Trump Tariffs Hit Montana’s Canadian Tourism Hard

Well, it finally happened. Now, Montana is feeling the aftershock from Trump’s tariff-era trade war, and it’s not just about soybeans and semiconductors. I mean tourism, and in particular fewer Canadians hurtling down I-15 all jacked up on Tim Hortons, eh.

Big Sky Country now shares company with the likes of Florida, New York and Texas on the list of states where Canadian travelers are showing some of the steepest declines, travel data indicates. This, it turns out, is not how you encourage a neighbor to cross the border and blow their loonies at a Town Pump gift shop.

Border towns have noticed fewer reservations, slower weekends, and quiet campgrounds in recent weeks. From Eureka and Shelby to Whitefish. Even local outfitters, gas stops, and small town diners  (especially those where a bus of Canadians used to pull up for steak and a slice of apple pie) are feeling the sting.

Sure, some people will tell you it’s the loonie, or fuel costs creeping higher. But others are blaming lingering political tension and tariffs. Either way, the result’s the same: less tourists, fewer tips, fewer Canadians asking if you take “funny money.”

Montanans, being Montanans, are hardly panicking. But when our tourism workhorse gets a hangover, particularly in the summer season, it’s a big deal. If Glacier gets a whole lot less foot traffic, and if Main Street has a lot fewer of those maple leaf license plates, somebody’s going to have to pick up the slack.