Northern Ontario wilderness lodges continue to see American tourists, despite trade war

Canadians have been cancelling trips to the United States since U.S. President Donald Trump started a trade war between both countries.

But hunting and fishing lodges in northern Ontario say they haven't seen an equivalent drop in American visitors.

In March, land border crossings from Canada to the U.S. dropped by close to one million travellers, compared to the same period last year, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Al Errington co-owns Errington's Wilderness Island, a lodge north of Wawa, that is only accessible by float plane.

In a typical season, he said around 95 per cent of his guests come from the United States.

"We're very accessible to the U.S. market because the I-75 that bisects the United States comes right up through Sault Ste. Marie," he said.

Errington said people travel to the lodge from all over the U.S. to enjoy northern Ontario's wilderness and to catch fish.

He said that so far this year, bookings from American travellers are up compared to last season.

"Our clientele tends to be more along the lines of people who would not be Trump fans though," he said.

Errington said some of his longtime clients have called to personally apologize for their country's political stance regarding Canada.

"They are very worried about it themselves, what the impact of Trump is going to have on their economy," he said.

Errington said even his guests who have voted for Trump have told him they disagree with his economic decisions on tariffs.

More Canadian guests

Laurie Marcil is the executive director of Nature and Outdoor Tourism Ontario, which lobbies for northern Ontario's tourism industry.

She said that American bookings at hunting and fishing lodges across the region have remained steady when compared to last year. 

"We're hearing of very, very few cancellations," she said.

"And really, the cancellations are around the uncertainty about how they might be treated in Canada when they get here and how they might be treated when they get back home. But I know that Canadians will welcome our American guests."

Marcil added that many lodges in northern Ontario have seen an increase in Canadian visitors as people spend their tourism dollars closer to home.

"There's been a really good push for people to spend more time outdoors, spend more time with family and our lodges. And resorts and locations in northern Ontario really provide that for folks," she said.