“The plan was to go to Nashville to celebrate my 40th. I’ve always wanted to go to Nashville — really wanted to ring in 40 at the Grand Ole Opry — but I just cannot bring myself to vacation in a country that is essentially threatening my own.”
Those threats, by U.S. President Donald Trump, are just one of the reasons Calgarian Samantha Pinksen has decided to avoid travelling to the United States for her birthday celebration in April and is instead looking for another place to celebrate with family and friends.
Pinksen is a small business owner. But avoiding American travel is more than just a personal decision — she also has a stepson who is transgender, so she doesn’t like the extreme rhetoric she hears coming out of Washington, such as Trump’s recent signing of an executive order proclaiming there are only two genders, male and female.
“I can’t support a country whose politics is so extreme,” said Pinksen. “I mean, there’s the tariffs, that’s one thing, but the antics is really what decided it for me. It’s just wild, it’s so extreme.”
It appears many other Canadian travellers share her views.
Calgarian Samantha Pinksen planned to go to Nashville to celebrate her 40th birthday in April. But she’s now looking for another place to vacation, saying ‘I can’t support a country whose politics are so extreme.”
Global News
The CEO of Calgary-based WestJet said the number of passengers booking flights to American destinations is down by 25 per cent in the past two weeks.
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While some of that may be related to the value of the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar, Alexis von Hoensbroech said Trump’s tariff threats against Canada have had an impact, too.
“Our schedule reflects what people want to go and we constantly watch it,” said Hoensbroch. “What we have seen since the tariff announcement is that our sales from Canada into the U.S. have actually dropped very significantly, so we are watching and we don’t know how sustainable this is. If we feel we need to adjust our schedule, then we will.”
“The U.S. is by far the biggest trade partner and travel destination for Canadians,” added Hoensbroch. “I think a trade war is the very last thing this country and this continent and this world needs.”
During an interview with The Morning Show this week, Vancouver travel expert Claire Newell said, “We are hearing a lot of people saying I will go anywhere except the U.S. and I think this is going to stay that way until President Trump stops taking punches at Canada.”
Travel expert Claire Newell tells Global News she’s hearing a lot of Canadian travellers say they will go anywhere except the U.S.
The Morning Show
The U.S. Travel Association, an advocacy group for the American tourism industry, is also concerned about the impact Trump’s tariffs could have on the number of Canadian visitors and spending in the United States.
In a recent statement voicing its concerns, the association said, “Canada is the top source of international visitors to the United States, with 20.4 million visits last year, generating $20.5 billion in spending and supporting 140,000 American jobs.”
It estimates that just “a 10% reduction in Canadian travel could mean 2.0 million fewer visits, $2.1 billion in lost spending and the loss of 14,000 job.”
The U.S. Travel Association said Nevada, Texas, California, Florida and New York are the top 5 most visited states by Canadians and estimates a 10 per cent decline in visitors could cost $2.1 billion in lost spending and 14,000 jobs.
Associated Press/Jhn Locher
While Pinksen hasn’t decided where she and her family will holding her birthday celebration this spring, she is heartened by the “outpouring of love and support for Canada from Americans and other countries,” that she has seen from people reacting to her social media posts.
“It’s incredible,” said Pinksen. “I think you have to look for the light in the darkness, and I think all the support is light.”
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