The number of Canadian visitors to Florida dropped 13.9 percent in the first half of the year to 1.68 million travelers, compared to the same period last year, according to the state’s official estimates. The decrease followed two straight quarters of decreases, as Trump administration and Canadian officials reached a trade war.
According to the data published on August 15 by the Florida tourism promotion agency, Visit Florida, the number of Canadian visitors to Florida fell 4.2 percent to 721,000 in the second quarter (April-June) from a year ago.
Canada saw the biggest drop among all countries and is the only country among those who have visited Florida that has returned fewer tourists than before the pandemic. The number of Canadians who visited Florida in the second quarter of 2019 was 848,000, or 127,000 more than in the same period this year.
The drop in numbers is blamed on Trump administration which imposed tariffs on Canadian goods, decreased by the growth of inflation over wages.
The U.S. and Canada stood to blame each other for the trade conflict. Last weekend, the U.S. announced a 50 percent tariff on $20 billion in Canadian goods to begin on Friday, and Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, halted negotiations, calling the proposed tariff hikes “unfair” and “uneconomic.” In retaliation, Canada plans to impose tariffs on American goods beginning on September 8.
The pattern of reduced tourism is not restricted to Florida. According to Statistics Canada, the number of Canadian visitors who returned to the United States has fallen for eleven consecutive months, compared with the same period last year. Only in September 2001, following the attacks on the United States, were there fewer monthly crossings.
Meanwhile, Florida’s overall tourism remained healthy. Domestic and foreign visitors totaled 34 million in the second quarter, 0.7 percent less than the same period last year, and 73.5 million in the first half, down 1.4 percent.
Meanwhile, hotels reported a 1.2 percent increase in the number of rooms leased and a 4.7 percent rise in prices. Airline travel decreased by 0.5 percent compared to the same period last year. Florida is closing the year with a record-breaking number of visitors – 143.3 million.
