It’s a Maple Leaf beef.
St. Johns County — and St. Augustine in particular — has long been a favored destination for Canadian tourists looking for a few restorative days in the Sunshine State.
Bu tensions over tariffs have some Canadians passing on Florida — and the nation — altogether, St. Johns County Visitors and Convention Bureau CEO told local officials Monday.
Speaking to the Tourism and Development Council, Susan Phillips said the northerners are eschewing the Old City in significant numbers.
“We are looking at flatness for our tourism industry right now,” Phillips said. “We are continuing to look at the effects that the tariffs and of all the economic discussions are having on us.”
One of those impacts, she said, is the Canadian pullback.
“We do know that the Canadians are not traveling here,” Phillips said, adding that some hesitant hosers make their feelings plain in correspondence with the county.
“We’re getting a little bit of negative emails from some folks saying they are not going to come,” she said.
President Trump has also had a tariff tussle with Mexico — and Phillips said that’s also having an impact on visitation.
In early 2025, Trump enacted 25% tariffs on all Canadian imports, excluding energy resources, citing national security concerns and a desire to address trade imbalances.
Canada responded with 25% tariffs on $155 billion worth of U.S. goods, including dairy, steel and vehicles.
“We’re holding our own, but we’re not necessarily growing,” Phillips said of the county’s tourism climate.
Traditional hotel occupancy in February stood at 71%, up 0.7% from last year.
Vacation rental occupancy for the month was 52.2%, down 9.2% from the same period in 2024.
