Resources

From Tuesday newsletter, March 11, 2025:

NTA President Catherine Prather is a leading voice in the industry, and her comments were included in a March 6 NPR story focusing on Canadian tourist backlash related to diminishing U.S.-Canadian relations. Prather cited feedback from NTA members showing that Canadian cancellations could mean millions of dollars of lost revenue to tour companies, hotels, restaurants, and more. Click below to read.

https://www.npr.org/2025/03/06/nx-s1-5316354/trump-tariffs-canadian-tourists 

From Tuesday newsletter, Feb. 25, 2025:

NTA leaders continue to monitor the fallout from U.S. officials’ comments about Canadian tariffs and expanding borders. Canadian tour operator members report booking cancellations and lost revenue, and U.S. receptive operators, destinations, hotels, and other suppliers have said they will be adversely affected by reduced travel from Canada into the United States. You are invited to share your experience related to either or both issues. In the 2025 NTA Member Satisfaction Survey, which closes today, 80% of respondents have rated NTA’s government advocacy work as important or very important. Click below to send your comments to NTA President Catherine Prather, CTP.

Feb. 6, 2025

I write you today about an urgent concern, one that is already impacting your colleagues in Canada and many, many destinations and suppliers in the United States. Your business, too, might be feeling the pain from the threat of tariffs on imports into the U.S. from Canada.

The plan to impose stiff tariffs—25% on nearly every product—was announced by President Donald Trump on Saturday and then placed on a 30-day hold on Monday. The pause, however, did not put an end to Canadians’ anger and sense of betrayal, and they are not waiting for the next bargaining chip to be played; they are taking action now.

Canadians are canceling travel to the United States.

I have talked with NTA tour operators in Canada and learned just how serious their clients are taking the message from America. One operator told me his company has already canceled two tours, and a dozen more are at risk of being canceled. His potential lost revenue is CA$1.4 million. Another Canada-based operator told me that 60% of her business is travel to the U.S., and she has already seen a 30% drop. Canadians, she said, are worried, mistrustful, and angry.

To some U.S. officials, the loss of business for Canadian tour operators is of no concern, yet each canceled tour means that U.S. destinations lose visitors, and U.S. hotels, restaurants, attractions, shops, theaters, sporting venues, and sightseeing companies lose business—revenue that had been a certainty.

And what about you? Do you offer receptive services for Canadian groups or individuals … and have you had any cancellations or heard any concerns? I’d like to know the details because I’m meeting next week with the Travel Leaders Coalition, a group of CEOs from industry associations who will gather to discuss advocacy priorities and strategies. Collaborating with other travel and tourism associations will amplify our voice as a united front, and we need to know how much damage is being done to U.S. business owners.

So please, if you have lost business from individual Canadian travelers or from Canadian trade due to faltering relations between our two countries, let me know in a reply email the number and type of tours that have been canceled, the destinations that will be impacted, and the dollars you’ll be losing.

The tariff plan is on hold, but the damage is already done. And because NTA members are suffering, NTA will speak out. We will highlight the importance of travel and tourism to the nation’s economy, and we will work together as an association and as an industry to restore travel—and good-neighbor relations—between Canada and the U.S.

The sooner I hear from you, the better. So that I can compile information from NTA members in time for next week’s meeting, please send your data and comments to me no later than Monday, Feb 10.

We often celebrate our work because we know that travel connects people—unites them—across borders and political divides. We’ve seen it. We’ve experienced it ourselves. Let’s now work together to make sure the power of travel continues to flow throughout North America.

Catherine Prather, CTP
President, National Tour Association
catherine.prather@ntastaff.com
+1.859.264.6545
NTAonline.com

From Tuesday newsletter, Feb. 4, 2025:

Stiff tariffs on nearly all U.S. imports from Canada and Mexico, announced Saturday by President Donald Trump, were put on a 30-day hold yesterday. The pause, however, did not put an end to the sense of betrayal from the United States’ North American neighbors, and their pushback extends to travel. “I have heard from NTA members in the U.S. and Canada that Canadians are canceling trips to the U.S.,” says NTA President Catherine Prather. “We often celebrate that travel connects people and opens their mind to new ideas, and these proposed tariffs are doing the opposite.”

Prather is meeting next week with the Travel Leaders Coalition, a group of CEOs from industry associations who will gather to discuss advocacy priorities and strategies. To help those leaders better understand the impact of the proposed tariffs (and other U.S. administration proposals), Prather asks for your feedback. If you have had cancellations because of the proposed tariffs, please let her know how many tours and travelers are involved, along with any other details you can provide, including the economic impact. Prather also asks members to share what you’re hearing about possible cancellations—or about traveler sentiment concerning travel to the United States. Although we have yet to hear of fallout related to U.S./Mexico travel, please forward any relevant information. Click below to send your comments and reports to Prather in time for her meeting, no later than Monday, Feb. 10.

From Tuesday newsletter, March 11, 2025:

Prather was quoted in a Feb. 28 Travel Weekly article about the dismissal of U.S. National Park Service workers and the concerns tour operators and travelers are expressing about entrance delays, closed visitor centers, and the safety and cleanliness of facilities. Prather says she is grateful to members who have proactively reached out or responded to calls for input. “I want to thank everyone who has shared what’s going on with their business. Your feedback helps me understand how policies are affecting your business, which in turn guides the association’s advocacy efforts,” she says. Click below to learn more.

https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Tour-Operators/Tour-operators-wary-of-national-park-disruptions 

From Tuesday newsletter, Feb. 25, 2025:

NTA is monitoring two government advocacy issues affecting members, and for both, your input and feedback are welcomed. As part of a broad cutback of the U.S. federal workforce, roughly 1,000 U.S. National Park Service employees were laid off Feb. 14, putting a strain on services in parks that many thought were already understaffed. Although some of those jobs have been restored, NTA tour operators have reported getting calls from customers, wondering if they should cancel trips to national parks. The association has a longstanding relationship with NPS leaders, who have always been committed to ensuring visitor access and safety.