By Michael Baginski/ With the likes of Arizona, Colorado, Miami, and Myrtle Beach in town over the past week, the time was perfect for Brand USA to tag along on its own trade mission to Toronto – an effort designed to help “keep the lights on,” according to the US destination marketing organization.
“We want Canadians to know how much we love them,” Brand USA Sr. VP of Communications Chris Heywood (banner photo) told Travel Industry Today, while acknowledging that some Canadians simply won’t visit the U.S. right now, amidst tariffs, 51st state and other rhetoric from Donald Trump.
“We certainly want them to come back and we want to make sure we’re keeping up with so when its time to return we’re ready,” Heywood said, echoing an increasingly common refrain from destinations south of the border.
But, while Heywood says he understands Canadians’ concerns, he says the DMO must “keep in the travel lane” and is focusing on “the movable middle of people who might be on the fence (to travel there).”
That segment he says may include people who want to go to a sun destination or theme park, visit friends or relatives, or take in sports or entertainment/ pop culture events.
Or one of a number of 2026 milestone events, such as America 250, the 100th anniversary of Route 66, 70 years of Disney, or the FIFA World Cup of football during the summer months.
At the same time, Heywood says 15.6 million Canadians are expected to have visited the U.S. in 2025 – which is “still a lot of people,” though it does represent a decline and Canada slipping to second place as the U.S.’s top international market (behind Mexico).
However, with expanding air service from Canadian carriers continuing, the forecast is for 6% arrivals growth in 2026 – an “encouraging” sign.
And as Canadians do continue to consider to the U.S., Heywood asks visitors to keep perspective over sensationalist headlines and social media about crossing the border. Though he concedes there have been some “incidents,” he maintains that border policies have not “demonstratively changed.”
Still Brand USA advises a “common sense” approach for travellers, including carrying all relevant travel documents and itineraries. More information is posted on its website.
To that end, he says, “We want to make sure we’re there with information – and a message that says, ‘you are welcome here!’
“We want them to know that we value them and that our destinations, collectively, are welcoming Canadian travellers. And it’s a message we are re-enforcing as best we can at this moment in time by keeping the dialogue open and keeping the lines of communication open with the trade.”
As for the trade, Heywood says Brand USA is continuing to consider the right staffing solution to replace the late Casey Canevari as the organization’s Canadian representative and will continue such Canadian initiatives as hosting its annual signature Canada Connect event (Oct. 26-29).
“We’re committed,” says Heywood, “to keeping the lights on in Canada.”
If you enjoyed or found this story useful, we’d appreciate if you would forward it to a colleague or friend who may also enjoy it. If, on the other hand, a friend shared it with you, welcome! You can get all the latest travel news and reviews from Travel Industry by simply clicking HERE.