‘We’re buddies now’: Canada’s foodies enlisted to host Americans and boost tourism

Calgary chefs and entrepreneurs John Jackson, left, and Connie DeSousa, second from left, pose for a photo with guests in this undated handout photo.

TORONTO — Some of the country’s savviest home entertainers are on the front lines of a new tourism strategy to lure U.S. and international visitors, one home-cooked meal at a time.

They’re part of Destination Canada’s OpenHome program, which pairs friendly foodies with curious travellers who are eager for a memorable visit and an inside glimpse into the lives of everyday Canadians.

It comes after a year of fractured international relations that has at times weaponized travel and tourism, with many Canadians refusing to travel south of the border out of frustration over tariffs and other policies — and data showing it may be tit-for-tat with American visits also down.

The federal tourism agency says the marketing push leans on our reputation for being warm and welcoming, while catering to a desire among travellers for “connection and real experiences.”

“When we really looked at what global travellers are seeking now … it was really wanting to connect, to have something authentic, feel real,” says Gloria Loree, Destination Canada’s chief marketing officer.

“There’s nothing more real than sitting in somebody’s home and breaking bread with them.”

The program uses the online reservation platform OpenTable to let tourists choose a Canadian home to visit based on photos and a sample menu: mother-and-son “Amazing Race Canada” competitors Marie Octeau and Louis Octeau-Piché promise poutine at their farmhouse, located just outside Montreal, and wild game is on the menu in Tors Cove, N.L., where Alex Blagdon – culinary director and chef at The Cape near St. John’s – will cook alongside her mom and grandmother.

Hosts are told about any dietary restrictions and guests are asked if they are comfortable with pets or children around. Many hosts promise home-cooked meals but some load the dinner table with takeout from their favourite eateries. It’s all free for the guests, and Loree says the hosts’ costs are paid for by the program.

Safety is an obvious concern, and OpenHome says hosts and guests are vetted and subjected to a criminal-background check, and then “carefully matched for comfort and safety.”

Loree says guests are assured a good time, since the amateur ambassadors already know a thing or two about serving food and drink.

Over in Calgary, longtime friends, chefs and business parters Connie DeSousa and John Jackson say they recently hosted a “true Canadian terroir experience” for two guests from Atlanta and two from Dallas.

The winter-themed meal began with house-made charcuterie, fondue with sourdough bread, roasted chestnuts, olives, beer and champagne. The main consisted of slow-cooked bison brisket, truffle polenta and deep fried brussels sprouts, and sweets included a whipped cheesecake with cranberries and roasted apple.

“I have to say I’m just so surprised at how well it went,” says DeSousa, who also took the guests trekking in the snow, showed them a nearby lake and ushered them into the sauna.

“We entertain all the time but when you’re entertaining strangers, you don’t really know what to expect. And it was phenomenal.”

Jackson says they steered clear of any topics or opinions that could sour the mood, especially anything about U.S. and/or Canadian politics.

“That would probably end badly,” he said of letting chatter wade into current events.

“I don’t care where you come from and what your political views are, we’re not going to talk politics and we’re all going to break bread and have good stories. We don’t talk about the tensions or the politics side of it.”

If any American tourists are uneasy about crossing the border to face sharpened Canadian nationalism, this could be the solution, says Loree.

She points to a recent advertising campaign in Quebec’s Eastern Townships that specifically strove to soothe American nerves with a tongue-in-cheek video showing a Canadian hotel concierge embracing a tentative U.S. guest.

“It was just about giving an American a hug,” she says.

“They hit on this insight that maybe for the first time in a long time, not all Americans are feeling like they will be welcome in Canada.”

Indeed, U.S. visits dropped 5.6 per cent year-over-year this past spring, according to Statistics Canada data released Dec. 2, which did not include reasons or suggest political tensions as the cause. The agency reported 6.1 million trips to Canada from April to June, a period of time marked by 51st state talk by U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian counter-tariffs on most U.S. imports. Still, spending by those U.S. visitors increased nearly 15 per cent to $4.6 billion.

Even though Canadians increased their domestic travel during the same time – by nearly 11 per cent to total 90.6 million trips – Loree says it’s worth courting more U.S. visitors, who tend to spend more on vacation.

While Canadian residents spent 13.5 per cent more year-over-year this past spring, contributing $20.3 billion overall, the average tourist was still outspent by their U.S. counterpart: $101 on same-day visits compared to $163 spent by Americans, according to the StatCan data.

For longer stays, Canadians spent $449 per overnight trip, which averaged just 2.6 nights, while Americans spent $1,191 per trip, averaging five nights.

The director of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Institute for Hospitality & Tourism Research says building and fortifying cross-border goodwill can boost hospitality revenues in the long run.

Wayne Smith described Destination Canada’s strategy as an example of deploying “soft power,” in which global influence is sought by promoting shared social and cultural values.

“If (guests) have a good experience, they carry that message down back home. And they tell people,” says Smith, also a professor at the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

“It’s harder with the European and Asian audience because they’re probably not going to come annually, but the American will.

“So if you can get into … a position where people are establishing traditions, establishing patterns of wanting to come visit Canada because they are seen as … something that’s politically aligned with you, whatever it may be, these are things that could (pay off) not just for now, but in years’ worth of visitation."

DeSousa says she and Jackson bonded with their guests over their five-hour meal and now follow each other on social media. They’ve even mused on visiting their new American friends at their home.

“Seriously, we’re buddies now,” says Jackson.

OpenHome runs until Feb. 28, 2026.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 17, 2025.

Cassandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press