The Canadians Are Quietly Breaking Up With Us

(And Tourism Should Probably Stop Pretending This Is Fine)

You ever notice how the real problems don’t show up loud?

No emergency alerts. No giant headline screaming doom.

Just little things.

...Like airlines quietly pulling routes.

In case you didn't hear:

Air Transat is stepping away from U.S. flights. WestJet trimmed cross-border service.

Meanwhile, a big chunk of Canadians are basically saying, “Yeah… we’re good” when it comes to visiting the U.S. *Thanks to Longwoods Intl for keeping the industry abreast of sentiment.

And listen, airlines don’t do emotional decisions. If routes go away, it means people already changed behavior.

The plane leaves long after the mood shifts.

Here’s Where Tourism Usually Gets It Wrong

Someone will say:

“We need better storytelling.”

No.

This is not a storytelling problem.

This is a people don’t feel like coming problem.

You can run the most beautiful campaign in the world and it will not outrun a weird vibe.

Marketing can invite. It cannot convince someone who already decided not to come.

Before Everyone Panics, This Is Fixable

This is the part where I’m going to be nice.

Because lately we’ve been calling out everything broken, and honestly people need a lifeline.

So here it is.

You do not fix this by throwing more money at ads.

You fix it by acting like hosts again.

What Destinations Can Actually Do

1. Stop selling. Start welcoming.

When sentiment shifts, people want signals that say, “You’re good here.”

Not hype. Not slogans.

Real hospitality language. Real humans. Real tone.

If your messaging sounds like it was approved by a committee terrified of emotions, fix that first.

2. Talk to Canada like a neighbor, not a target market.

They are not “international inbound.” They’re your regulars.

Regulars want acknowledgement, not campaigns.

You don’t have to get political. You don’t have to take sides.

Just be normal humans saying, “We’d love to see you here.”

That goes further than another hero video.

3. Pay attention to the people already on the ground.

Frontline workers. Hosts. Small business owners.

If they feel exhausted or resentful, visitors feel it too.

Tourism people love to talk brand strategy while ignoring the humans actually delivering the experience.

That gap shows up fast when sentiment drops.

4. Stop watching only arrival numbers.

By the time arrivals fall, the decision already happened months ago.

Watch the signals:

• fewer inquiries

• shorter planning windows

• slower engagement

Tourism loves lagging indicators because they’re safe.

Start looking earlier.

5. Don’t ghost the relationship.

Some destinations are already thinking, “Well, we’ll just pivot markets.”

Nope.

You don’t replace a long-term visitor relationship overnight.

You maintain it while you diversify.

This is relationship repair, not a rebound.

The Part That Might Sting a Little

Tourism leaders keep treating confidence like a marketing problem.

It’s a trust problem.

And trust isn’t built with a media buy.

It’s built with tone, consistency, and actual hospitality.

If your strategy right now is “wait it out,” you don’t actually have a strategy.

You have hope.

And hope is not a line item.

Please Wake Up

The planes aren’t leaving because someone ran a bad campaign.

They’re leaving because we are persona non grata. (that stings so much to write)

The good news is tourism already knows how to fix feelings.

It’s called hosting.

I’m Jenn Barbee. And everything might seem out of our control, but if anyone can heal our country, tourism can.