For decades, retired clinical social worker Andrew Brown regularly made trips from Victoria, B.C., to the Swan Hotel in Port Townsend. 

This year, and for the first time in 20 years, he’s staying home.

“It’s a very special place to me,” he said, noting he comes to town perhaps four times a year. “But, I will not visit for the near foreseeable future.”

Brown said he’s watched his fellow Canadians become wary of crossing the border, with many angry over their country’s treatment by its neighbor. 

“There’s a general boycott in B.C. towards the U.S.,” he said. “What’s being said is let’s not put money into the United States, let’s not travel to the United States. Let’s not put ourselves at risk of being harassed at the border; let’s wait until they sort their problems out and start conducting themselves as the Americans we knew before the Trump administration.”

Brown is among a significant block of Canadians who have decreased — or halted — their visits to the U.S. in response to President Donald Trump announcing tariffs on most Canadian imports and threatening to annex Canada as America’s “51st state.” 

This stance is being felt by merchants and others reliant on tourism revenue in Port Townsend and around the Olympic Peninsula as the Memorial Day holiday ends and the summer season begins. 

Typically, Canadians fuel 15 to 20% of business on the Olympic Peninsula, according to the Olympic Peninsula Visitors Bureau. This year, that number is down significantly. 

“Overall, anecdotally, I would say we are down 10-15% in business,” wrote Marsha Massey, the visitors bureau executive director.

On the small business front, Kirsten Gifford, a general manager and buyer at several downtown Port Townsend businesses, including The Green Eyeshade — one of Brown’s favorites to support when he visits — said while business has been slower since January, it’s hard to tell if it’s because fewer Canadians are coming to town. 

“I had a Canadian lady that came in and said she would have canceled her trip down, but her condo had been booked for a year, and she couldn’t get a refund,” Gifford wrote. “She said her neighbors were surprised they came to the U.S., as they were not planning on coming across the border anytime soon.” 

Eron Berg, the Port of Port Townsend executive director, is seeing the effects of those numbers in real time. 

“The Point Hudson marina and RV park are both down substantially over last year and a five-year average,” Berg wrote. “I believe this is significantly due to fewer of our Canadian neighbors and friends coming to town.” 

It’s more than anecdotal, though. 

The decline in Canadian visitors is reflected in fewer border crossings and businesses cutting back services due to fewer visitors. 

Substantially fewer Canadians are crossing into Washington, according to border data. 

In February, which encapsulated Trump’s tariffs and intensified annexation talk, the number of Canadian vehicles crossing into Washington dropped 29% compared with February 2024, according to Cascade Gateway border dashboard data.   

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol data confirms that border crossings in Blaine and Port Angeles — both popular points of entry for Canadians in the U.S. — took a dive in February and haven’t bounced back. 

Massey wrote there are several other factors contributing to the decline, including slow January through April season, the Black Ball Ferry being out of service for a few extra weeks, and the current exchange rate between currencies. 

Regardless, and due to decreased demand, the Black Ball Ferry — a popular option for travel to and from Victoria and one Brown took regularly — is cutting back on the number of sailings, citing a 14% drop in traffic compared to last year. The Victoria Clipper, the ferry service between Seattle and Victoria, announced it would cut its service this summer by half and lay off 20 staff members, again citing decreased demand. 

“We’ve heard from some of our event organizers of cancellations and/or lack of future bookings from Canadian visitors. Likewise, we hear from lodging entities of cancellations of both individual and group bookings,” Massey wrote. “We’ve seen a drop of about 45% in website traffic / searches / requests for information from Canada year to date. And on top of that, Canadians are receiving strong messaging from the Canadian government to stay home and explore Canada this year.” 

Massey said it’s understandable why Canadians are staying away, but “the welcome mat is always out.” 

“I would just stress that the Canadians — specifically those in British Columbia — are our neighbors and our longtime friends. Nothing changes there,” she wrote. “We want them to feel this is a safe place to visit. We’ll leave the light on for when they feel ready to return.”  

Brown, reflecting on time spent in Port Townsend and reminiscing about his favorite businesses to support, said he looks forward to the day he will feel safe to return.