Old Orchard Beach is a popular tourist destination for Canadians, and while the beach is busy this holiday weekend, in the last year or so, there have been political and economic reasons Canadians may have stayed home.”Last year it was a little bit slower,” Jeff Corbin, owner of the Oceanic Inn, said. “I think it may have had to do with the weather, though. There was quite a bit of rain, especially on the weekends. But we did notice, certainly, a downturn last year.”Corbin adds that they’re busier with Canadian tourists in the off-season.”The pricing comes down to quite a bit. Either in the springtime or the fall, we do see a lot of Canadians during that time frame,” he said. “I think it’s a little political,” Gabe Shinners, an employee at The Candy Store, said. “I heard some comments from some of the Canadian’s saying the dollar is horrible now, like the conversion rate, and I think it’s a little bit, I think a little bit of both.”You may remember last year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a press conference that Canadians wouldn’t be visiting the U.S., specifically calling out Old Orchard Beach, due to President Donald Trump’s tariff proposals.Some business owners say they are still seeing visits from our neighbors to the north. “I would agree that probably there was some hype about not coming last year from the Canadians; this year, that’s gone away. That’s tempered down quite a bit,” Corbin said.Last year, the Maine Office of Tourism reported a 4.4% decrease with about 200,000 fewer Canadian visitors from the year before. Also, data from the Maine Turnpike Authority shows that there was a 20% decrease from 2024 to 2025 in the number of Canadian travelers on the highway. Some Canadian tourists are not deterred by political tensions or economic restraints and continue to vacation in Maine. “We came two years ago, and I came, I think I came here since I was 10 years old,” Laurence Thibodeau, a Canadian tourist, said. “Because we love it here. We love to come to the beach and to play with the kids.”The Maine Turnpike Authority is collecting data on who is traveling to Maine this holiday weekend and will release those numbers next week.

OLD ORCHARD BEACH, Maine —

Old Orchard Beach is a popular tourist destination for Canadians, and while the beach is busy this holiday weekend, in the last year or so, there have been political and economic reasons Canadians may have stayed home.

“Last year it was a little bit slower,” Jeff Corbin, owner of the Oceanic Inn, said. “I think it may have had to do with the weather, though. There was quite a bit of rain, especially on the weekends. But we did notice, certainly, a downturn last year.”

Corbin adds that they’re busier with Canadian tourists in the off-season.

“The pricing comes down to quite a bit. Either in the springtime or the fall, we do see a lot of Canadians during that time frame,” he said.

“I think it’s a little political,” Gabe Shinners, an employee at The Candy Store, said. “I heard some comments from some of the Canadian’s saying the dollar is horrible now, like the conversion rate, and I think it’s a little bit, I think a little bit of both.”

You may remember last year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a press conference that Canadians wouldn’t be visiting the U.S., specifically calling out Old Orchard Beach, due to President Donald Trump’s tariff proposals.

Some business owners say they are still seeing visits from our neighbors to the north.

“I would agree that probably there was some hype about not coming last year from the Canadians; this year, that’s gone away. That’s tempered down quite a bit,” Corbin said.

Last year, the Maine Office of Tourism reported a 4.4% decrease with about 200,000 fewer Canadian visitors from the year before. Also, data from the Maine Turnpike Authority shows that there was a 20% decrease from 2024 to 2025 in the number of Canadian travelers on the highway.

Some Canadian tourists are not deterred by political tensions or economic restraints and continue to vacation in Maine.

“We came two years ago, and I came, I think I came here since I was 10 years old,” Laurence Thibodeau, a Canadian tourist, said. “Because we love it here. We love to come to the beach and to play with the kids.”

The Maine Turnpike Authority is collecting data on who is traveling to Maine this holiday weekend and will release those numbers next week.