Maine sees uptick in travelers coming from Canada
American and Canadian flags fly near the Palace Playland amusement park in Old Orchard Beach in April 2025. (Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press)
Data shows that border crossings from Canada into Maine are rising again this summer, although traffic is still down from 2024.
The number of travelers crossing the border has been up year-over-year for five straight months, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
In July, the busiest month yet, more than 306,000 travelers entered Maine from Canada in passenger vehicles, trucks and as pedestrians. That’s up 11% from roughly 275,000 who came over the border during the same month in 2025, but still far below the nearly 383,000 in July 2024.
“Since March, there’s been a steady increase,” said Carolann Ouellette, director of the Maine Office of Tourism. “It’s an important market for us, and that relationship has been strong historically for so long.”
Federal data shows fewer Canadians visited the United States in 2025 amid political tensions and economic pressures. Some boycotted the United States last year in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The exchange rate for Canadians has also gone up.
It’s hard to say what impact the latest round of negotiations between the U.S. and Canada over tariffs will have on the tourism industry. On Tuesday, Trump put a temporary pause on a proposed 50% tax on some Canadian imports.
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“The fact that we’ve had five months of continuous growth shows that there could be some steadiness to it,” Ouellette said. “But it’s very difficult to predict.”
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Canadians account for a small percentage of tourists to Maine, according to data from the Maine Office of Tourism. In 2024, they made up 5.4% of visits. In 2025, that share was down to 3.6%.
Some destinations have a long history of welcoming Canadians, however, and felt that drop acutely. Business leaders in coastal towns are keeping a close eye on the license plates in town this summer.
Angela Blouin, executive director of the Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce, said she has been “pleasantly surprised” by what she has seen in the welcome center parking lot.
“Particularly in the beginning of the summer months, it was a really healthy amount of Canadians,” Blouin said.
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Kim Howard, executive director of the Old Orchard Beach Chamber of Commerce, described the mood in town as “cautiously optimistic.” Favorable forecasts have helped, she said, as rainy weather can dampen tourism as much as political and financial factors.
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“There’s been a modest increase in our Canadian visitors from last year,” she said. “So that’s encouraging.”
Kathy Dyer, executive director of the Maine Campground Owners Association, attends an RV show in Montreal every winter. This year, she said, she handed out many more pamphlets and saw more visitors to her booth compared with 2025.
So far, reservations by Canadian visitors seem to be up, as well.
“Last year, about 7% of our reservations were from Canada; this year, it is 10%,” said Mandi Cote, manager of Old Orchard Beach Campground.
Many are rebooking for 2027, she said, an encouraging sign.
“It certainly is not what it was a couple years ago,” Dyer wrote in an email. “But our campgrounds are very encouraged and extremely happy to welcome our friends back.”
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Megan Gray covers the outdoors and tourism at the Portland Press Herald. A Midwest native, she moved to Maine in 2016. She has written about presidential politics and local government, jury trials and. More by Megan Gray
