Visitor traffic from Canada into northern New York is down by a third over last year.
The North Country Chamber says car crossings at the Champlain border in March were down 31 percent compared to last year. President and CEO Garry Douglas cites three factors: a poor exchange rate, the tariff war, and Canadian reaction.
Town of Plattsburgh Supervisor Michael Cashman noted that small businesses are the “backbone of the town’s economy [and] are especially feeling the strain.”
State Assemblyman D. Billy Jones, a Democrat and chair of the Assembly Task Force on New York Canada Relations, echoed the sentiment as he criticized the trade war, saying “The uncertainty surrounding costs, product availability and less Canadians visiting the states has begun to strain businesses, a trend that will only rise if these senseless decisions continue.”
Although car traffic was down, the Chamber reports that truck crossings over the same period were up 12 percent.
