Nine months into the U.S. boycott, travel agencies working with schools admit business is slow. “I think I’ve had maybe five. So, I honestly haven’t seen many, and usually it’s the first thing that they want to see,” says Maite Delgado of EF Voyages. Heavy tariffs and provocative language against Canada by the U.S. president have led to 35 per cent fewer trips south of the border. For school trips, the decline is much more radical, says this trip organizer, who says schools now prefer Canadian or overseas destinations. “Halifax has been quite popular for Quebeckers. Toronto, Ottawa, of course, Quebec City,” says Alexis Biron of Educatours. “So, the bigger cities within the Eastern seaboard, a little bit of Paris, London, some big cities where they can go in Europe, South America, Central America, like Panama, Costa Rica, as well as being popular.” The Lester B. Pearson School Board and the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) are leaving the decision to individual schools and parents. “Schools make a decision where the trip is going to go. They’ll do go through their governing board. Parents will then have the option whether to send their child or not,” explains EMSB’s Mike Cohen. “But we definitely see a decrease.” For states which traditionally rely on Canadian tourists and students on field trips, they find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place. Tourism officials from border states admit they feel helpless when trying to convince Canadians it’s ok to come and visit. “Some people, they do decide to come and visit us and we are more than happy to welcome them and those that maybe are postponing their visit to our regions,” says Sylvie Nelson of Adirondack Tourism. “We will be there when they’re ready to come and visit us again.” But it’s a return that, for now, could be years away.
