Fred Kennedy, owner of the Alouette Beach Resort in Old Orchard Beach, says his Canadian customers are not happy about President Trump’s threat to levy 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, as well as his insulting statements about the country and its leaders. “We haven’t had any cancellations yet, but it’s certainly not great for business,” Kennedy said. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald

Fred Kennedy likes to stay in touch with past guests of the Alouette Beach Resort, a landmark hotel on Old Orchard Beach.

He sends out occasional newsletters, hoping the email reminder will inspire return visits. And each year it’s a good bet that some of the returning guests will come from Quebec and New Brunswick, Canada, as they have for decades.

However, the last newsletter didn’t land well with some of his Canadian patrons, including a few who said they were unhappy with President Donald Trump’s threat to levy 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, as well as his insulting statements about their country and its leaders.

“We heard back from two or three who said it would impact their decision to come down this year,” Kennedy said. “We haven’t had any cancellations yet, but it’s certainly not great for business.”

Kennedy, who owns two additional hotels in Old Orchard Beach, is among thousands of Maine business owners who have been snared in recent political tensions between the U.S. and Canada and are bracing for the potential impacts of Trump’s words and deeds.

Maine’s tourist economy is particularly at risk because it depends on people feeling good about how and where they spend their fun money. In 2023, 781,400 Canadians visited Maine and spent $464 million while they were here — numbers that have been negatively impacted in recent years by the pandemic, unfavorable currency exchange rates, and inflation.

The Maine Tourism Association, which represents over 1,600 member businesses, has received a rash of calls and emails from Canadians with questions and concerns about their 2025 travel plans, said CEO Tony Cameron.

“Some voiced their intent to cancel,” Cameron said. “We’re definitely concerned. Some businesses are seeing some cancellations and fewer bookings. It’s early yet, and we certainly hope this blows over, but this feels a little different.”

POLLS MEASURE DISPLEASURE

Canadians started signaling their displeasure over a potential trade war and its impact on their travel plans even before Trump took office.

Nova Scotia-based Narrative Research conducted a poll in December that projected an overall 21% reduction in U.S. travel as a result of the election, and a 40% reduction among residents of Atlantic Canada, which includes the Maine-adjacent provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Since Trump moved into the White House, he has repeatedly said Canada should be the 51st state and referred to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “governor.” In a nation where political polarization is rare, the affronts have triggered a groundswell of patriotism that has many displaying the Canadian flag and its red maple leaf.

Now, 56% of Canadians say they will not travel to the U.S. or have canceled plans to do so, according to a poll from Leger, a Canadian research firm.

ANGRY CANADIANS SEND LETTERS

Some dismayed Canadians have shared their cancellation plans in letters to the Portland Press Herald. They include Paul Beland of Montreal, whose family has visited Maine every year since the 1930s, spending thousands of dollars on recent trips.

But for the next four years, the Belands say they will visit coastal New Brunswick instead.

“The ocean is just as nice, the lobster just as good,” Beland wrote in a letter published Jan. 19. “It is 5 hours more driving time than going from Montreal to Kennebunk, but if Trump tries to run our economy into the ground, we will gladly drive it. And hopefully, in 2029, we will resume visiting beautiful Maine.”

A sign on a motel in Old Orchard Beach welcomes tourists back in both English and French. The town hosts a large number of Canadian visitors each summer. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald

Conrad Gregoire of Ottawa, Ontario, also wrote a letter. For decades his family has visited New England regularly and planned to attend the Moxie Festival in Lisbon this summer as part of a week on the Maine coast.

“We have, regrettably, decided to cancel our trip to Maine and to forgo future visits to the U.S. until we feel more welcome,” Gregoire wrote in a letter published Monday. “We are aware that not every person in the U.S. voted for President Trump, but his statements and actions regarding Canada are aimed at damaging the well-being of ALL Canadians.”

