In a push to bring Canadian travellers back to the Big Apple, New York City Tourism is launching a new two-week program offering discounts on hotels, restaurants, and tourism attractions across the city. NYC’s Northern Neighbour Deal, which runs from Aug. 18 to Sept. 7, promises discounts on more than 40 hotels, including the Ace Hotel and the Hard Rock Hotel New York. Nine Broadway shows are also taking part in the program, including Chicago, The Book of Mormon, and Aladdin. Porter Airlines is sweetening the deal by offering 20 per cent off New York flights from Canadian cities from August until mid-December. “Really it comes down to what is best for Canada and also for New York City. Canada remains our number two international market and we are really committed to bringing visitors back to New York City,” Julie Coker, CEO of NYC Tourism + Conventions, told CP24 Breakfast on Tuesday. “We thought during the summer months that we would offer a discount to entice them to come back to a city we know that they love.” She noted that reservations for sites included in the deal will open on Aug. 4. Coker said there has been a dip in the number of Canadian visitors in recent years. Back in 2019, the city saw close to one million annual Canadian visitors, a number that has now dropped to a little over 800,000, she said. “We are seeing some of those numbers rebound in 2026,” Coker added. Ongoing trade tensions with the U.S. have prompted many Canadians to choose to spend travel dollars within the country’s own borders in an effort to bolster local economies. “We’ve always had a great relationship with Canadian visitors,” Coker said. “We know that this is a long-term relationship.” New York isn’t the first city to offer deals to lure Canadian travellers back amid a dip in tourism. In January, three Las Vegas hotels began accepting the Canadian dollar at par in an effort to bring Canadians back. In May, minor league baseball team the Buffalo Bisons offered discounted tickets to Canadian customers.
