By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Last year at IPW, the U.S. Travel Association ducked “the Canadian question.” In fact, it ducked the media altogether. But this year, full marks to the organization (and Brand USA) for facing the music and comprehensively answering the question that Travel Industry Today asked on behalf of all Canadians and the Canadian travel industry: “Where does Canadian travel to the U.S. stand at this moment and what do you have to say to Canadians that might make a difference?”
My question was solicited in advance of (instead of at) the association’s annual press conference at the IPW trade show in Fort Lauderdale last week, prompting fears of it conveniently being ignored; but it was indeed selected as just one of five from amongst dozens of queries proffered by the hundreds of international journalists who attend the show.
Moreover, it was addressed by both U.S. Travel and Brand USA, the country’s preeminent tourism organizations.
As I told a Brand USA executive the day before the revived U.S. Travel press conference (cancelled last year) took place, “You have to talk about Canada this year!”
And they did.
This after last year, where in an unusual twist, I was the one interviewed on camera by U.S. Travel (by a roving reporter), to whom I candidly said Canadians were “pissed” at America – us being at the peak of tariffs, 51st state, border searches, the appalling image of ICE raids, and other travel turn-offs.
And while the temperature has certainly been dialled down in the past 12 months since IPW 2025 in Chicago, many Canadians are still refusing to travel to the U.S. due to continuing insults and overall tone from the administration, plus ongoing worries about the border and ICE, etc., which sadly outweigh substantial positive messaging directed at Canadians from many regions and suppliers south of the border.
With the question I asked displayed on screen behind him, and in front of a packed house of journalists and their cameras, U.S. Travel CEO Geoff Freeman declared, “It is extremely disappointing that we have offended so many (Canadians). And it is unfortunate that Canadians feel they need to send the United States a message by staying away.”
Freeman had more to say, which we recount here in a full transcript of his remarks, followed by Brand USA CEO Fred Dixon’s thoughts on the matter – and plans for engaging with the Canadian market.
Geoff Freeman
“Canadian travel is extraordinarily important to the United States. Unfortunately, last year Canadian travel was down 22%. In fact, if you strip Canadian travel out, travel to the United States was actually flat last year.
“The decline in Canadian travel is driving much of the concern when it comes to international inbound travel (to the U.S). In a typical year, Canadians are our greatest volume of visitors and they are our greatest volume of spending. It is extremely disappointing that we have offended so many Canadians. It is unfortunate that Canadians feel they that need to send the United States a message by staying away.
“We respect their point of view, and we are ready to host Canadian travellers when they are ready to return.
“One thing that will not change is our focus on Canada or our desire to welcome travellers. We’ve got work to do to re-earn their trust to let them know that America wants them. So, when they’re ready, we will be here. And we are confident we will exceed the 20 million Canadian travellers that we welcomed in previous years and in an optimistic future.”
Fred Dixon
“We are incredibly grateful for the 16 million Canadians that came last year (2025) to the U.S. To put that in perspective, that’s four times the size of the U.K. travel market to the U.S. So, it is significant. Yes, it is down, but we are grateful for each and every one of them and we want them all to feel welcome in the U.S. We need them, we want them here.
“That’s why at Brand USA we have been analyzing the market and we are studying the trends behind what is pumping the decisions, beyond what Geoff was talking about. As some of you may know, Canada is a very fragmented market. What drives Vancouver is very different from what drives Montreal. Our research is telling us that some regions are driven more by value, some are driven more by sports, or business.
“So, we’re doing the hard work right now on understanding where our Canadians fit, what is driving their motivations, what are they talking about when it comes to travel destinations and options, and what we can do to make sure they feel welcome and what they come to us for. We value them, we miss them.
“We’re about to undertake a whole new round of focus groups; we’re going into market meeting not just with consumers, but we’re meeting with travel trade as well. We’re in the process of developing a new campaign bespoke for Canada that will address these fragmentations across the industry. We’re 100% committed to the market and we continue to invest each and every year. We have not stopped, (and are) not taking our foot off the pedal in terms of our push in Canada.
“Our partner program is running there, we have digital marketing in the marketplace. We’re going to be coming out with a new message for this moment to make sure that Canadians know that we welcome them and that we want them to be back.
“Also, I want to point out that Geoff and I have been talking about a joint effort this fall. Every year Brand USA has a huge program that we bring into the market called Canada Connect. We’re thrilled to be bringing that program back to Toronto and Montreal in October with partners from across the industry and we’re going to make this one our biggest yet.
“We’re going to send a powerful message from leadership from the U.S. travel industry, meeting and sitting down with their partners in Canada, working with our partners in destinations and corporations to do meetings and do product, create promotions, and get back to business. We’re ready to welcome the Canadians to the U.S. again and we want them to know that we want them here.”
After close to five minutes collectively spent on the question (an eternity in a press conference), moderator Chris Heywood (of Brand USA) smiled and deadpanned the U.S. travel industry’s feelings on Canada:
“We love Canada. That’s all we have to say!”
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