Maine installs ‘Welcome Canadians’ signs as trade war threatens summer tourism

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Maine residents offer thoughts on U.S.-Canada trade war

Memorial Day weekend sees dip in Canadian visitors

Maine is placing new highway signs across the state to welcome Canadian visitors, as the U.S. trade war threatens to disrupt the upcoming summer tourism season.

The first “Bienvenue Canadiens!’ sign was installed last week in Old Orchard Beach, which is a vacation hot spot for Quebec tourists. During a typical summer, up to 40 per cent of Old Orchard Beach visitors come from Canada.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills said more signs would be installed at border crossings and locations popular with visitors, with other versions of welcome signs to be available for businesses.

“Look, I know that a sign alone cannot fix this economic uncertainty, but it can convey to our neighbours that they are welcome here, and that we do value their presence in our state,” said Mills in a weekly radio address.

“We do not feel hostility towards our Canadian friends and neighbours.”

Governors and premiers to meet in Boston

Mills said nearly 800,000 people from Canada visited Maine in 2024, representing about five per cent of the state’s total number of visitors last year.

“But this year, just from February to April alone, 166,000 fewer Canadians travelled by land to Maine,” said Mills. “That’s 26 per cent less than the same period last year. That’s a big drop in visitors. So, my administration is doing what we can to market Maine as a destination for Canadian travellers.”

Mills said New England state governors are scheduled to meet with the premiers of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, and Ontario for a summit in Boston on June 16.

“At that meeting, I plan to discuss our partnerships with Canadians and our work to ensure that our historic friendship and our deeply intertwined economies will endure for generations to come,” said Mills.