April 28, 2025
Tourists take pictures from Prospect Point in Niagara Falls State Park earlier this month. Canadian cross-border traffic at Buffalo Niagara’s four local bridges dropped 17% in March compared to last year, after dropping 14% in February, according to Statistics Canada.
Sandra Grech of Brantford, Ont., used to be a regular visitor to Buffalo Niagara. But not anymore, and she doesn’t plan to visit while Donald Trump is the president.
“I’m too chicken,” Grech said while stopped at a gas station in Niagara Falls, Ont., last week.
After hearing stories about people being detained for extended periods at the border, having their phones searched and even being mistakenly deported to El Salvador, Grech doesn’t want to risk a similar fate.
“And our dollar is (weak) compared to yours, so why would I go? To lose money?” she said.
When Trump began talking about putting tariffs on Canadian imports earlier this year – slinging insults in the process – some Canadians vowed not to buy American products or visit the United States for as long as Trump is in power.
So far, it looks like they meant it.
Canadian cross-border traffic at Buffalo Niagara’s four local bridges dropped 17% in March compared to last year, after dropping 14% in February, according to Statistics Canada.
It is a swift drop that had been predicted by local tourism professionals when the brouhaha began. And the situation has only gotten worse as the president continues to insist that Canada should become America’s 51st state.
“I did an interview on CTV a couple weeks ago, and I received so many emails, we received several calls from many Canadians across the country who said, ‘This has nothing to do now with the tariffs. This really is about our sovereignty,’ ” said Patrick Kaler, president and CEO of tourism board Visit Buffalo Niagara.
Hospitality professionals worry that recent events surrounding troublesome border crossings will have a further chilling effect on tourism.
– Samantha Christmann
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Julie Kruger reaches to get an early morning photo of cherry blossoms at the Japanese Garden in Buffalo on Sunday, April 27, 2025.
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Tourists take pictures from Prospect Point in Niagara Falls State Park earlier this month. Canadian cross-border traffic at Buffalo Niagara’s four local bridges dropped 17% in March compared to last year, after dropping 14% in February, according to Statistics Canada.
Julie Kruger reaches to get an early morning photo of cherry blossoms at the Japanese Garden in Buffalo on Sunday, April 27, 2025.
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