CONCORD, N.H. – As the leaves and the weather start changing, businesses around New Hampshire are preparing for the influx of fall foliage visitors and reflecting on some challenging summer travel trends, marked by the absence of Canadian and overseas visitors.
Canadian travelers in particular have been reluctant to visit the United States, amid President Trump’s tariffs and talk of the 51st state.
Some New Hampshire business leaders said the difference was clear over the summer.
“The absence of Canadian and overseas visitors reduced diversity in the visitor base and curtailed longer-stay spending,” said Charyl Reardon, president of White Mountains Attractions Association.
In July, the head of the state’s Department of Business and Economic Affairs estimated that Canadian visits to New Hampshire had lagged about 30 percent behind levels seen in recent years.
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In September, Governor Kelly Ayotte led a “trade delegation” to Canada, including a stop in Nova Scotia that she said was aimed in part at “strengthening economic and tourism partnerships that have created so much opportunity on both sides of our border.”
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In New Hampshire, the summer also saw a trend of more day trippers and less overnight visitors, limiting lodging revenue growth, according to Reardon. She said there were signs that visitors were more budget-conscious: Though more people came overall, spending was about the same overall as last year.
“This further reflects travelers being more mindful of discretionary spending, likely influenced by broader economic pressures,” Reardon said.
While overall visits were up by about 1 percent compared to last summer, the number of individual visitors was down about 3 percent from May through Labor Day, according to data from White Mountains Attractions Association. That could mean people are coming more often but staying for less time.
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By August, Reardon said, the picture was changing for the better, when visits were up about 2 percent compared to last year.
“Labor Day Weekend was particularly good, with many businesses reporting strong visitation and solid revenues to close out the summer season on a high note,” she said.
This story appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. To receive it via email Monday through Friday, sign up here.
Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.