NORTH HERO, Vt. (WCAX) – Lake Champlain Islands businesses say Canadian visitors are staying north of the border, leaving big boats docked in Canada and island vacation homes sitting empty. It\u2019s another piece of the state\u2019s visitor economy hobbled by President Trump\u2019s tariffs and hostile rhetoric since taking office.<\/p>\n
The docks are dragged into place, drink menus are made, and the chef is whipping up food favorites. Bravo Zulu and Shore Acres are back for another season.<\/p>\n
Suzy and Tom Boogaard were first in line on opening day at the North Hero hot spot. The sprawling island destination is popular for locals like the Boogaards, and it used to be for Canadians, too.<\/p>\n
Pamela Roberts, the general manager at Shore Acres, says Canadians are avoiding America, including the Lake Champlain Islands. \u201cWe have had guests be very specific about it and say not for the next four years,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n
She said the Canadian stay-away will take a 30-to-33% bite out of sales. Tourism has been affected by remarks made by the president calling for Canada to be the 51st state. \u201cIt\u2019s really sad because so many people have come for so many years here,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n
To try to get them back, Shore Acres is offering a 40% discount on rooms to Canadian customers. \u201cIt\u2019s been such a long-standing relationship that the two countries have had. It would be nice to see that positive again,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n
The Champlain Islands have historically been popular for Canadian visitors and Canadian property owners. But Roberts says even those with land on the lake are not coming. \u201cYou see a lot of those homes are up for sale now. They don\u2019t want to own property down here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI apologize to our Canadian neighbors for how we\u2019ve behaved as a nation,\u201d Tom Boogaard said.<\/p>\n
Tom and Suzy hope those neighbors stop braking at the border and instead will come break bread again. \u201cAnd these islands and this state are not a reflection of the political reality. We\u2019re neighbors,\u201d Tom said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe miss you terribly. Come on back,\u201d added Suzy.<\/p>\n
Montrealers tell WCAX why they\u2019re avoiding Vermont<\/p>\n
Cross-border tourism is down for the second straight year in Vermont, and Montrealers told WCAX that politics is the overwhelming reason they\u2019re staying home.<\/p>\n
Some pointed to rising costs and the exchange rate. \u201cIf you want to go to USA, it\u2019s so expensive,\u201d one Montreal resident said.<\/p>\n
Others described safety concerns.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing part of the LGBTQ community as well, what\u2019s happening in the U.S. doesn\u2019t feel that safe right now,\u201d one person said. \u201cIt was just kind of… everything was really messy over there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The common thread: many Canadians don\u2019t like America\u2019s politics.<\/p>\n
\u201cDonald Trump\u2019s fault. We don\u2019t want to go to the U.S. because of Donald Trump,\u201d one person said. \u201cI think everyone here really just wants Trump to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
A group of student actors said their whole school is actively boycotting visiting the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe went on a school trip in New York. So it was organized before the election and we went just because all was paid and we couldn\u2019t be refunded,\u201d one student said.<\/p>\n
Asked if they would have gone had the plans been made after the election, the student said, \u201cAbsolutely not.\u201d<\/p>\n
They said their families share the same sentiment. \u201cI went to the States like every year with my grandfather and my father. And last year, we were supposed to go to Boston. And because of the elections, we actually decided to go to Ottawa instead,\u201d one student said.<\/p>\n
Before the election, border crossings into Vermont peaked in August 2024 with over 381,000. In August of 2025, they dropped to 252,000.<\/p>\n
When might the numbers go back up?<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, we wait when Trump leaves and we come back to the USA,\u201d one person said. \u201cDonald Trump\u2019s fault. Get rid of him, we coming again.\u201d<\/p>\n
The general consensus: many will consider visiting again when the U.S. has a new president. \u201cIt\u2019s not like the United States are going to disappear in like…I mean, in four years when Trump\u2019s not going to be in office. Then we would go,\u201d one person said.<\/p>\n
Bernadette Jordan, consul general of Canada, said the centuries of history between the two countries trumps the past year of turmoil. \u201cCanada is ready and willing to come to the table when the time is right to make sure that we talk about these challenges to make sure that we look at how we can best go forward to benefit both of our countries because we are so interdependent on each other,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The students know skipping a vacation won\u2019t change the U.S. overnight, but believe their decision still matters. \u201cWe know that we won\u2019t impact the economics of the U.S. with just going for like vacation. But it\u2019s more for our morals,\u201d one student said.<\/p>\n
Data shows Canadians\u2019 interest in visiting US drops sharply<\/p>\n