5 THINGS ABOUT THE BIG APPLE’S PITCH TO CANADIANS

1 WHY THE WORRY

New York’s tourism industry is worried President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies are turning off Canadian visitors and they’re heading north this week to woo Canucks and their tourism dollars. Fred Dixon, the head of New York City’s official tourism organization, NYC & Company, minces no words in admitting he’s keen “to counter a little bit of the negative rhetoric that is coming out of Washington … We recognize there are challenges at the border at the moment.”

2 WHAT’S THEIR ANGLE?

A supposed “Trump slump” has yet to be verified by hard data, but anecdotal evidence abounds of wouldbe travellers vowing to avoid the U.S. “We want to remind everyone that New York City is welcoming and that we are a diverse and safe city, a sanctuary city like Toronto, and we value the same things,” said Dixon.

3 WHAT’S THE DATA?:

Dixon’s organization predicts New York will see 300,000 fewer foreign tourists this year, representing a 2.1 per cent decline. That includes a projected 17,000 fewer Canadians, a roughly 1.8 per cent drop. While that may not seem like much, Dixon fears the numbers could fall further. His forecasters have detected a drop in online searches for NYC getaways. “It seems like this isn’t going to be a passing situation. We could be in this environment for some time.”

4 IS TRUMP TO BLAME?:

Whether Trump is actually keeping Canadians from heading south is hard to determine, said Allison Wallace, a spokeswoman for the Flight Centre Travel Group. Anecdotally, she said the company has heard clients say they’ll avoid travelling to the U.S. — but their numbers aren’t showing it yet. Wallace said its U.S. bookings are actually up from the same time last year. Meanwhile, a Toronto-based bus tour company that gained international attention by blaming Trump for a slump in March now says business has picked up. Al Qanun, manager and part owner of Comfort Tour, said he now expects a “strong summer and fall.”

5 WHAT TO EXPECT:

Dixon will host a press conference in Toronto Monday to tout new and coming attractions and meet Tuesday with several travel companies, including Air Canada, Porter Escapes and Travel Brands.