“Devastating” drops in Canadian tourism are barreling into the hospitality and repair industries this summer season season, Gov. Maura Healey warned in a MSNBC section aired Thursday.
“We’ve seen a drop in our states of between 20% and 60%,” Healey stated on “Morning Joe.”
“Twenty and 60% drop in Canadian tourism in our (northeastern) states alone. And we’re only in June. That’s really devastating.”
Massachusetts, in addition to northeastern states like New York, Connecticut, Vermont and Maine, have recorded drops in Canadian tourism within the final a number of months underneath the Trump administration, Healey stated.
The Massachusetts governor’s feedback observe a “Strong Partnerships, Shared Future Convening” between northeastern governors and Canadian premiers on the State Home in Boston on Monday.
The variety of folks flying between Boston and Canada are additionally down, Healey stated. Lodge and restaurant numbers are down because of the dropping tourism from Canada, Healey added, and “that means we’re looking at lost jobs as servers and staff get laid off.”
In Boston alone, Canadians made up 34% of all worldwide vacationers to town in 2024, based on Meet Boston information.
“This is a serious issue for us,” stated Healey. “And it’s real, the feeling on the part of Canadians who took tremendous offense, of course, to being labeled the 51st state by our president. (They’re) making decisions to spend their tourism dollars elsewhere.”
The consequences of U.S.-Canada relations spreads additional within the northeastern states’ economies, Healey famous, notably with regard to tariff threats.
As Massachusetts appears to be like to construct housing, the governor stated, “all of our lumber comes from Canada” and tariffs are successfully elevating prices.
Tariffs are predicted to lift house heating and gasoline payments a further $2.5 billion in New England over the “next few years” as effectively, she stated.
“Donald Trump is taxing us an additional $2.5 billion with his Canadian tariffs on energy alone,” Healey stated. “Serious economic consequences for our residents, for our businesses and for the regional economy.”
The governors, Healey stated, plan to proceed talks with Canadian leaders to help the states’ economies.
“What can we do to have a cable come from the north and eastern Canadian provinces down into New England to bring us the energy that we need?” Healey stated. “How can we work out deals around tourism and trade, even if the president can’t get his act together with the Prime Minister? This is the attitude I think we need to have right now, because we’ve got to forge ahead and make things work for our residents and make things work for our local economies.”
