Montana ski town is begging Canadians to come back with discount passes

Trump’s Tariffs Chased Them Away

Kalispell, Montana sits five hours south of Calgary, close enough that Canadians used to fill its hotels year-round.

They bought groceries at American prices, skied in winter, visited Glacier National Park in summer, and some even owned second homes in the area.

Then President Trump started a trade war with Canada in early 2025, slapped 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods, and kept saying Canada should become the 51st U.S. state. Canadians stopped coming.

Now Kalispell is trying to bring them back with a discount pass, but the damage runs deeper than any coupon can fix.

Border Crossings Drop 26 Percent in One Year

At the Rooseville border crossing, the closest entry point to Kalispell, traffic from Canada fell from 69,049 people in August 2024 to 54,640 in August 2025. That’s a 20 percent drop at one crossing.

Across all of Montana, border crossings from Canada fell 26 percent, from 286,659 to 210,927 in the same month. Hotels started seeing more empty rooms.

Restaurants had fewer customers. Stores that counted on Canadian shoppers watched their sales numbers fall.

Canadian Spending Collapses by 39 Percent

The Kalispell Chamber of Commerce tracks credit card spending to see where visitors come from. Through September 2025, spending by Canadians in Kalispell dropped 39 percent compared to the same period in 2024.

Hotels across Montana reported that Canadian bookings fell 71 percent. Youth sports teams from Canada canceled tournament trips.

People unsubscribed from Kalispell tourism emails and sometimes wrote to explain why: they weren’t planning to visit anymore because of tensions between the two countries.

Kalispell Launches the Canadian Welcome Pass

In November 2025, Discover Kalispell unveiled the Canadian Welcome Pass with deals at 15 local businesses. The mix includes hotels, restaurants, museums, and retail shops.

Diane Medler, executive director of Discover Kalispell, said the message is simple: “We see you and we miss you. ” Canadians who sign up online get sent specific discounts to use when planning their trip.

The campaign is about people and human connection, Medler said, not federal politics.

Trump Started a Trade War and Threatened Annexation

President Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports in early 2025, claiming Canada wasn’t doing enough to stop fentanyl and illegal immigration at the border.

He threatened even higher tariffs on steel, aluminum, and cars. At the same time, he repeatedly posted on social media that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state and called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a “governor” instead of his actual title.

Trump said becoming a state would make all tariffs disappear and Canadians would pay less tax.

Canadians Overwhelmingly Reject the 51st State Idea

Polls showed 85 to 90 percent of Canadians opposed joining the United States. Canadian leaders from all political parties rejected the idea.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Canada is not for sale and will never be the 51st state.

When Mark Carney became Canada’s new prime minister in March 2025, he said in his first speech that Canada faces “dark days brought on by a country we can no longer trust.”

Outgoing Prime Minister Trudeau said Trump wanted Canada’s economy to collapse to make annexation easier.

Canadian Spending Was Growing Before the Tariffs Hit

From 2023 to 2024, Canadian credit card spending in Kalispell increased 10. 8 percent.

The area was recovering from pandemic border closures, when many Canadians sold their Montana vacation homes. Then Trump’s tariffs started.

In January 2025, Canadian spending in Kalispell dropped 13 percent compared to January 2024. In February it fell 36 percent.

By September, the total decline hit 39 percent. The pattern repeated across popular American destinations like Las Vegas and California.

Tourism Drives Northwestern Montana’s Economy

Tourism is the biggest industry in northwestern Montana, and the Flathead Valley depends on it.

Mitchell Bump, general manager of the Kalispell Grand Hotel, said Canadians are especially valuable because they visit year-round, not just during peak summer and winter seasons.

They keep hotels, restaurants, and stores busy during slow months. Before the pandemic, Canadians made up about 14 percent of Montana visitors.

After COVID, that dropped to 8 percent, but they still spent more per trip than most American tourists.

Glacier National Park Draws Visitors to the Area

Glacier National Park sits 32 miles from downtown Kalispell at the west entrance in West Glacier. The park covers one million acres of glacial-carved terrain with some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in America.

Visitors who stay in Kalispell use it as a base to explore the park during the day, then return to town for restaurants, shops, and hotels.

Flathead Lake, with 185 miles of shoreline and depths reaching 370 feet, offers another major draw for water sports and fishing.

Other Border Cities Launch Similar Campaigns

Seattle and King County started reaching out to Canadians with discount campaigns. Wine regions in eastern Washington tried to bring back Canadian visitors.

California made similar efforts after seeing tourism decline.

McKenzie McMillan, a Vancouver travel consultant, said these campaigns might help some people feel more comfortable visiting, but they don’t address the anger many Canadians still feel about Trump’s tariffs and political comments.

The campaigns offer financial incentives without solving the underlying problem.

The Discount Pass Might Not Be Enough

Kalispell put together real deals and a genuine message about missing its Canadian neighbors. The city is trying to separate itself from federal politics and remind people that locals still want them to visit.

But travel experts say discounts alone won’t bring Canadians back in large numbers while tariffs remain in place and political tensions stay high. Some Canadians might take advantage of the deals.

Others will wait until the trade war ends and the annexation talk stops.

Either way, Kalispell’s tourism industry faces a long road back to where it was before Trump started threatening its northern neighbor.

Visiting Kalispell, Montana

Kalispell sits in the Flathead Valley in northwestern Montana, about 30 miles from Glacier National Park’s west entrance. Downtown has walkable streets with local shops, restaurants, breweries, and distilleries.

The Hockaday Museum of Art displays regional artwork and Western culture exhibits.

Flathead Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, offers boating, fishing, and swimming about 15 miles south. Winter brings skiing at Whitefish Mountain Resort.

Summer temperatures range from 70 to 85 degrees. The Canadian Welcome Pass offers discounts at participating businesses when you sign up at discoverkalispell. com.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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