In a phone interview, Gregoire, a retired research chemist, said his travel party of 10, including his wife, two daughters and their families, likely would have spent over $20,000 in Maine this summer. Instead, they’ll gather at his lakeside camp in Ontario.

But Gregoire fears that even the threat of tariffs will dampen investment in Canada for the next four years. He and others believe Trump aims to destroy the Canadian economy and make it vulnerable to U.S. takeover, he said, and they’re acting now to prevent that from happening.

“Folks are staying home and they’re buying local,” Gregoire said. “I know about a dozen people who are changing their vacation plans, and instead of going to the U.S., they’re going to Mexico or Cuba or Portugal, where it’s a lot cheaper anyway. One of my neighbors, his son lives in Florida, and he said he’s not going to step foot in the U.S. until Trump is gone.”

POLITICAL LEADERS REACT

Maine’s political leaders and tourism officials see the potential for serious damage and hope it doesn’t come to that.

On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, posted a reaction to Gregoire’s letter on social media.

“Our neighbors to the north have always been welcome visitors to Maine,” Pingree wrote. “They’re also vital to our tourism industry. In 2022, Canadian tourists spent more than $400 million in our state. But now, some of them are feeling so unwelcome that they’re canceling their trips here.”

Pingree called Trump’s tariff threat “ill-conceived” and noted his statements on making Canada the 51st state.

“Let’s be clear: This is not a joke. It is a threat,” Pingree said. “And clearly one that some Canadians are taking seriously. President Trump’s dangerous rhetoric is damaging a vital trade partnership — and our deepest cultural relationship.”

State Rep. Lori K. Gramlich, D-Old Orchard Beach, wrote in a Press Herald column published Wednesday that Mainers must inform the Trump administration that “Canada is our partner, not our enemy, and acting in any other way will only harm Maine people.”

Carolann Ouellette, director of the Maine Office of Tourism, said the agency under Gov. Janet Mills also wants to maintain a welcoming environment for Canadians.

“We deeply appreciate our neighbors choosing Maine as their vacation destination,” Ouellette said in an emailed statement. “We are closely monitoring the situation to ensure the strong bond between Maine and Canada continues this winter and beyond.”

BUSINESSES ASSESS POTENTIAL IMPACTS

Concern about the loss of Canadian visitors varies across Maine’s tourism and hospitality industries.

In the border town of Fort Kent, where they’re about to host the annual Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races starting March 1, reaction to political tension between the two nations is tempered.

“I don’t think it will be an issue because the tariffs haven’t taken effect,” said Lana Malyuk, executive director of the Greater Fort Kent Area Chamber of Commerce.

“The races are part of the culture here,” Malyuk continued. “They start on Main Street, right outside our office. (The tariff threat) has raised questions about how it might affect us, but for now it really hasn’t.”

In Old Orchard Beach, Allan Buotte and his wife, Tiffany, operate two landmark businesses — Pier Fries, which opened in 1932, and Bill’s Pizza, which opened in 1949.

Both have weathered several wars, economic downturns, political upheavals and a recent pandemic.

“It’s sad that the situation has reached this point, but we’re optimistic,” Buotte said. “We’re fortunate to have a wonderful return customer base. I just hope people look beyond the political rhetoric and enjoy Old Orchard Beach as they always have.”

Fred Kennedy, the hotel owner, is optimistic, too. He believes relations between the two countries will improve eventually and Canadian visitors will feel welcome again.

But Trump’s disruptions come at an inopportune time, he said, when businesses are still rebuilding customer bases after the pandemic, and it’s already costly for Canadians to come to Maine because of inflation and a Canadian dollar exchange rate that fell to 69 cents last week.

Yet each summer, as hotels light up “no vacancy” signs and waiting lines grow for lobster rolls, the lack of Canadian tourists may go unnoticed.

“We fill our rooms,” Kennedy said. “When you fill your rooms, you don’t know who you’re missing. But you never like to lose old friends.”