NYC desperately wants more Canadians to start spreading the news and leave today.
Driving the news: New York City Tourism launched a program called NYC’s Northern Neighbour Deal offering Canadians 30% discounts at participating hotels, restaurants, Broadway shows, and more between August 18 and September 7. If you ever dreamed of staying at the Hard Rock Hotel and seeing The Book of Mormon, now’s your chance!
Fewer Canucks are visiting the Big Apple these days: NYC Tourism’s CEO said the number of Canadian visitors annually has dropped from nearly one million in 2019 to around 800,000.
Why it’s happening: Canadian travel to the U.S. fell 25% last year, according to Statistics Canada data released last week, which resulted in a net spending drop of $3.3 billion. While early data has indicated a slight rebound in leisure travel stateside in 2026, continued Elbows Up sentiment and a perilously high U.S. dollar are still subduing cross-border visits.
NYC is far from the only city feeling the pinch. For example, Las Vegas is another big name that’s fallen out of favour with Canadian tourists, leading one casino operator to run a promotion where it’s accepting Canadian money at par with the U.S. dollar.
Why it matters: It goes to show the significant impact Canadian travellers have on U.S. tourism when even one of the world’s premier travel destinations is scrambling to bring them back.—QH
