Usually it’s the Canadians saying sorry. This time, it was a lineup of US destinations taking part in a Brand USA event north of the border.
It’s a very tricky time to be selling Canadians on trips to the US, but some three dozen US destination representatives made the trek to Toronto this week for a series of meetings with advisors, travel media and industry partners as part of the Brand USA Canada Connect East 2025 event. Meetings took place over three days at a downtown hotel before jetting off to Montreal for another day of networking.
Open Jaw was among the media taking part. Brand USA partners taking in the sessions were Expedia Group, Air Miles and Goway Travel.
Brand USA’s Canada Connect West takes place later this month in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton.
US destination representatives told Open Jaw they fully understand why Canadians feel insulted by the Trump administration, which continually raises the idea of making Canada a part of the US.
“It’s not our job to get into politics, but we get it,” one representative said.
“We realize you may not want to come now,” another US destination official said. “But we love our Canadian visitors, and we hope you‘ll consider us when they time comes to visit again.”
US consul general Baxter Hunt told the 29APR gathering he’s thankful for the work they do to support travel and tourism in the US.
“It’s an interesting time in Canada,” he noted wryly.
Hunt said Canadians are the largest source of tourism in the US, and that a slowdown in visitors (which has already been duly noted) would mean a loss of billions of dollars to the US economy.
“It’s not just money and jobs,” he said. “Travel deepens the people to people ties between our countries.”
Hunt noted that cities such as Detroit and Palm Springs, California have made overtures to Canadians and expressed their support for Canadian visits. So, too, did California governor Gavin Newsom in a recent video.
“With the continued recovery of international travel and shifting travel trends on both sides of the border, Canada Connect East arrives at a pivotal moment,” Brand USA said in a prepared statement. “These events provide a meaningful space for industry professionals to come together, exchange insights, and reimagine how we promote U.S. travel experiences to Canadian audiences in 2025 and beyond.
