PINELLAS COUNTY — Canadians aren’t coming to Florida like they used to. The National Association of Realtors data shows fewer Canadians are buying homes here, along with Canadian tourism has also slowing down this year.
What You Need To Know
The National Association of Realtors data shows fewer Canadians are buying homes here
According to Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, Canadian vacation rentals and hotel check-ins are down this year
Angela Kraft, a Pasadena Hairdresser, said most of her Canadian snowbird clients aren’t coming back this year
Kraft said she restructured her business to help draw more people in
According to Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, Canadian vacation rentals are down more than 30% and Canadian hotel check-ins are down more than 20%.
Visit St. Pete-Clearwater said Canadian tourists make up about 5% of annual tourists in Pinellas County.
A hairdresser has noticed a decline in her usual business. Making hair dyes is more of a science than the average person may think.
“It’s figuring out the formulas, and it’s not just throwing it on. I get to be creative and to be able to look at people and make them feel good about themselves,” Angela Kraft, the owner of Blonde Envy Salon, said.
Kraft has been a hairdresser for 20 years and spent the past 10 years here in Florida.
“Typically, August until December, you’re nonstop and it’s going to be very busy,” Kraft said.
But since last year’s hurricanes, Kraft said she lost about 60% of her business. She said many of her clients lost their homes or jobs and moved further away, and on top of that she said most of her snowbird clients aren’t coming back.
“It greatly affected my business,” she said.
Out of Kraft’s 20 Canadian snowbird clients, she said only three are returning this year.
“I have been doing hair for these people for almost ten years. You bond with them and it’s sad to see them go,” Kraft said.
Data from the National Association of Realtors shows that most Canadians buying homes in the U.S. are still picking Florida, but the overall total is down this year. In 2023, 55% of Canadians buying homes in the U.S. chose Florida and this year that’s down by 7%.
“Most of them have listed their properties and or sold them and are not coming back,” Kraft said.
A month ago, Kraft restructured her business to draw more people in. She has changed her pricing, and all her services are now gratuity-free.
“That gives transparency to anyone that I’m working with, and there’s no hidden cost. You know how long your service takes,” she said.