SPOKANE, Wash. — Our neighbors to the north aren’t visiting Spokane as often as they used to, according to Spokane’s tourism officials.
As tensions have continued to rise between the U.S. and Canada, due to President Trump’s recent tariffs, border crossings are decreasing according to data by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
While border crossings into Eastern Washington hasn’t seen a notable change, the overall state is.
In January, CBP reported 1 million travelers crossed the Canadian border into Washington compared to 883,000 in 2024. Then in February and March the numbers decreased.
CBP reported 826,000 travelers in February and 928,000 in March of this year. In 2024, those numbers were 954,000 and 1.2 million, respectfully.
Officials with Visit Spokane, the city’s tourism organization, have experienced similar changes. An official said the number of Canadian visitors began to increase early this year, but dropped off significantly in March and April, coinciding with heightened trade disputes between the two countries.
Here are the numbers: In January Visit Spokane recorded 24 Canadian visitors in comparison to four in January, 2024. In March it saw a notable decrease, reporting 39 Canadian visitors in comparison to 58 in March, 2024. April is also tracking to be down in Canadian visitors compared to last year.
Canadian tourists typically make up about 5% of Spokane’s visitor traffic, which can have big impacts on the local economy.
“Tourism is a big business in Spokane County. It accounts for about $1.5 billion in business for Spokane,” said Kate Hudson, public relations director for Visit Spokane. “They pay the sales tax. They eat in our restaurants. They support our businesses. And so, to lose that small fraction, that can impact us.”
Visit Spokane says it has also received emails from regular Canadian visitors expressing concerns about traveling to the U.S. and saying they may wait four years before returning.
“They were very nice emails, but expressing concern and saying that perhaps, they might want to wait four years before they come back for another visit,” Hudson said.
West Coast Entertainment, which presents STCU’s Best of Broadway Spokane, has also heard from some Canadian ticket holders who have voiced concerns about visiting the U.S. at this time.
Hudson said Visit Spokane has discussed ad campaigns targeting Canadian Visitors to try and get them back to the lilac city.
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