Donald Trump's unprovoked trade war with Canada is hitting his adopted home state of Florida in unintended ways as visitors from north of the U.S. border are seeking warm weather elsewhere rather than their usual haunts.
According to a report from the Washington Post, while hot spots like San Diego and Palm Springs in Southern California, and Phoenix in Arizona are also seeing a decline in visitors, the Sunshine State is seeing a drastic drop with the head of Visit Lauderdale claiming, "There is a lot of anger out there."
According to the report, Canadians spend an estimated $20 billion annually and account for 27 percent of Florida's international visitors.
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Those numbers are already being impacted with Visit Orlando noting that bookings for May showing a 35 percent dip despite being the home of Disney World.
According to Stacy Ritter, the head of the tourism board, the drop is likely attributable to the man who makes him home at Palm Beach's Mar-a-Lago.
“I’m not sure the administration thought this through, but this is an unintended consequence that may or may not have an impact," she stated while adding that just a drop of 20 percent of Canadians alone -- not counting visitors from other countries –– would "have devastating consequences."
Noting, "An analysis from aviation data firm Visual Approach shows that many airlines have cut their capacity to airports in some top tourism spots. Courtney Miller, the firm’s founder, said the American airport that saw the biggest drop in April arrivals from Canada is Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International in Florida, with a 20 percent decrease," the report adds the ripple effect could impact the entire state with the Post reporting, "The state’s residents pay no income tax largely because tourism dollars offset the lack of revenue."
According to Flight Centre Travel Group Canada spokesperson Amra Durakovic, "Canadians still want to see the world — they’re simply being more intentional about where they go and how they spend, particularly in light of currency exchange and evolving global dynamics.”