Latest news with #RipplecoveHotel
CTV News
10-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Eastern Townships tourism ad offers hug to Americans travelling to Canada
The "Come hug it out" ad campaign from the Eastern Townships has sparked an increase in tourism from the US. (Cantonsdelest) In the spring, tourism agents in Quebec's Eastern Townships region say they saw fewer travellers from south of the border. Stats from the border showed almost a five per cent drop in U.S. entries into Canada compared to the same time in 2024. 'We were hearing real concerns,' said Eastern Townships Tourism director of visitor services Catherine Carignan-Lavasseur. 'Americans were actually, literally calling our hotels and attractions asking, 'Am I still welcome? Are people going to be nice to us if we come? Are we going to be served in English?' In regards to, obviously, the political and economic context that kind of started at that period of time, so that kind of sparked a red flag.' Carignan-Lavasseur said Americans represent six per cent of visitors to the Eastern Townships, generating nearly $73 million a year in economic impact. The answer was the 'Come Hug It Out' ad campaign, where a sheepish American approaches a Ripplecove Hotel and Spa clerk in Ayer's Cliff, Que. 'Sorry, I don't speak French. I'm just visiting,' he says. He then whispers, 'I'm American,' and the clerk reaches under the desk to push a red button. The button opens the desk counter top, and she goes and gives him a hug. 'The ad is a warm, humorous 30-second ad, but it's also truly an invitation,' said Carignan-Lavasseur. 'It's a symbolic hug to our American neighbours, and it really reflects who we are in the Eastern Townships: approachable, kind and authentic.' Tourism Eastern Townships said it is planning a mid-season assessment in August, but said it has already seen an 83 per cent increase in traffic to its English-language website, with over 90,000 unique visitors since May 26. The numbers are also up 137 per cent from the U.S., and the ads on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook have been viewed over 5.5 million times, the organization said. Academy Award-nominated actress Sharon Stone was among those who left comments on the Instagram post. 'Thanks,' the Casino star wrote. 'We need a hug.' 'We actually have a lot of Americans calling us, emailing us, saying that they were hesitating in visiting Quebec in the Eastern Townships this summer, and that actually seeing the ad had given them more confidence in doing so, and they decided to keep their travel plans,' said Carignan-Lavasseur. 'There is a rise in reservations. There's a presence of Americans in the Eastern Townships, and also we're seeing Americans coming from not only the New England region, but from all over the United States.' She said that the ad was meant to be less about encouraging Americans to visit due to the beneficial exchange rate, and more a message of human empathy. 'We're really aware of all the hundreds and hundreds of comments that we see on the ads that are published on the web, Americans saying, 'Thank you. We needed this.' Americans getting emotional after seeing the ad, also seeing Canadians responding, saying, like, 'Hey, you're really welcome here,'' she said.
CBC
12-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
American tourism to Quebec may have dipped, but visitors are still coming — apologetically
Social Sharing In 25 years working at a Quebec hotel, Stephan Comeau says he's never seen so many Americans come in apologizing for "the political situation in their country." Comeau is the front desk manager at Ripplecove Hôtel & Spa in the Eastern Townships. He said some Americans even call ahead to ask if being from the United States will be a problem. But not everybody is worried. "I feel welcome and I want to support Canada," Daisy Benson told Radio-Canada while having a drink with her partner outside the Hovey Manor in North Hatley, Que., in late May. Border crossing data shows fewer Americans are coming to Canada, and some theorize tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump may be the problem: travellers may fear they won't be welcome north of the border. The number of trips Americans took to Canada by car declined 10.7 per cent in April and 8.4 per cent in May compared to the same months last year. Air travel was also down, with a 5.5 per cent drop in April and a slight 0.3 per cent decline in May, according to data from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). Despite the dip compared to 2024, the number of American air travellers over the first three weeks of May remains nearly seven per cent higher than in 2023. Travel was at a near standstill in 2020 and 2021, and remained quite low in 2022. Looking back to 2019, about five per cent more U.S. travellers arrived by air than this year. Encouraging Americans to come visit At least one tourism association, Tourisme Cantons-de-l'Est in the Eastern Townships, has launched an ad campaign to reassure their neighbours they'll be warmly welcomed. It aims to dispel fears as the summer season gets underway. The ad is playing on YouTube and on TVs in northeastern United States. The organization's head, Shanny Hallé, said the exchange rate "is very favourable for Americans right now, so they can experience luxury vacations inexpensively." The campaign emphasizes affordability while "reaffirming our values of hospitality," she said, to help Americans feel welcome. Between January and April, she said, entries at the Quebec-U.S. border fell by a little more than four per cent. Montreal tourism expected to be around par Yves Lalumière, president and CEO of Tourisme Montréal, said the slower start wasn't unexpected given recent tensions, but he expects American travel to remain around average — plus or minus three to five per cent. "We're not looking at any decline that is drastic," Lalumière said, noting the Grand Prix is expected to bring in two million visitors. It's not going to be a record year, he said, but it won't be a bad one either. He called it a stable positive and said there are no signs of a significant slowdown. "We're still early in the game for the summer," he said. "August, September and October are good months for American clientele as well." With fewer Canadians travelling to the U.S., he said Canadian organizations and businesses are planning conventions and meetings in Montreal instead. At the same time, the city is working to attract more international visitors. The Montreal airport has continued diversifying its routes to reduce reliance on any one market. Lalumière said the city is now connected to 156 markets, with flights from places like India, Dubai and Tokyo. "We've added a lot of flights. A lot of countries," said Lalumière. Like Lalumière, Glenn Castanheira said there was a downturn in American travellers, but momentum is returning. He's the executive director of downtown Montreal's merchants' association, which grew concerned when the trade war began and Trump started threatening Canada's sovereignty. While he remains cautiously optimistic, Castanheira said efforts by groups like his — along with the Montreal Chamber of Commerce, Tourisme Montréal and others — suggest Americans aren't particularly worried about crossing into Canada. They know they're welcome, he said, but they're saying "sorry" so often that he jokes Americans may be becoming Canadian. "Add to the mix that the American dollar is to the advantage of the Americans, that's a huge player," said Castanheira, who studied at Harvard University.
