this year, with city tour operators telling Crain’s that business is down 20 to 40 percent. In February, flights arriving from Canada fell by more than 30 percent at John F. Kennedy International Airport, over 20 percent at LaGuardia Airport and around 15 percent at Newark Liberty International Airport.
The dip in tourism from Canada follows a nationwide decline in tourism under President Donald Trump’s moves in recent months affecting the United States’ closest trading partners.
The decline in tourism has been felt across the city’s tourism ecosystem, which includes tour guide companies, hotels and nightlife.
Canadian bookings are down between 5 and 15 percent for The Hotel Association of New York’s roughly 300 members in the last 30 days, which CEO Vijay Dandapani called “hugely concerning.”
It remains to be seen if the drop to start the year will sustain over the rest of 2025, including the coming months that represent the busy season for New York City’s hospitality industry.
“The bigger concern we have is, will there be any softness in the summer?” asked Dandapani.
“We’re hoping … it’s more a function of the booking window contracting,” Dandapani said of the data, citing the difference between guests booking rooms and when they arrive.
Industry experts have attributed the slippage in tourism to a number of factors, including the Trump administration’s travel restrictions and a strong U.S. dollar.
Vehicle crossings are also down 13 percent this year. Canada’s largest motorcoach operator, Great Canadian Holiday and Coaches, has seen a 90 percent drop in trips to the U.S., according to vice president Michelle Tupman.
“Canadians are still wanting to travel, they just don’t want to go over the border,” said Tupman, who said Great Canadian has pivoted its fleet of 40 coaches to mostly focus on destinations in Canada for now. “A lot of the sentiment that I’m hearing is, well, in four years we’ll come back.”
— Jake Indursky
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