U.S. tourism operators offer exclusive deals for Canadians to try to

It’s been a rough start to the golf season for Paul Dame, owner of Bluff Point Golf Resort in Plattsburgh, N.Y., about 100 kilometres south of Montreal.

Over the past two months, he said, business for both golf and lodgings has plummeted 30 per cent compared with the same period last year. Dame attributes much of the decline to far fewer Canadian golfers, who typically make up about half his business.

He said many past Canadian customers have told him they’re avoiding the U.S., and hence his golf course, due to anger over President Donald Trump’s trade war and threats to make Canada the 51st state.

“They don’t like being picked on, and to be honest, I can’t really blame them,” Dame said. “It’s disheartening to have something completely out of my control that is causing my business to have a major downturn.”

In an effort to show Canadians they’re welcome, Dame is now offering them a couple of freebies: a bucket of golf balls for practice at the course’s driving range, and a gift set of three golf balls adorned with Canadian symbols, like a beaver and a hockey jersey.

“The idea is that, ‘Hey, this is a gift from us to you to show that we care and show that we appreciate you,'” he said.

Dame joins many other tourism operators across the United States offering special deals for Canadians to try to convince them to cross the border — just in time for the summer travel season.

The stakes are high. Canadians traditionally make up the largest group of international tourists to the U.S. In 2024, they spent $20.5 billion US in the country, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

But that tourism market started to decline after Trump took office in January. By April, the number of return trips among Canadians travelling to the U.S. dropped by 19.9 per cent for air travel and by a whopping 35.2 per cent for land travel, compared with the same time last year.

“We’re really starting to see the impact now…. Everyone is scared,” said Kristy Kennedy, vice-president of marketing for the North Country Chamber of Commerce. It helps promote businesses in the Adirondack region in Upstate New York, including Plattsburgh.

To encourage their northern neighbours to visit, in April the chamber launched a TV ad campaign in Ottawa and across Quebec. It’s also set to launch a webpage on June 1 that will list tourism-related businesses offering exclusive discounts for Canadians.

Kennedy said the deals will include a 20 per cent room discount at the Best Western hotel and a free one-day rental at the Adirondack ElliptiGO bike shop, both in Plattsburgh.

“We understand that there were feelings hurt, but understand that Plattsburgh and the Adirondack region value you and we want to make this…