Adirondacks Unites with Lake Placid and More US Destinations Earn Over 189 Billion USD from Tourism But Canadian Visitors are Ditching

Adirondacks unite with Lake Placid and more US destinations as reported tourism spending and economic impact surpass $189 billion, even as Canadian visitors are ditching US travel. Adirondacks, California and more US destinations are showing remarkable tourism resilience. Together, the reported figures exceed $189 billion, although the measures are not directly comparable.

Meanwhile, Canadian visitors are ditching US trips in significant numbers. Canadian travel to the US plunged in 2025, putting pressure on border communities and tourism businesses. Yet, surprisingly, several destinations continued to earn more from tourism.

Domestic travellers, alternative international markets and diversified attractions are helping destinations absorb the shock. Moreover, strong demand across accommodation, dining, recreation and entertainment is supporting revenues. Therefore, the latest figures reveal a rapidly changing US tourism landscape, rather than a simple collapse.

The US tourism industry is navigating a striking shift in international travel patterns. Canadian visits to the United States dropped sharply during 2025, with the decline continuing into 2026. Yet the impact has not been uniform. Several major US destinations have continued to increase visitor spending, tourism-related economic activity or total arrivals, helped by domestic travellers and visitors from other international markets.

Statistics Canada reported that Canadian-resident trips to the US fell 23.5% to 23.1 million in 2025, while Canadian spending on US trips declined 15.1% to US$18.8 billion. The leisure segment was particularly affected, falling by 21.5%.

Despite that disruption, tourism economies ranging from the Adirondacks and Florida to California and Wisconsin have demonstrated resilience. The following destination-by-destination analysis shows where tourism is holding up, where Canadian losses are being absorbed and where border communities remain exposed.

Adirondacks, New York

The Adirondacks provide one of the clearest examples of tourism resilience despite weaker Canadian demand. Visitor spending across the six-county Adirondack region reached nearly US$2.6 billion in 2025, rising about 2.8% year on year. The increase came despite a substantial reduction in Canadian visitation, historically an important source market for northern New York.

Accommodation, dining, outdoor recreation, seasonal properties and attractions provide the region with a diversified revenue base. Strong domestic demand has helped offset some of the international weakness. The result demonstrates that declining Canadian arrivals do not automatically translate into falling destination-wide tourism revenue.

Warren County, New York

Warren County, home to the Lake George tourism market, delivered another strong result. Visitor spending reached approximately US$956.6 million in 2025, up 3.1% from 2024.

The increase is particularly significant because it occurred during a period of severe disruption in US-Canada travel. Warren County generated around US$60.1 million in local tax revenue and US$57.1 million in state tax revenue from tourism, according to the latest economic-impact figures.

The county’s performance underlines the importance of domestic leisure travel, accommodation demand and established attractions in protecting tourism income when one international market weakens.

Lake George, New York

Lake George remains one of the Adirondacks’ most important tourism centres and benefits from a broad visitor mix. Its appeal stretches across summer holidays, outdoor recreation, family travel, boating, accommodation and seasonal events.

The wider Warren County figures show that visitor spending increased in 2025 despite the decline in Canadian travel. That does not mean Canadian visitors became irrelevant. Rather, the destination’s wider customer base proved capable of sustaining spending.

Lake George illustrates an important tourism-industry principle: visitor origin and tourism revenue are not interchangeable measures. A destination can lose visitors from one country while maintaining or increasing total expenditure if domestic and other international demand remains sufficiently strong.

Lake Placid, New York

Lake Placid has also demonstrated resilience as Canadian travel weakened. The Olympic destination benefits from year-round tourism, reducing its dependence on a single season or visitor market.

Tourism indicators reported during 2025 pointed to resilient summer activity, while winter conditions provided another important source of demand. Strong snowfall supported skiing and other outdoor activities during the winter period.

Lake Placid’s tourism model is therefore relatively diversified. Visitors arrive for the Olympic heritage, mountains, lakes, outdoor recreation and seasonal experiences. That diversity gives local businesses more opportunities to attract American travellers when cross-border demand falls.

California

California presents the largest-scale example of a US tourism economy maintaining growth amid international uncertainty. Visitor spending reached US$158.9 billion in 2025, an increase of 1.7% over 2024.

The state’s tourism economy is considerably more diversified than that of a small border community. California attracts travellers from across the United States and numerous international markets, including Mexico, Japan, Italy and India.

Canada remains an important source market, but it is not the sole driver of California’s tourism economy. The state’s ability to maintain spending demonstrates how destination marketing, domestic travel and international diversification can cushion the effects of weaker demand from a major individual market.

Florida

Florida provides another important counterpoint to the Canadian decline. The state welcomed an estimated 143.3 million visitors in 2025, up 0.2% from 2024 and a record level.

