Trump's tourism envoy mocked Canada as the U.S. tries to win back Canadian guests: are they still welcome?
Nick Adams, the U.S. special presidential envoy for American tourism, exceptionalism and values, published a sharp attack on Canada shortly after Donald Trump ordered U.S. federal institutions to refer to Lake Ontario as "Lake America". At the same time, official data show that the Canadian tourism market for the U.S. has seriously weakened, while New York, California and other parts of the American tourism industry are trying to convince Canadians that they are still welcome.
WASHINGTON - The question of whether Canadian tourists are still welcome in the United States has taken on new political and economic significance following messages from Nick Adams, the special presidential envoy responsible for promoting American tourism. On August 28, 2026, one day after Trump's executive order renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" for the purposes of the U.S. federal administration, Adams published a text in which he attacked the Canadian government and Prime Minister Mark Carney. eTurboNews, which reported the content of his post, says Adams described Canada's approach as "arrogance, aggression and ultimate ingratitude" and claimed that Canada needs the United States more than the reverse. At the end, he also mocked Carney, further raising the question of how such rhetoric fits with his official mission of attracting foreign visitors.
Formally, the answer to the question of whether Canadians are welcome is not unclear: there is no new federal policy closing the door to Canadian tourists. The U.S. State Department states that Canadian citizens generally do not need a nonimmigrant visa for tourist visits, subject to the usual exceptions and the fact that the final decision on admission is made by U.S. border authorities. But tourism does not depend only on formal entry rules. Travel decisions strongly depend on perceptions of safety, hospitality, the political climate, prices and attitudes toward visitors, and it is precisely at this level that the problem between the two neighbors has deepened over the past year and a half.
New position created as international arrivals were declining
Adams was appointed in March 2026 as the first special presidential envoy for American tourism, exceptionalism and values, a new position intended to promote the United States globally. Travel Weekly reported during his public appearances that the new role emerged at a time when inbound international tourism was under pressure. Adams presented reassuring international travelers that the country is open and welcoming as a priority, while placing particular emphasis on major events, including the 2026 World Cup, the 250th anniversary of American independence and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
In its spring forecast for 2026, the U.S. Travel Association states that the number of international arrivals in the U.S. fell 5.5 percent during 2025, to 68.3 million, with the decline in visits from Canada being one of the main reasons for the decrease. The association expects international arrivals to recover during 2026, supported by major sporting events, but warns that the pace of recovery is sensitive to political conditions, global perceptions of the U.S., visa costs and geopolitical instability.
Canada is particularly important because this is not a distant or occasional market. For decades, millions of Canadian citizens have traveled to the U.S. by car or air for short shopping trips, family visits, weekend trips, vacations and multi-month winter stays. Many border communities, major cities and warmer states have built parts of their tourism economies precisely on this stable demand. When sentiment in Canada changed in early 2025, the consequences quickly became visible in the statistics.
Canadian travel to the U.S. fell by millions of visits
Statistics Canada states in an analysis published on July 22, 2026, that return border crossings by Canadian residents from the United States in 2025 fell 25.4 percent compared with 2024. The National Travel Survey showed 7.1 million fewer visits to the U.S. than a year earlier, representing a decline of 23.5 percent according to that methodology. Canada's statistical agency links this shift to a sudden change in travel sentiment following the change in the U.S. administration in early 2025 and the introduction of "America First" policies, with the decline being particularly strong in tourism and recreational travel.
The data also show that Canadians did not simply stop traveling. According to Statistics Canada, the number of domestic visits in 2025 increased by about five million, while the number of trips to overseas destinations rose by 1.3 million. Visits to Europe increased by 13.6 percent and visits to Asia by 16.7 percent. Tourism and recreational travel to the U.S. declined by 21.5 percent, or 3.2 million visits, while tourism travel to overseas countries increased by 12.2 percent. This suggests that part of the demand was redirected to other destinations rather than lost because of a general abandonment of travel.
The financial impact is also visible. Statistics Canada estimates that spending by Canadian travelers during visits to the United States in 2025 fell by 3.3 billion Canadian dollars, to a total of 18.8 billion. Most of the decline came from the leisure and recreation segment, where spending decreased by 2.2 billion Canadian dollars. At the same time, spending by Canadian travelers on tourism visits to overseas destinations increased by 3.6 billion. For American hotels, restaurants, attractions, retailers and transportation companies, this means that some of the money that traditionally remained in the U.S. moved to other markets.
There is a recovery in 2026, but the comparison with 2024 remains unfavorable
The latest data provide a somewhat more complex picture than a simple continuation of the decline. Statistics Canada recorded about 2.3 million return trips by Canadian residents from the U.S. in July 2026, 10.2 percent more than in July 2025 and the fourth consecutive month of year-over-year growth. However, the statistical agency warns about the effect of the very low comparison base from 2025. Compared with July 2024, automobile travel was still 28.9 percent lower, while air travel was 26.8 percent lower.
A similar pattern can be seen in other current data. In the first quarter of 2026, Canadian residents made 5.5 million trips that included a visit to the United States, 10.6 percent fewer than in the same period of 2025, while their spending fell 13.6 percent to five billion Canadian dollars. In June, the number of return trips from the U.S. increased year over year, but was still almost one quarter lower than in June 2024. This means there are signs of stabilization and a partial return, but the U.S. market has still not recovered the major loss from the previous year.
That is why the tone of official messages matters more than it did during the period when Canadian demand was almost automatic. The U.S. Travel Association expects international tourism to recover gradually, but estimates that the total number of international visitors will not return to the 2019 level until 2029. In such an environment, every major outbound market becomes even more important, and Canada remains among the most important because of its proximity, the frequency of travel and the traditionally large number of repeat visits.
