Every year, well over 100,000 Canadians cross the border on their way down to Louisiana, to visit, eat, dance and enjoy this outpost of Francophone culture in the United States.
Many of them come from the Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, where Cajun families trace their ancestry. This fall, Ray Trahan was expecting busloads of Maritime tourists to arrive for Le Grand Réveil Acadien, or Great Acadian Awakening, which takes place every five years and provides a week-long deep dive into Acadian history, culture, food, music and art.
The free event, happening Oct. 11 to 18 in locations around Acadiana, has the feel of a family reunion. Reunions for various Landrys, Breauxs, Heberts, Guidrys and other Cajun families are actually planned for that week, which is happening concurrently with Festivals Acadiens et Créoles in Lafayette from Oct. 10 to 12.
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Cajuns and Acadians for decades have gathered to experience and celebrate their shared culture, and these events are specially designed to highlight those connections. But this year, U.S. tariff policies and President Donald Trump’s rhetoric — early this year, Trump suggested that Canada should become the 51st state — have led to a change of plans for some Canadian travelers.
A number of Canadians appear to be boycotting U.S. travel entirely — and according to Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser’s office, Canada represents Louisiana’s largest international tourism market. In 2024, Canadians spent nearly $194 million visiting Louisiana.
“I had a tour operator from New Brunswick call me and say he didn’t even have enough for half a bus,” said Trahan. “The bus from Nova Scotia canceled. As of right now, I’m not sure if we have any dignitaries coming.”
According to Trahan, “Canadians love to come visit us. They realize we’re related, they’re surprised that we’ve kept our French culture alive, and they love to go back and talk about it. What’s going on right now will never stop that. But I think it’s going to be a little while before these tour companies are able to find 40 to 50 people to get on a bus and come down. I’m not a political guy — but I can understand how they feel.”
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Le Grand Réveil will take place as scheduled next month, as will Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, just without many of the Canadian cultural and governmental organizations that have traditionally participated. Pat Mould, program director for Festivals Acadiens, said that L’Acadie New Brunswick, an Acadian and Francophone advocacy group that regularly participates, is not coming this year.
“They usually come. They haven’t indicated a reason for not coming now, but it’s really odd,” said Mould. “A bunch of mayors that were supposed to come also kind of canceled at the last minute.
“Now that I think about it, I usually get emails from Canadian tourists. And I’ve gotten a lot of emails this year from all over the country, but I’m not receiving any from Canada.”
Trahan and Mould believe this is the fallout from the president’s remarks, which Nungesser also experienced first-hand during a promotional tour in Canada this month. The lieutenant governor recently met with tourism partners from Toronto to Quebec, and spoke frankly about what he heard from his Canadian counterparts.
“What really shocked me is that no one I met with is sending people to America. The airlines are pulling their advertising. The bloggers aren’t talking about it. The travel agents aren’t booking folks.”
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Nungesser said, “People were very courteous. Nobody was nasty. But at dinners with the agents and tour operators, they said, ‘We love Louisiana. But we’re not coming back until that guy’s out of office or he apologizes.'”
Nungesser called on Trump to do just that as he wrapped up the trip, telling news outlets, “It would be really nice if the president could issue an apology about the 51st state.
“I think this is going to get worse before it gets better,” Nungesser said. “We ran the numbers right before the trip, and travel from Canada is down 15 to 20 percent so far.”
Historian and Acadian activist Warren Perrin knows a little something about asking for apologies. For years he petitioned Queen Elizabeth II to sign a proclamation apologizing for the mass Acadian deportation, which she did in 2003. Perrin has served as president of CODOFIL, which supports French language education in the state, and he runs the Acadian Museum in Erath, where Perrin is accustomed to welcoming visitors from all over the world.
He also regularly works with tour operators in the Maritimes, and said that one recent call with a guide in Nova Scotia exposed the emotions of the moment.
“He’s brought many tourists to Louisiana and France, and thought he’d have no trouble getting a group for Festivals Acadiens and Le Grand Réveil — but no takers,” Perrin said. “He almost started crying on the phone with me. He said, ‘Canadians look at America like the Statue of Liberty — a beautiful woman, representing everything good. Now it’s a monster, a threat to us. And that’s sad.’ ”
President Trump may not follow in Queen Elizabeth’s footsteps with a formal apology, but Nungesser said he’s working to smooth things over regardless, because Canadian tourism dollars are important for Louisiana cities.
“It’s very tough for politicians to admit when they’re wrong,” he said. “The worst thing that happens to leaders, whether they’re a governor or president, is that no one tells them when they’ve made a mistake, because you might need them to do something for you next week. That’s bad.
“So asking the president to make an apology, I think that’s the right thing to ask. Canadians stay longer, they spend more money, they go to three or four cities. It probably won’t work, but I feel in my heart I’m going to do everything physically possible to try to heal those relations.”