Canadian visitation, however, fell approximately 6.8% to 3.2 million visitors. Canadians therefore represented only around 2.2% of Florida’s total visitor volume.

Domestic travel remained the foundation of the state’s tourism economy, with approximately 130.9 million domestic trips recorded. Overseas visitation also increased by around 4%.

Florida’s experience demonstrates why destinations with a huge domestic market can absorb a decline in one international source market more effectively than border-dependent communities.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s tourism industry reached another record in 2025. The state’s tourism economy generated approximately US$27 billion in total economic impact, compared with US$25.8 billion in 2024.

Visitor numbers also increased, reaching approximately 117.9 million visits, while state and local tourism-generated revenue exceeded US$1.7 billion.

Wisconsin’s performance is significant in the context of the wider Canadian travel downturn because it shows how strong domestic tourism can sustain destination economies.

Its tourism offering spans lakes, outdoor recreation, events, food, cities and seasonal travel. That broad appeal reduces dependence on any individual foreign market and gives tourism businesses multiple channels through which to generate revenue.

Vermont

Vermont shows the other side of the US tourism story. Canadian demand has historically been particularly important to the state, especially in communities close to the border.

Canadian credit-card spending in Vermont fell approximately 47% in 2025, while the number of Canadian cards used declined around 46%. The scale of the reduction has been particularly challenging for northern communities where Canadian visitors represent a much larger share of local tourism activity than they do across the state as a whole.

Vermont therefore demonstrates that diversification matters. Large US destinations may absorb Canadian losses, but smaller border economies can experience immediate pressure when cross-border shopping and leisure travel decline.

Northern Vermont

Northern Vermont has been among the areas most exposed to the Canadian tourism slowdown. State officials have estimated that Canadians normally account for roughly 5% of Vermont’s US$4.2 billion tourism economy, but their importance is substantially greater in some northern communities.

In certain areas, Canadian travellers can account for approximately 30% to 35% of tourism activity.

That concentration makes the Canadian market particularly valuable — and particularly vulnerable. When cross-border traffic declines, hotels, restaurants, retailers, petrol stations and attractions can all feel the effect.

Northern Vermont therefore provides an important qualification to the broader US tourism resilience story: national or statewide numbers can conceal substantial local disruption.

Maine

Maine has also experienced a pronounced decline in Canadian travel. Nearly 800,000 Canadians visited Maine in 2024, spending almost US$500 million, according to state information.

The decline became visible during 2025. Between February and April, Maine recorded approximately 166,000 fewer Canadian land entries, representing a 26% decrease compared with the same period a year earlier.

For coastal and border businesses, the impact can be considerable because Canadian visitors contribute not only accommodation revenue but also spending in restaurants, shops, petrol stations and attractions.

Maine demonstrates why visitor volume remains an important indicator alongside overall tourism revenue.

New York State

New York provides perhaps the most revealing statewide comparison. Canadian entries into the state fell by roughly 21% in 2025, representing millions fewer Canadian travellers.

International demand also weakened, with overseas visitation declining around 3%.

Yet individual tourism regions continued to perform strongly. The Adirondacks increased visitor spending, while Warren County also recorded growth. This suggests that tourism performance within a large state can vary dramatically according to destination mix.

New York’s experience reinforces the importance of examining tourism at regional and destination levels rather than assuming that a decline in international arrivals automatically means an equivalent decline in tourism income everywhere.

“Tourism continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience despite significant shifts in international travel patterns. The strong performance of destinations such as the Adirondacks and California shows that diversified tourism markets, compelling experiences and robust domestic demand can help destinations navigate challenges. While the decline in Canadian visitors is a serious concern, it also highlights the importance of strengthening relationships with other source markets and delivering greater value to travellers. The latest figures underline the adaptability of the US tourism industry and its ability to create economic opportunities through hotels, restaurants, attractions, recreation and retail. Strategic destination marketing and innovation will remain essential for sustainable growth.”, says Anup Kumar Keshan, Editor-in-Chief, TTW.

The Wider US Tourism Market

The broader US market reveals why the Canadian downturn has not produced a uniform tourism crisis. Canadian travel remains economically important, but the United States possesses an enormous domestic tourism base and attracts visitors from numerous international markets.

The strongest-performing destinations are generally those capable of spreading demand across different visitor groups, seasons and tourism products.

California has its huge domestic and international markets. Florida benefits from enormous domestic demand and overseas visitors. Wisconsin has a strong domestic leisure economy, while the Adirondacks combine outdoor recreation, accommodation and seasonal tourism.

The contrast with northern Vermont and parts of Maine is equally important. Where Canadian travellers represent a disproportionately large share of demand, the impact of the decline is much more visible.

