FORT LAUDERDALE -- With cross-border travel from Canada continuing to lag, Brand USA is working on a targeted marketing campaign to help turn the tide.
Brand USA, a public-private tourism-marketing organization, says its current "America the Beautiful" campaign is not a fit for Canada and was not included among the 10 countries targeted.
Leah Chandler
"We're doing the hard work right now of understanding where Canadians are today," said Brand USA CEO Fred Dixon at the U.S. Travel Association's IPW conference on Wednesday. Dixon said Brand USA aims to tap into what is "driving Canadians' motivations when it comes to travel destinations and options, and what we can do to make sure they feel welcome."
Brand USA chief marketing officer Leah Chandler said, "We knew that 'America the Beautiful' was not going to resonate in Canada the way it is resonating in other international markets. We have to be realistic. If we are going to invest money in a market, we have to know that it won't be a message that falls flat."
In 2025, U.S. inbound travel from Canada was down 20.9% year over year, according to the Commerce Department's International Trade Administration.
The precipitous decline was driven in large part by Canadian resentment of the Trump administration's tariffs and the president's remarks about making Canada the 51st U.S. state. It resulted in Canada falling from its usual perch as the largest source market for international visitors. Canada is now second, behind Mexico.
To determine the type of messaging that will work, the organization has been doing quantitative market surveys. A round of focus group in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are planned for next month.
Dixon and Chandler stressed that Canada is not monolithic. What works in one region of the country might not work in another. The marketing campaign will account for such differences.
According to early results from market surveys, Brand USA said younger generations might be more amenable to U.S. travel at present than older ones.
The Canada campaign will begin in the next fiscal year, Chandler said. No budget has been set yet. Brand USA will likely introduce the campaign cautiously to make sure the messaging is effective before doing a wider roll-out.
Dixon emphasized that even with the steep 2025 decrease in visitors, some 16 million Canadians arrived in the U.S. last year.
"We remain 100% committed to the market," he said.