Americade is back in Lake George this week, bringing tens of thousands of motorcyclists to the region. The annual event marks the beginning of the busy tourism season and is a boon to the local economy. But there are concerns that a drop in Canadian tourism could affect turnout — and impact the rest of the summer.
Americade has been bringing hogs, crotch-rockets, and choppers to Warren County for 42 years.
Organizer Chris Dutcher says since 2007, it brings in around 60,000 easy riders for a week of celebration, test rides, and scenic tours.
On a tour of Fort William Henry Hotel’s parking lot, now filled with rows of Yamaha, BMW, and Suzuki bikes, Dutcher says they’re getting into gear for the week.
“We’re probably going to see a little bit of moisture this weekend, though I’m still optimistic. So, it’ll be on the lower side of that. But it’s really hard to know unless you have turnstiles on every street,” says Dutcher.
The weather is near-perfect – motorcycles are streaming up and down Route 9 as folks begin to roll in ahead of kick-off in just a few hours.
But there is one dark cloud looming over the event: President Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods went into effect in March, and many worry that tourists will stay north of the border for the foreseeable future.
“So, it doesn’t affect our planning, we just don’t know what the reality will be on the ground here. Although I can certainly tell you that the Canadians have declared via emails and social media that they’re largely going to be sitting this one out. We hope they change their mind and if they come, they’re obviously very welcomed, but my guess is the bulk of them we’ll see next year,” said Dutcher.
Dutcher estimates around 15% of Americade attendees come from Canada and they’ll be lucky if a third of them show up this year.
According to data from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the number of travelers entering New York from the northern border from January to April dropped by roughly 17% year-over-year.
Kathryn Muncil’s family has been managing the Fort William Henry Hotel for generations. The economic impact of Americade is felt immediately by her staff, but she says the ripple-effect generated by the motorcycle show is significant.
“More importantly than, even for us, who does the headquarters and the hosting, is actually that it helps all the mom-and-pops. So, it starts their season after Memorial Day. And this was a little bit of a tough Memorial Day, the weather wasn’t in our favor,” said Muncil.
Downtown, shops are doing their best to stay positive in the face of economic uncertainties and a potentially dampened tourism season.
“We’re a breakfast place. Eggs are ridiculous. So, we’re trying to keep everything within normal pricing. We don’t want to overcharge people. We give you what you’re paying for. So, hopefully we can—everybody is happy with the food so far. That’s the most important thing,” said Ahmed Ashmawy.
Ahmed Ashmawy and his wife Stephanie opened Mama’s Corner Café on Lake George’s main strip in April.
It’s been a bumpy start, but after a slower-than-expected Memorial Day weekend, they’re excited for Americade and the rest of the summer.
“I’ll leave it to my wife, she’s been talking to them. We’ve actually gotten a couple families from Canada. They were OK, they’re still coming. They still haven’t decided whether they’re coming back or no, but we still see Canadians coming,” said Ashmawy.
Just across the street, Brian Collins is unpacking boxes of inventory at Sandy Feet Gifts, one of a handful of tchotchke shops lining Route 9.
“Well hopefully we get as many Canadians as we’d get before. I’d say it constitutes about 10% of our income. And as far as consumer confidence numbers came out today as a matter of fact and they were very positive. So, everyone’s looking forward to a good summer here,” said Collins.
Collins is also worried about the broader impact of Trump’s tariffs – he’s got most of his season’s merchandise stored away and expects to be unable to order any new stock by August.
“145% or 80% is just unfeasible. Now, everything is just sitting overseas. China, for example, is not shipping anything or we don’t want to bring it in at 145% as you could expect. So, even 80%, 30% is going to be drastic too. But, again, we’ll have to see. The tariffs change literally daily or weekly, so, we’ll see what happens next week,” said Collins.
Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Gina Mintzer says they’re refocusing on tourists from major American cities.
“You know you cross the Hudson River in Queensbury and all of a sudden, I don’t know, something about down-state, other parts of New England and the Northeast kind of sluff off as you get closer to here, the Lake George region we’ll call it. And so, with that, we’re only a tank away from the largest population in the U.S.,’” said Mintzer.
According to Senator Chuck Schumer, nearly 290,000 fewer people traveled across the New York-Canada border this April compared to 2024. The Democrat says even a 10% reduction in Canadian travel could result in as much as a $2 billion in lost spending and potentially lead to 14,000 job losses across the country.