Canadian travel to the US has fallen sharply amid political tensions, trade disputes, tariffs, currency pressures and changing traveller preferences. However, Adirondacks, California and more US destinations continue generating substantial tourism income, with the reported figures exceeding $189 billion across the cited markets.

These destinations are not dependent entirely on Canadian visitors. Instead, domestic Americans and travellers from other international markets continue spending on hotels, restaurants, attractions, recreation and shopping. Furthermore, California and Florida have particularly broad visitor bases, while the Adirondacks benefit from year-round outdoor tourism. Consequently, falling Canadian arrivals do not automatically mean falling tourism revenue.

Why US Tourism Revenue Can Rise While Canadian Visits Fall

The figures point to a straightforward explanation. Tourism revenue depends on the total spending generated by all visitors, not simply on arrivals from one country.

When Canadian visitors decline, destinations can compensate through domestic travellers, other international markets, longer stays, higher expenditure per visitor or stronger performance in particular tourism sectors.

However, the data also show that this resilience is uneven. A destination with a large and diversified customer base can replace some lost demand relatively quickly. A border community dependent heavily on Canadian shopping and leisure traffic faces a much more difficult adjustment.

The US tourism industry is therefore undergoing a redistribution of demand rather than a simple collapse in travel. Canadian visitors are travelling less to the United States, but Americans and travellers from other markets continue to support many destinations.

The latest tourism figures expose a striking contradiction across the United States. Adirondacks, California and more US destinations have collectively recorded reported tourism spending or economic impact exceeding $189 billion, even as Canadian visitors are ditching American trips at a significant rate. Nevertheless, the figure must be interpreted carefully because the underlying studies measure different economic indicators and reporting periods.

California generated $158.9 billion in visitor spending, Wisconsin recorded $27 billion in tourism economic impact, while the Adirondacks approached $2.6 billion in visitor spending. Meanwhile, Canadian travel to the US dropped sharply, creating serious challenges for border-dependent communities in Vermont, Maine and parts of New York.

Yet diversified destinations are proving more resilient. Domestic travel, alternative international markets and year-round attractions are helping sustain demand. Ultimately, the Canadian visitor slump is reshaping US tourism, but it has not stopped many destinations from growing their economic contribution.

For destinations such as the Adirondacks, California, Florida and Wisconsin, rising spending demonstrates the strength of diversification. For Vermont and Maine’s border communities, the Canadian decline remains a warning about the risks of depending too heavily on a single international source market

Image: Visit California

References

1. Statistics Canada — Canadian travel to the United States and international travel expenditure data, 2025–2026.
   https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2026007/article/00005-eng.htm
2. Statistics Canada — Canadian trips to the United States and travel spending, Q1 2026.
   https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/260825/dq260825a-eng.htm
3. Empire State Development / New York State — Economic Impact of Tourism in New York State: Adirondacks, 2024.
   https://esd.ny.gov/sites/default/files/media/document/Adirondacks-2024-EconomicImpactofTourisminNewYork.pdf
4. Warren County, New York — Tourism economic-impact data and 2025 visitor spending.
   https://www.warrencountyny.gov/news/2026
5. Travel Industry Times — Adirondack and Warren County tourism economic-impact results.
   https://www.travelindustrytimes.com/article/936956394-economic-impact-of-tourism-impact-continues-to-grow-in-warren-county
6. Visit California — California tourism performance and 2025 visitor spending.
   https://media.visitcalifornia.com/story-inspiration/press-releases/detail/california-remains-top-u.s.-tourism-destination-in-2025
7. Visit California — International market and Canadian visitor research.
   https://industry.visitcalifornia.com/research/reports/california-international-market-share
8. VISIT FLORIDA — Florida’s 2025 visitor estimates and tourism performance.
   https://sito.visitflorida.org/about-us/media/news-releases/article-details/?releaseId=21322
9. VISIT FLORIDA — Florida tourism research, domestic, Canadian and overseas visitation.
   https://en.visitflorida.org/resources/research/research-faq/
10. Travel Wisconsin — 2025 record tourism economic impact and visitor numbers.
    https://industry.travelwisconsin.com/media/press-releases/gov-evers%2C-department-of-tourism-announce-fourth-record-breaking-year-in-a-row-for-tourism
11. Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development — Canadian tourism research and spending trends.
    https://accd.vermont.gov/canada-research
12. New York State Comptroller — Federal and international travel impacts on New York tourism.
    https://www.osc.ny.gov/reports/budget/fed-funding-ny/federal-impact-travel-and-tourism-new-york
13. Maine Governor’s Office — Canadian visitation and economic contribution to Maine tourism.
    https://www1.maine.gov/governor/mills/news/radio_address/bienvenue-canadiens-welcome-canadians-2025-05-23