CONCORD, N.H. — Amid tensions over President Trump’s tariffs, there is some evidence that our neighbors to the north have cooled when it comes to New Hampshire.
Visitors to New Hampshire from Canada have been on the decline in recent months, according to visitation data from Statistics Canada.
After a slight uptick in January visitors traveling by car (+4 percent), a downward trend began in February (-24 percent) that worsened in March (-37 percent), compared to the same months in the prior year. By April, visitation had dropped 42 percent compared to that month in 2024.
About 20 percent of tourists to Hampton Beach are from Canada, while around the state, Canadian tourists make up 5 to 10 percent of visitors, with most coming in late July and early August, WMUR reported.
“It is particularly disturbing to me to see how quickly the relationship has fallen,” said Brian Gottlob, principal at PolEcon, an economic research firm in Dover, and director of the NH Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau.
He spoke in his personal capacity during a panel for the Carsey Policy Hour hosted by the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire on Wednesday, calling the downward visitation trend “a very troubling data pattern.”
Gottlob said he’s heard from Hampton residents that rental properties and smaller hotels are seeing Canadians canceling reservations.
“If that continues, that will have some really profound effects, I think, on our hospitality and tourism industry in New Hampshire,” he said.
Canada is New Hampshire’s biggest trading partner. The Granite State imported about $2 billion in Canadian goods in 2024, and sent about $1.15 billion exports in return. There are 155 Canadian companies in New Hampshire that employ about 3,300 people, such as TDBank and Liberty Utilities.
Gottlob estimated that if tariffs last for a year, it could lead to about 2,150 fewer jobs in New Hampshire. Over time, and especially if tariffs are lifted, he said those jobs would recover and the state’s economy could return to baseline in about three to four years.
“The damage to trust and mutual respect, from my perspective, I just find that more troubling,” he said. “It’s much more difficult to repair.”
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Amanda Gokee can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @amanda_gokee.
