Zak Anderson says northwest Montana is quite fond of its neighbors north of the border.
“We’ve had a great relationship with our Alberta friends for many, many years,” he says.
Anderson is Executive Director of Explore Whitefish, the local Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
But amid tariff disputes and President Trump’s talk of making Canada the 51st state, U.S. – Canadian relations have faltered. That’s reflected in Canadian tourism this year in Montana.
“A roughly 25 percent decrease in Canadian visitation. And I'm measuring that by overall Canadian spending,“ Anderson says.
American tourists, however, are picking up most, but not all, of the slack. That’s softening the blow in places like northwest Montana where Glacier National Park is a huge draw for American tourists.
What’s in store for summer’s final act is difficult to predict.
