Canadian Travel Boycott: California Attracts Despite Trump and the Expensive Dollar

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Canadian Travel Boycott: California Attracts Despite Trump and the Expensive Dollar Winand von Petersdorff-Campen • 1 hour • 3 minutes read Please stay! Palm Springs is courting Canadian tourists. "In California, we have plenty of sun and lots of love for our neighbors to the north." That is the core message of the state's advertising campaign to attract Canadian tourists. Since President Donald Trump returned to office, fewer tourists have come from Canada. The California government reported a 12 percent decline for February compared to the same month last year. This is the first decline since the COVID pandemic. Last year, 1.8 million Canadians traveled to California and spent 3.7 billion US dollars there. California is feeling the effects of a trend that the entire USA is experiencing. Its Canadian visitors are becoming scarce. Official statistics recorded around a third fewer car travelers from Canada in March, while for air travel, figures vary between a decline of 12 and 25 percent, depending on the statistics. Tourists from other countries are also hesitant to book flights to the US – following hostile statements from the Trump administration and apparently harsher actions by border guards. The California advert comes from politically ambitious Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who points out in the spot that California is 2,000 miles away from Washington – and a world away in terms of basic ideas. Canadians shouldn't let their enjoyment of California's beaches be spoiled just because someone in Washington is causing trouble. Canadians make up California's second-largest foreign tourist group behind Mexicans. "Don't leave us" – "Palm Springs loves Canada" Canadian politicians, however, have reacted rather negatively to the campaign. Ravi Kahlon, the cabinet member responsible for relations with the US in the Canadian province of British Columbia, told Canadian newspapers that his message to Canadians remains: "Hang in there!" The pressure campaign is working. Like other Canadian provincial governments, British Columbia's government had also urged its citizens to avoid vacationing in the United States. Before launching the campaign, California Governor Newsom held a video conference with British Columbia's Premier David Eby. Eby had announced that he had canceled a long-planned trip to Disneyland after "difficult family conversations." He said he and his family would not be visiting any American theme parks in the foreseeable future. In Palm Springs, a city on the western edge of the Coachella Valley, which is particularly popular with Canadians, the city government has hung red banners downtown: "Don't leave us," they read. "Palm Springs loves Canada." The banners depict a maple leaf within a heart. No wonder: tourism is the city's most important industry, and Canadians are by far the largest group of foreign tourists. Around 300,000 come to the city of 45,000 residents each year. It's not just about short-term tourists. A 2021 study by the regional tourism authority "Visit Greater Palm Springs" shows that Canadians own seven percent of vacation rentals in the greater Palm Springs area. Some are now considering selling. Political motives are clearly playing a role in Trump's decision to turn his back on the US. Trump maintains his belief that Canada would be best served as the 51st state of the United States. His spokeswoman reiterated this week in response to a question from a Canadian journalist. Added to this is the trade war sparked by Trump, which is fueling the Canadian election campaign. The strong US dollar against the Canadian currency is also a factor. For Canadians, the greenback has been getting more expensive for years, and with it, staying in the US. It may even become attractive for Canadian vacation home owners to part with their property. In fact, real estate agents across the country are reporting that an increasing number of Canadian owners are considering selling. This applies not only to California, but also to popular destinations in Florida, Arizona, and Colorado, which offer refuge during the cold winters to Canadians known as "snowbirds." In addition to currency parity, rising costs for home insurance and property taxes are a reason to turn their backs on the USA. Finally, the US government requires foreign nationals staying longer than 30 days to register with the government. This is especially an issue for Canadian winter refugees arriving by car, as air travelers are usually automatically registered.