Interest in N.L. as travel destination spikes amid growing U.S. tensions, tourism minister says

As the reality of a trade war between Canada and the U.S. continues to loom large, some see an opportunity to lure travellers who'd normally fly south of the border and direct them to Newfoundland and Labrador.

As U.S. President Donald Trump is promising punishing tariffs on Canadian goods and threatening annexation, some Canadians are boycotting plans to vacation south.

"We do think that this does present another opportunity for us to showcase how welcoming and how wonderful Newfoundland and Labrador and St. John's is to the rest of Canada," said Destination St. John's CEO Paul Buggé.

He said recently there has been more interest in travel to Newfoundland and Labrador from both Canadian and American travellers.

"It's not just about the tariff situation, it's also about the value proposition," he said.

A Canadian dollar against the U.S. dollar means it's more expensive to travel south, but also that the U.S. currency can go further if it's spent in Canada, he said.

He said Newfoundland and Labrador checks a lot of boxes for travellers when they're looking at travel destinations.

"We are special, we're unique. We're safe and we have a unique culture and people that are all our own. So I believe that we can be on the winning side of this, throughout," said Buggé.

Checking off bucket list

Tourism Minister Steve Crocker said there has already been an uptick in interest from tourists looking to travel to Newfoundland and Labrador.

"We've heard from operators who are saying ... they're seeing a new level of interest from Canadian travelers for this coming season," said Crocker.

"Ironically, we've also seen a bit of an uptick in the commentary from U.S. travelers who are looking at coming to Canada and looking at, in a sympathetic way, Canada as a destination."

Crocker added that interest could also be motivated by the strength of the U.S. dollar, but he added that doesn't only benefit Americans.

"As a Canadian traveler, I would look south of the border and say '68-,69-cent dollar. I'm not going to do that.' So you know, these are both factors right now that as a tourism destination, that we need to be certainly ready and able to capitalize on," said Crocker.

From the tourism department's own research, he said they know Newfoundland and Labrador is a bucket list destination for many Canadians, and they might feel more inclined to visit it this year because of the political tensions with the U.S.

Crocker said the provincial government is investigating ways to support a busier than usual tourism season. Marine Atlantic is extremely busy during the peak tourism season between July and August and he said he's in conversation with other groups to lobby the federal government about increasing its capacity.

"That capacity has become a problem over the years and continues to be a problem," he said.

Last year's provincial budget allotted $13 million for tourism marketing and exploring emerging geographic markets.

"Even before these geopolitical issues, you know, we were hearing that we are headed for a strong year. But I think this just solidifies the tourism year … that we can certainly have," said Crocker.

Both Crocker and Buggé said there have been boosts to the province's air access through WestJet adding seasonal flights between the St. John's International Airport and European destinations like London, Dublin and Paris.

"It is a game changer and we're looking forward to really leveraging the growth of those markets," said Buggé.

While both Buggé and Crocker see big opportunities to bring in more Canadian travellers, they both argue they don't want to alienate Americans, either.

"We will welcome them with open arms, no different than we did ... on 9/11," said Crocker.

Crocker added Americans make up about 14 per cent of tourists, which equates to over $150 million a year for operators. 

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