Deer River Campsite in Upstate New York is quieter than usual this year. The beach is less crowded and the lake’s inhabitants are safer from eager fishermen.
The campground, about 50 kilometres southeast of Cornwall, Ont., is one of several American businesses near the border that’s feeling the sting of Canadian summer vacationers boycotting travel to the U.S.
According to co-owner Gil Paddock, the 83-site campground relies almost entirely on summer campers to stay in business. In a normal year, Canadians make up one-third of its summer visitors.
But this year, things are different. Border crossings into the U.S. from Canada are down. In June, 17 per cent fewer people drove to New York from Canada than in the same period last year.
That’s been a struggle for business owners like Paddock. The retired state trooper has been running the campground for 43 years, but this year has been one of the worst for business.
“The way we’re going, my bottom line is gonna be below other years by quite a bit,” he said. “Just have to roll with the punches, I guess.”
Paddock blames a culture of fear that’s developed around U.S. border crossings. He’s heard would-be visitors are worried about their safety at the border, or when they reach their destination in the States.
Those who have made the trip this summer are mostly repeat customers, and Paddock said they’ve had no issues crossing the border.
“There’s nothing to be scared about,” he said.
Paddock isn’t alone. Dan Kelleher, CEO of the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) in Lake Placid, N.Y., says hotel revenue in the region is down about eight per cent, and restaurant sales are down 20 to 30 per cent.
He blames boycotts as well as economic fears — the Canadian dollar has been hovering at a value of about 73 cents U.S. for months.
“I think some of that is just general economic anxiety related to tariff threats, both [from] Americans and our Canadian visitors,” he said.
ROOST has increased its marketing budget for the region, but businesses are still feeling the pinch.
Doug Haney, who runs Bike Adirondack based in Saranac Lake, N.Y., is offering a 15 per cent discount to Canadians on some of his company’s bike tours this summer, but says the demographic that once made up 15 per cent of his business remains disengaged.
“It’s one of those things where you feel pretty helpless,” he said. “I could spend marketing dollars to reach the Canadian audience, but it would just be throwing it up in the air and letting it fly away.”
Haney said he gets social media comments daily from Canadians who won’t be travelling to the U.S. until his country changes.
“I get it and I understand it and I sympathize and I’m empathetic to it,” he said. “We’re here whenever you’re ready to come.”
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