Windsor-Essex tourism sees varied U.S. support amidst tariffs, local owners say

CBC

2 days ago

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Canadian travel to the United States has dropped in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats.
But what about traffic flowing the other way, from the Detroit area into Windsor-Essex?
Some tourism operators say they're as busy as ever with American customers — but that's not the case for others.
Walkerville Brewery is located near the Hiram Walker Distillery. Co-owner Mike Brkovich says U.S. customers are visiting his business everyday.
"In the last month, we've gotten a lot of Detroit-area biking groups and running groups that have been visiting us," said Brkovich. "We're very surprised at the amount of U.S. visitors we do get."
Brkovich says he believes that warmer weather and the brewery's proximity to the casino are factors motivating Americans to cross the river.
His issue with tariffs lies within the supply chain: The brewery shifted to Canadian, instead of American, suppliers in an effort to buy Canadian amid tariff threats, which the U.S. President renewed last week.
But Brkovich says American customers have shown appreciation and loyalty.
"I don't see a lot of this visceral [hatred], of people not getting along," said Brkovich.
"Most of the American patrons are complimentary, they're repeat customers, they come here on a weekly basis, they buy our products. So it's been positive. [The tariffs] haven't affected us at all."
Glen Bacarro is the owner of Encore Productions which produces the Rum Runners Tour — a local theatrical show that tells the story of Windsor's Prohibition era with costumed characters and a bus tour around the city.
Bacarro, donned in a black fedora and a 1920s era costume for the tour, told CBC he feared that job worries related to the tariffs and the economy would deter tourists.
But his worries weren't reflected in the tour's sales: All eight Rum Runners Tour dates for this year sold out in less than a month.
Given the current tensions, Bacarro says he's received numerous calls from Americans asking if it's OK to take the tour, and he welcomes them with open arms.
He says he believes the tour's deep American support is reflective of the close bond between Detroiters and Windsorites.
"I think in a weird way, with the American government wanting to annex Canada, it's really lit a fire for everyone who wants to support Canada," said Bacarro.
"And it's not just Canadians that want to support Canada, it's the Americans [as well]."
American tourism has slowed
Not everyone is experiencing this surge in American numbers.
Lana Talbot was dumbfounded when she first heard about Trump's tariffs on Canada.
"If you're in a place and you're connected [like the U.S. and Canada] ... why would you do that?"
Talbot is a historian at Sandwich First Baptist Church, a historic site on Windsor's west end that marked the final stop on the Underground Railroad. The church, which dates back to 1820, hosts tours that explain Windsor's rich Black history.
While the church once hosted two to four busloads of American and Canadian tourists per week, Talbot says that's not the case anymore.
"I used to have two and three, maybe four bus loads a week. Easily. Easily! But now I don't get any."
Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island CEO Gordon Orr says Tourism Windsor has noticed shorter booking windows for travel, noting that tourism is a discretionary expense for many.
"When people are worried about their pocketbook, the economy or whether they'll have a job, one of the first expenses of the family budget cut is tourism," said Orr. "That's why a lot of people stay closer to home and try and enjoy their own backyard a little more."
Orr says while they're prioritizing increased domestic support in light of the tariffs, Tourism Windsor isn't ignoring the importance of U.S. visitors to the region: Around one third of the more than five million annual tourists to Windsor-Essex are American.
"It's too big of a geographic advantage for us, too big of a geographic market to ignore, and we don't want to ignore them," said Orr.
"Because of the close proximity and the friendship we've demonstrated [...] marketing is a two-nation destination, and a lot of Americans are still coming over, which is positive news for us in the tourism industry."
But Talbot says she thinks of the relationship between Canada and the United States as severed.
"Do we still have ties? I don't think we do," she said.
Talbot, whose grandmother was American, says she still loves the U.S. but fears cross-border travel.
Nonetheless, she wants American visitors to know they are welcome in Canada, believing they may be hesitant to cross the border because of perceived Canadian hostility.