President Trump's trade war with Canada could have big impact on New York City tourism
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- There are signs that some Canadian tourists are changing their plans to visit New York City and other parts of the United States amid President Donald Trump's trade war with Canada.
Matt Levey has been in the tourism industry for over 20 years, but since January, he's been faced with an issues he's never dealt with before.
"It's been calamitous. It's been a debacle," Levey said.
He's the owner of a tour guide company called Spread Love Tours.
He says the Canadian tour groups he works with have been canceling their trips to New York City at an alarming rate.
"I grossed $35,000 from Canadian high school groups. This year it's $5,000 and dropping," Levey said. "I get one to a half dozen cancelations every week. It's really heartbreaking."
This dip in interest comes as President Donald Trump continues to make comments about Canada, threatening to make it the 51st state and referring to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as governor. There is also the ongoing trade war between the two countries.
"We don't need anything that they get," President Trump said. "We do it because we want to be helpful, but it comes a point when you just can't do that. You have to run your own country. And to be honest with you, Canada only works as a state."
Current Prime Minister Mark Carney has criticized the comments, and before leaving office, Trudeau encouraged Canadians to travel within their own country.
The continued sentiment toward the U.S. could have some large financial implications.
According to a nonprofit called U.S. Travel Association, 20.4 million people from Canada visited the U.S. in 2024, generating $10.5 billion in spending, and New York is a top destination for Canadians.
For Levey, this is just as much about his business as it is for his love of his city.
"Policy and tour guides are a bunch of nerds, we love to go really deep into New York City history and sociology, cultural concepts and content," he said. "So, it sucks. Both economically it hurts, and the ability to share the amazing city that we all live in with visitors."
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