"Lake America" further intensified the political message
Adams's post did not arise in isolation. A day earlier, on August 27, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to replace the geographic designation of Lake Ontario in the federal system with the name "Lake America". The order requires federal agencies to use the new name in maps, documents, contracts and other official references. The text of the order itself emphasizes the lake's economic, navigational and recreational importance, as well as American investment in the Great Lakes system.
The scope of the order, however, is limited to U.S. federal usage. It does not determine what Canada, international organizations, private mapping companies or other jurisdictions will call the lake. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the change and emphasized that the name Ontario comes from the Wendat language and predates both modern states. New York Governor Kathy Hochul also said that the State of New York would not accept the new name. The dispute over the lake's name therefore became another symbol of deteriorating relations between Washington and Ottawa.
In that context, Adams's rhetoric attracted additional attention because his role is not primarily commercial or diplomatic-negotiating, but promotional. eTurboNews presented his post as an example of a potential conflict between politically provoking Canada and the economic interests of American tourism. The fact that he is an envoy bearing a presidential title means that potential visitors may interpret his words more broadly than a personal comment on social media, even if the White House has not announced any specific policy intended to discourage Canadian tourists from visiting.
New York and California are sending a completely different message
At the same time as the harsher rhetoric from Washington, individual U.S. states and tourism organizations are actively investing in bringing Canadians back. New York launched the "NY LOVES CANADA" campaign on August 21, 2026. According to the official I LOVE NY tourism organization, the number of Canadian visitors to the state fell by more than 26 percent in 2025, while their spending declined by 28 percent. Governor Hochul emphasized that Canadian travelers are important to local tourism businesses and that the state wants to attract them again.
New York City went a step further with the "Northern Neighbour Deal" program. The city's tourism organization offered Canadian visitors 30-percent discounts at more than 85 hotels, restaurants, attractions, museums and shows for the period from August 18 to September 7, 2026. According to NYC Tourism + Conventions, Canada remains the city's second-largest international market, with about 820,000 visitors expected in 2026. The organization also stated that Canadian tourists spent more than one billion U.S. dollars in New York in 2024 alone.
California began sending a similar message as early as 2025. According to Visit California, the "California Loves Canada" campaign was launched after research showed a decline in Canadians' intention to travel to the U.S. The tourism organization stated that Canadian visitors bring more than 3.7 billion U.S. dollars to California annually and that political tensions, a less favorable exchange rate and negative sentiment toward the U.S. had become real barriers to bookings. The strategy was therefore to emphasize longstanding cultural and personal ties and clearly communicate that Canadian guests are welcome.
Tourism policy now appears inconsistent
This is precisely where the central problem for the American tourism strategy lies. At the federal level, the presidential envoy responsible for tourism uses rhetoric that mocks the Canadian government and emphasizes American superiority, while destinations that directly depend on Canadian spending are spending money to convey the opposite message: that political disputes should not determine how visitors are treated.
It is important to distinguish the political position toward the Canadian government from the status of Canadian travelers. Under current State Department rules, Canadian citizens can still generally travel to the U.S. for tourism without a nonimmigrant visa. There is no announced measure excluding Canadians as a group from the American tourism market. The problem is primarily reputational: will people who have a wide choice of destinations decide to spend their money in a country whose political discourse occasionally portrays them as part of a broader bilateral conflict?
The 2025 data show that this decision has measurable consequences. Millions of Canadian visits disappeared from U.S. statistics, while billions of Canadian dollars in tourism spending were redirected or lost to the American economy. Data from the summer of 2026 show that a partial recovery is possible, but also that trust and habits do not return overnight. Once travelers become accustomed to alternative destinations in Europe, Asia, Mexico, the Caribbean or within their own country, U.S. destinations must win them back through price, experience and a sense of welcome.
For Washington, therefore, the question is no longer only whether Adams's political communication can satisfy Trump's base, but whether it can simultaneously fulfill the economic purpose of the position he holds. His role was created to promote the U.S. during a period in which the country is trying to recover lost international traffic. If the messages of the presidential envoy continue to clash with the campaigns of New York, California and the private tourism sector, American tourism will have to convince Canadians not only that coming is worthwhile, but also that political rhetoric from Washington is not the same as the welcome they will experience at their destination.
For now, the official rules provide a clear answer: Canadian tourists may come and are not formally excluded. The much more difficult question is whether they feel invited. At a time when Canada remains one of the key international markets for the U.S., the difference between those two answers can be measured in millions of trips and billions of dollars.
Sources:
- eTurboNews - August 28, 2026 report on Adams's post about Canada, Lake Ontario and Canadian tourists (link)
- White House - August 27, 2026 executive order on the federal use of the name "Lake America" (link)
- Statistics Canada - analysis of Canadian travel to the U.S. during 2025, including the decline in visits and tourism spending (link)
- Statistics Canada - preliminary indicators of international travel for July 2026 and comparison with 2024 and 2025 (link)
- Statistics Canada - National Travel Survey and Visitor Travel Survey for the first quarter of 2026 (link)
- U.S. Travel Association - spring forecast for the U.S. tourism market for 2026 (link)
- U.S. Department of State - current rules for Canadian citizens traveling to the U.S. (link)
- I LOVE NY - official announcement of the "NY LOVES CANADA" campaign and data on the decline in Canadian visits to New York (link)
- New York City Tourism + Conventions - "Northern Neighbour Deal" program and data on the importance of the Canadian market to New York City (link)
- Visit California - "California Loves Canada" campaign and data on the Canadian market (link)
- Travel Weekly - interview with Nick Adams about the role of special tourism envoy and the decline in international arrivals (link)
- CBS News - reactions of Mark Carney and Kathy Hochul to the executive order concerning the name of Lake Ontario (link)