With attractions like Millennium Park, the Magnificent Mile and Navy Pier, Chicago is a popular tourist destination, but uncertainty over immigration and tariff policies has companies worried about a downturn.
Those companies are considered that through a combination of economic concerns and feelings of being unwelcome that international travelers may choose to head elsewhere.
For almost 20 years, Comfort Tour Canada has offered luxury buses trips to Chicago, with tourists spending money at restaurants, shops and attractions. This year however, the owner says he doesn’t have enough passengers to fill busses.
“Unfortunately, because of what is happening, it’s very hard for us to continue the business,” owner Al Qanun said. “We’ve been doing it twice a month, but recently we have reduced it. Since February of this year, our bookings have dropped to 80% (fewer) bookings.”
Qanun says there’s a growing sense among some Canadians that the United States is no longer a welcoming place for those visiting from other countries.
“We don’t have any business because people are afraid. And that’s kind of sad,” he said. “The main sticking point is the border crossing. A lot of fear has been spread online that Canadians could be detained at the border in U.S. border custody.”
In 2023, 2.2 million international visitors traveled to Illinois, with more than 620,000 of them coming from Canada, according to Tourism Economics.
“Canada is our number on international market,” said Isaac Reichman, who represents Choose Chicago, the city’s official destination marketing group. “We are definitely hearing some international visitors are reconsidering trips to Chicago – so it is something we are looking at closely and monitoring.”
State tourism leaders say they are also closely monitoring the situation and are actively working to reassure international visitors that they are always welcome in the state.
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