If there was ever a time for Brand USA to renew its commitment to Canada, this is it. And that’s exactly what’s happening.

“We value the Canadian market – and we’re playing a long game. We’re not letting our foot off the gas in terms of our commitment to this market,” Chris Heywood, SVP, Public Relations & Chief Communications Officer for Brand USA said.

That includes more outreach for the travel trade. “We’re working on stepping up on the trade side. Brand USA’s CEO, Fred Dixon, wants to do more with the trade. He knows agents are on the front line.”

Brand USA’s visit coincided with U.S. industry events in Toronto hosted by Arizona, and Colorado. Miami was in town recently too. “On behalf of all our partner destinations, there is a welcome mat being rolled out to Canadian travellers and partners, and we want to be part of that,” Heywood said.

“Canada remains critically important to our business,” he added. “And we also want to thank the Canadian travel community very much for their support.”

That Budget Cut: “Conversations Have Been Positive”

Brand USA could be forgiven if activations for the Canadian trade weren’t front and centre. Namely because the DMO is still grappling with that 80% budget cut that made headlines last summer. The cut took Brand USA’s budget from US$100 million to $20 million, and came just a few months after the U.S. administration’s firing of five Brand USA board members.

Asked about the budget cut, Heywood said dialogue with the U.S. administration continues. “There’s no immediate update. But we’re hopeful that our funding will be restored. Conversations have been positive. At this point we’re continuing our plannings for this fiscal year.”

Heywood said the U.S. administration has been supportive of tourism. Surprising? Yes. “They released some backlogged funding in fall 2025, just before the government shutdown,” he said. “But we’re still contenting with the 80% budget cut from the Big Beautiful Bill. We’ve been spending a lot of time educating government officials on the importance of tourism and the importance of international travel. We’re focused on our 25-to-1 ratio: for every dollar Brand USA spends, it’s a 25-to-1 return on investment.”

16 Million Canadians in 2025, Down From 20 Million in 2024

Canada is now the #2 international inbound source market for the U.S., behind Mexico. A year of transborder travel declines from Canada brought this market’s numbers down, at the same time that more travellers from Mexico have been heading to the U.S. In 2019, and again in 2024, some 20 million Canadians travelled south of the border. In 2025, that number was 16 million.

“Admittedly this is a drop,” says Heywood, who tempers optimism with realism. “But when you think about it, at a time when [Canadians] might be focusing on other issues, 16 million still came. And in 2025 there were 18.6 million inbound seats from Canada to the U.S.”

There’s a lot of ‘quiet tourism’ happening, adds Heywood. There are still plenty of Canadian travellers heading to the U.S. who just aren’t saying anything about it, to friends and family or on social media.

Brand USA sees 2026 as a gradual recovery year from Canada. And looking ahead, “we’re predicting a 6% increase in 2027 and an 8% increase in 2028,” he said.

Three blockbuster events are on the U.S. tourism calendar in 2026: America 250, the FIFA World Cup (with Canada and Mexico), and the 100th anniversary of Route 66.

Brand USA’s AmericaTheBeautiful.com site includes planning resources for the trade for all three and many more. For FIFA World Cup travel specifically, there’s a deep dive on info at AmericaTheBeautiful.com/Football.

Canada Connect 2026

Brand USA’s trade events include Canada Connect. Last year there were two editions, one for eastern Canada, and one for the west. In 2026 Canada Connect will take place in Toronto Oct. 26 – 29. Brand USA is also looking to work even more closely with Discover America Canada and its trade events.

Heywood said he’s excited to hear about new U.S. routes with Canadian airlines, including Porter’s first-ever transborder flight from Western Canada: YVR-PHX, launched this week. More new U.S. flights with Porter include PHX and MIA from Ottawa. “These are green shoots,” he said.

Heywood himself is travelling plenty these days, just back from a trip to Las Vegas where a screening of The Wizard of Oz with his son and mother at Sphere was the highlight of the trip – that, and the friendly hospitality at every turn. Next week he’s heading to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, “an American experience that exudes joy,” said Heywood. “Sports, entertainment, iconic events … these are demand generators.”

We asked Heywood how he stays upbeat in these turbulent times for inbound U.S. tourism. “It’s easy to focus on perception concerns,” he said. “I’m keeping my focus on the travel lane, and also the people-to-people connections. The front-line people in the U.S. tourism industry, those are the people who are continuing to provide the experience they’ve always provided.”

Source: Travelweek