MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – The Canadian boycott has cost Vermont tens of millions of dollars during President Donald Trump’s presidency. Canada is Vermont’s largest trading partner, and the state sees around three-quarters of a million Canadian visitors every year, spending over $150 million.
Businesses are hurting roughly one year after Canadian tourism took a dip amid tit-for-tat tariffs and President Trump’s rhetoric about making Canada the 51st state.
“That uncertainty started, and there were a number of ripple effects through Vermont’s economy,” said Amy Spear, president of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.
Since the start of Trump’s term, Vermont commerce officials estimate a near $75 million loss in spending from Canadians. The hardest hit area is meals, rooms, and alcohol sales.
“It has not gotten much better. If anything, it’s only solidified the behavior. It’s the ‘not right now’ behavior that we’re seeing,” Spear said.
Tim Tierney is with the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development and works to recruit businesses to Vermont, mostly from Quebec. “We knew right away there was going to be some issues, and a lot of it was because of the rhetoric,” Tierney said. “The reality of it is we need you, you need us.”
He said some business deals and expansions have been put on ice because of the tariffs. But certain industries are more resilient: energy production and sales, and cross-border supply chains, especially in the aerospace and semiconductor realm. “The businesses realize we have to continue doing business. We’ve always done business with these people, we trust them, we want them, we need their product, they do it right, and it’s both sides of the border,” Tierney said.
Vermont leaders see the Canadian boycott as a big problem and are actively trying to win back visitors and their tourism dollars.
One method is symbolic gestures, like Burlington renaming Church Street “Rue Canada” and state brass taking a boat ride with Canadian dignitaries.
Another method is money matters: cash discounts at hotels, retail, restaurants, and experiences across Vermont, and the “100% Love for Canada” marketing campaign to show the Green Mountains are ready to welcome neighbors back when they’re ready.
“We want to make sure we’re maintaining those relationships so that there is that awareness when it’s time and we’re ready, but we understand right now,” Spear said.
Leaders say it’s about doing what they can now, but the “when they’re ready” factor is key, with big geopolitical factors that are largely out of their control.
Vermont border businesses see mixed results year after Canadian tourism dip
The degree to which Canadians are avoiding America can be tracked at the northern border.
According to the Canadian government, land travel to the United States was down 31% in 2025 compared to 2024.
“A year ago was definitely the worst,” said Georgia Gould, executive director of the Kingdom Trails Association.
The East Burke mountain bike mecca never really recovered since the pandemic, Gould said. Add to that, new competition and losing Canadians customers — a big chunk of their customer base — and the start of last season was a big blow. “It’s been a challenge, you know?” Gould said.
Like Kingdom Trails, businesses all along the border felt the absence of northern neighbors, but not all in the same way. Despite the decline in visitors, Jay Peak Resort thrived. “Best year in our history,” said the resort’s Steve Wright. Though more Americans hit the slopes, he says their Canadian visitors were missed. “We saw our hockey business off by about 25%. Our ski business was a little bit better, but it was still off our historic numbers.”
While both businesses felt an eerie absence of their Canadian regulars, another factor out of their control played a big role this past year: the weather.
The day WCAX visited, it was wet and gloomy, and Kingdom Trails seemed deserted. For them, it was deja vu. “The rainy, cold weekends, Memorial Day, Victoria Day last year. So, it was just a double whammy,” Gould said.
For Jay Peak, the seasonal precipitation had the opposite effect. Mountains out west saw very little snow, but Jay Peak was buried in it. “Those eastern skiers that traditionally make a western trip all stayed east, and they went to where the snow was. Which was Jay Peak,” Wright said.
With international headlines focused on other global conflicts, business owners like Gould and Wright hope the relative quiet will balance things out. And so far, that optimism seems substantiated.
“Season passes for the FY 27 season — the early rates — have come and gone and the Canadian index of those purchases has stayed pretty high,” Wright said.
“Anecdotally, we’ve just had a lot more inquiries from Canadians and phone calls, emails, things like that. So, I mean, really looking optimistically toward this next season,” Gould said.
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