Canadians are playing their part in the Donald Trump-fuelled North American trade war by pulling their precious tourist dollars.
At least that’s the plan, according to a Nanos Research survey commissioned by CTV News and the Globe and Mail. Of the thousand Canadians polled, 74 per cent say they are likely to stop travelling to the U.S. in response to a trade war. At the crux of this war is the American president’s imposed tariffs tariffs on foreign steel and aluminium producers.
The economic impact of fewer Canadians travelling to the United States is not insignificant – something Mr. Trump hasn’t considered in his short-sighted America First action.
When we look at Canadian travel, you know, the impact of Canadians on the economy in states, critical states like Florida for example, is significant,” said Nik Nanos, chair of Nanos Research, in an interview with CTV News. “
There are lots of not just hotel chains, but mom and pop organizations that rely on the goodwill and generosity of Canadians in order to kind of be successful in the United States.”
Quebeckers are most likely to shun travel south of the border (82 per cent say they’ll keep their dollars domestic) while those in the Prairies are more indifference (58 per cent are considering to change their travel plans while 37 per cent will carry on as usual).
Of course, it’s easy to say you’ll avoid travelling to the States when our dollar’s purchasing power is no greater than Monopoly money.
While it’s great to get out and see life beyond our borders, perhaps the trade war will encourage us to explore more of what makes our own backyard so great. Too bad the price of domestic air travel in Canada is among the highest in the world…