In Canada, their newly-elected Prime Minister, Mark Carney, says he had been warned that ”America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country.”
With that prevailing attitude, it appears Canadians have begun cutting their ties to Northwest Montana. With extended weekend trips to the Flathead, they’ve stayed in our hotels, eaten in our restaurants and shopped at our stores–sometimes making major purchases. Fact is, many Canadians have bought second homes in NW Montana.
Now for some troubling statistics from Discover Kalispell Executive Director Diane Medler: In January, Canadians spending in NW Montana dropped 13%. In February, 36%. That’s not surprising, when we learn border crossings at Rooseville were down 11% in January, nearly 15% in February and off 26% in March.
And it seems to be going way more than just economics. Canadian youth sports teams competing in our tournaments make up many nights of hotel stays in the Flathead. Those are way off, too…reservations are down 71%.
Diane Medler also tells us Canadians are “unsubscribing” from Discover Kalispell’s newsletter. Some even say they “no longer plan to visit Kalispell or the Flathead Valley due to the ongoing tensions between the United States and Canada.”
Monday morning at 7:20, we’ll talk with Discover Kalispell Chamber CEO Lorraine Clarno and Discover Kalispell Exec. Dir Diane Medler on Glacier Banks Community Conversations.
