It’s been a summer marked by tension for Canada and the United States, as tariff disputes and talk of Canada becoming the 51st state show few signs of fading.
While that’s made some Canadians reluctant to head south of the border, it hasn’t stopped flocks of Americans from crossing north, a few making Niagara-on-the-Lake a key stop.
Sometimes, the strain bubbles over in emotion: some American visitors to NOTL have gotten sentimental, locals say, even apologizing or hugging volunteers and employees when thanked for coming.
But local tourism representatives say they don’t engage in politics — they simply offer a warm welcome, says Vlad Haltigin, co-lead for the Niagara-on-the-Lake Ambassadors.
Many Americans who come up to the ambassadors on the street or interact with them are unsure how they’ll be received by the Canadians, he said.
The ambassadors focus on a simple message, he said: “‘We are delighted you’re here. Thank you for visiting. Tell your friends we’re open for business and we’d love to see you.’”
“It’s that personal interaction that’s so critical,” he added.
Fellow co-lead Laurie Harley said that “probably around 40 per cent of the overall people” the ambassadors see are from the United States, but “it’s all over the map.”
Volunteer ambassadors, though self-managed, work closely with the town’s destination marketing organization, Tourism Niagara-on-the-Lake, sharing on-the-ground visitor feedback to help guide its tourism planning.
“We are the feeling. We are the emotion,” said Haltigin. “Essentially what one would call raw data.”
American trips to Canada went up in July: StatsCan
Travel data released Aug. 11 by Statistics Canada shows fewer Canadians returned from the United States in July than in June, while U.S. visits by car to Canada grew from month to month.
The Shaw Festival, which normally counts 28 to 35 per cent of its audience from the U.S., is tracking toward the lower end of that range this season, said executive director Tim Jennings.
At the same time, international attendance is up about 50 per cent — a shift Jennings credits to more cultural tourists choosing Canada this year.
He said American audiences at the Shaw are generally more reserved about politics this year, though some have been frank — apologizing, or voicing support, for their country.
Michelle Handley, the manager of clothing store Hatley on Queen Street in NOTL, said “all kinds of American customers” are stopping by the store.
“They all are apologizing,” she said. “Mortified as to what’s going on over there.”
“They’re all like, ‘We’re so sorry,’ and we’re like, ‘Well, it’s not you,’” she said. “It’s politics.”
Some American customers have even been brought to tears, said Handley, especially when receiving one of the NOTL Chamber of Commerce’s postcards for visitors, which has an illustration of American and Canadian characters sitting on a park bench holding hands.
“A lot have been touched by that,” she said.
Sometimes, Handley said, she hears Americans say, ‘We don’t want to go back home.”
Amidst “an amazing summer” business-wise, with every day feeling like a Saturday, Handley said she credits that to more Canadians and international travellers choosing to stay in Canada.
Harley backed Handley’s observation about international visitors — she said ambassadors have welcomed “more Europeans than in previous years” this year.
Political climate creates ‘a tension’ among some visitors
Front-line staff at the Exchange Brewery, also on Queen Street, said politics don’t come up at all and that they’re still seeing U.S. customers crossing the border for weddings, family events — even for a pint, said spokesperson Sara Divinski.
She said staff “try not to pry or upset” Americans and avoid raising political issues, which visitors don’t bring up, either.
“They’ve been nothing but friendly with our staff,” said Divinski.
While businesses say they continue to see a steady flow of U.S. customers, spring visitation figures from Tourism NOTL tell a more cautious story.
“We did see a decrease in U.S. visitation during the spring of 2025,” said Brianne Hawley, the organization’s tourism services director, adding that it doesn’t have the summer data yet.
Visitors come from a wide range of U.S. locations, but most come from cities a short drive away, like Buffalo, Rochester, Erie, Cleveland and Detroit.
“We really target our border states,” Hawley said — without using overt “support Canada” messages, she added.
The goal when marketing the town is to consistently brand the destination as “Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada” — a subtle way to reinforce the Canadian identity of the experience.
American visitation varies by location at the Shaw, Jennings said, but Rochester and Pennsylvania numbers are slightly up, Ohio and Florida are a bit down, and most others are holding steady.
Most U.S. regulars plan to return to the Shaw this year, he added, but about four per cent fewer are attending — roughly half of that decline is people choosing not to travel to Canada because of the political climate, border uncertainty and a desire to support home theatres.
Jennings said American visitors have been more guarded about political conversations this year: “I don’t think it’s lost on anybody that there’s a tension.”
But most just enjoy what the Shaw has to offer — rarely bringing up politics, he said.
Tourism board ‘working hard’ to attract American visitors
From the perspective of the local wine industry, Katie MacCabe, marketing manager at Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake, said American visitorship is strong this summer.
Many U.S. guests are spending more than average, often buying wine to take home and share with others, “which has been wonderful to see,” she said.
The tourism board’s executive director, Kathy Weiss, said the board is “investing significantly in marketing to the U.S.”
In February, it allocated $100,000 toward American advertising for the rest of the year.
“We are working hard to attract our U.S. neighbours,” said Weiss.
With American friends being so close, Hawley said, “it’s a market that’s very important” to the board, so advertisements aim to make them feel welcome and confident about crossing the border and include radio and streaming ads as well as social media campaigns.
She said people choose NOTL because they want to “escape” and enjoy everything the town has to offer, from wine country and culinary experiences to theatre, culture and history.
No formal tourism board meetings were held to discuss the tensions that arose between Canada and the U.S. earlier this year, Hawley said, because NOTL has “always been a very warm and welcoming and safe place.”
“The one conversation that we did have was, ‘We need to order more postcards because they have been going over so well,’” she said.
Haltigin said ambassadors are happy when they see Americans, especially amid the political climate. The goal is to make them “feel that they can enjoy themselves.”
“Working together consistently and understanding the next steps is very key to a sustainable tourism future,” he said.
Harley said Queen Street stores, walking tours and Queen’s Royal Park draw American visitors to NOTL — “and just enjoying the beauty and the small town environment, especially compared to (Niagara) Falls and the GTA.”
That’s the reason people never want to leave, Haltign said: “The feeling that Niagara-on-the-Lake creates.”
