The northeastern U.S. state of Maine has been a popular summer vacation destination for Canadians, particularly Quebecers, for over a century.
So much so, Canadians make up over a third of the tourism economy in one particular resort town: Old Orchard Beach.
But now, with escalating U.S. trade tensions and President Trump’s antagonistic rhetoric towards Canadian sovereignty, cancellations have started adding up and hurting — even possibly devastating — some local businesses who have decided to speak out.
At the Point View Inn, a 50-year old family-run hotel, a greeting note on its website says “Welcome! Bienvenue!” in a nod to greet its annual French Canadian visitors. They flock to Old Orchard Beach by the thousands every summer.
Sterling Morse, owner of the Point View Inn, said that when Trump began talking about annexing Canada and making it the 51st state, he became worried.
Then, the cancellation calls started coming in.
“It was pretty bleak,” he told Global News in an interview on Tuesday. He said almost all of his bookings for the summer season began getting paused or cancelled entirely.
For decades, the vast majority of his customers have been Quebecers.
Mike Halle, who runs the Paradise Park Resort, says, “We’re up over a little over 100 cancellations, which is up significantly 250 per cent or so from what would be normal this time of year.”
Halle is also the president of the town’s Chamber of Commerce. He says Canadians make up 30 to 40 per cent of revenue for their average seasonal business.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
“There will be an impact,” he said.
On March 4, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau’s impassioned speech called on Canadians to renew their patriotism and support local.
“[We’re] angry. We’re going to choose to not go on vacation in Florida or Old Orchard Beach,” he said at a press conference in response to Trump’s tariffs.
“A small part of me died when I heard that,” Morse said about the moment Trudeau mentioned his home by name.
“We all just wish this would go away,” owner of On The Beach Hotel, JJ Mokarzel, told Global. “It’s sad when the people at the top affect the people at the bottom, because we really are powerless.”
Morse says he thinks he will be able to save his season after a viral interview with CNN led to an inundation of bookings from people — both Canadians and Americans — looking to help save his business from going bankrupt.
He said he has also managed to change some minds. “We’re friends, families, neighbours, you know? You can’t break that.”
‘Prefer to invest in Quebec’
For some, what’s been happening between Canada and the U.S. has made their decision very clear.
“I boycott everything that’s American now,” said Montreal-area resident Robert Mailloux, who has been going down to Maine for 35 years. This year, he won’t go.
But for others, cancelling their trip isn’t necessarily the clear choice.
Mailloux’s wife, Joanne Lacoste, says she’s still thinking of going because she really likes the owners of her favourite hotel.
She told Global she feels that it’s possibly even more important to her now more than ever to support them and make sure they avoid serious financial losses that could make them go under.
Nicole Guerin from Sainte-Catherine, Que., explained that her connection to Old Orchard Beach and its family-run Edgewater Hotel run deep, and date back to when she was young.
“We went as a family every summer. We always went to the same hotel. The son took over from his parents, so we still feel at home,” she said in a statement sent to Global News.
Years ago, she and her two sisters took their father back there to celebrate his 80th birthday, and to “thank him for introducing us to this wonderful place.”
She added that she and her younger sister have returned every summer since 2016 for a short stay of four nights. But this year, she said she “prefers to invest in Quebec.”
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
