With summer months quickly approaching, it’s nearly the busiest season for tourism in Montana, and historically, visiting Canadians account for at least 20% of Great Falls’ economic spending. However, this season may see that number decline, as fewer Canadians are traveling over the border.
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The campgrounds at the KOA Holiday in Great Falls are filling up with visitors, and typically, a lot of those visitors are Canadians stopping in overnight or for an extended stay.
KOA Great Falls owner Bobby Boatman says, “Canadians are a big part of our business, we love the Canadians, we welcome them here with open arms.”
However, of the dozens of campers currently parked, only one Canadian license plate is present. Boatman says, “I would say from the feel of it that we're definitely down a little bit with Canadians year over year for at least the 'snowbird traffic.'"
Less Canadian traffic to Great Falls may be right. According to data from US Customs and Border Protection, 40,625 travelers crossed into the US at the Sweetgrass Port of Entry. In April of this year, however, just 32,658 entered at Sweetgrass - a nearly 20% decline.
Still, the busy season is yet to come, and the campgrounds are expecting their usual summer crowd.
Boatman says, “I wouldn't say anything too alarming for us, hoping it picks back up here for our normal summer traffic here in a few weeks. During the middle of the summer, too, families coming down to visit Glacier. Actually, a lot of them come down to shop in Great Falls, too.”
When they do come to shop, many stop downtown at Dragonfly Dry Goods.
Owner Alison Fried says, “They want just the fun, everyday gifty kind of things. But we definitely do have groups that come through looking for, you know, the souvenir kind of feel going between Yellowstone and Glacier for sure."
However, the declining Canadian dollar due to uncertainty surrounding trade policies and tariff threats, makes travel and spending in the U.S. more expensive for Canadians than in the past, deterring some travelers who think it’s no longer worth a trip.
Fried says, “They just like it when they're getting a better deal. And right now, it doesn't seem like a better deal because a dollar isn't the same right now.”
It’s too soon to tell if the declining Canadian traffic will continue throughout the summer, but businesses are still preparing to welcome their seasonal influx of Canadian visitors.
