NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Hospitality is arguably the biggest selling point for New Orleans and Louisiana but Louisiana’s lieutenant governor says Canadian travelers are showing hesitation about visiting New Orleans and the state after comments by President Donald Trump strained relations with the U.S.’s northern neighbor.
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Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, R-La., said during a weeklong tourism promotion trip in Canada that he has encountered strong pushback tied to Trump’s remarks earlier this year suggesting Canada could become the “51st state” and his calls for new tariffs.
“I don’t realize what the impact has been until I got here, but the pushback from the president’s comments about the 51st state, the tariffs, have really left a bad taste in Canadians’ mouths,” Nungesser said.
Trump, speaking Feb. 3, said: “What I’d like to see is Canada become our 51st state. We give them protection, military protection. We don’t need them to build our cars. I’d rather see Detroit or South Carolina, or Tennessee. Any of our states, they could do it easily. We don’t need them for the cars.”
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Nungesser said Canadian tourists are valuable because they often extend trips in New Orleans to explore other parts of Louisiana. He urged steps to protect that market.
“It would be really nice if the president could issue an apology about the 51st state,” Nungesser said. “I think that would go a long way — at least many of the people up here believe it would.”
Tourism is a multi-billion-dollar industry for New Orleans. Over decades, the city and state have worked to draw more international visitors, particularly from Canada.
“Canada is our most important international market,” said Kelly Schulz, senior vice president of communications and public relations for New Orleans & Company, the city’s tourism marketing arm. “In 2019, we saw 179,000 visitors from Canada directly. In 2024, because of COVID, it was at 120,000 visitors.”
Schulz said projections point to a 15% decline in Canadian visitors this year, citing tariffs and political tensions as factors.
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While U.S.-Canadian relations may have shifted, Schulz said the message from Louisiana tourism remains the same: “No matter what may be going on politically or whatever is happening between our two countries, you’re welcome in the United States, and in Louisiana and in New Orleans.”
Nungesser said he is delivering that message directly during his outreach to Canadians this week.
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