Vermont, along with the rest of the nation, is seeing fewer Canadian visitors amid frustrations about President Trump’s rhetoric towards the country and economic factors. But a new state program aims to encourage these visitors to come back.
The Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing is partnering with local businesses to offer discounts and deals specifically for Canadian citizens.
Offers from participating businesses, including outdoor recreation destinations, farmers markets and other tourist attractions, will appear on a landing page on the department’s website for Canadians to scroll through.
Canadians would simply have to show some form of I.D. to the business to redeem the discount.
“This program provides a vehicle so local businesses would have a way to kind of make sure that they can have that avenue, that opportunity to show how much they also value Canadians.” said Heather Pelham, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing.
Some details, including the name of the program, are still being worked out, said Pelham, but the department expects to roll out the initiative in mid-August.
Businesses in the Northeast Kingdom expressed the most interest in participating, said Pelham, adding that 30% of yearly visitors to that region come from Canada, compared to 5% statewide.
Canadians contribute approximately $150 million to the state’s economy, but that could change this year due to reduced visitation.
The state reported more than 581,000 Canadian border crossings to Vermont between January and May, which is a 23% decrease compared to the same period last year.
Many Canadians are boycotting buying U.S. products and traveling to the country due to the Trump Administration's rhetoric and actions, which include imposing a series of tariffs on Canada and the President calling to annex Canada as America’s 51st state.
Although Vermont tourism officials consider the boycott one of the driving forces behind the drop in visitors, they also note some Canadians may find traveling to the U.S. too expensive right now.
“Part of this [program] is to make sure that they [Canadians] feel welcome here,” Pelham said. “And that they know how much we value them, and not just as patrons to our businesses, but just as neighbors that we really respect, and value the fact that they've made this decision. Here's a little discount to kind of ease the financial burden. It just sort of adds to what we hope will be a positive experience.”
Pelham said the department respects Canadians’ decisions not to travel to the U.S., but she said that some are putting politics aside and still making trips across the border.
This program is part of a broader effort to protect and strengthen the state’s relationship with Canadians, Pelham said, though she acknowledged that the current strained conditions could last for a while.
Across the state, other attempts have been made to show support for Canada.
The city of Burlington recently changed the name of its main downtown thoroughfare from “Church Street” to “Rue Canada.”
Burlington city councillor Becca Brown McKnight pitched the idea as a way to show Canadians how the city’s values do not align with those of the Trump Administration.
However, this effort received mixed reactions from Canadians.
In a recent episode of a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s afternoon show Radio Noon, the show asked its Quebec listener base what it would take for them to travel back to the U.S. They used Burlington’s street name change as an example of a gesture the country is making to Canadians.
While there were a few callers who said it made them comfortable enough to go back to visit, the majority called the gesture performative.
