Escalating tensions between the U.S. and Canada last winter fueled fears that Canadians would respond by canceling cross-border visits to Alaska this summer, potentially hitting local economies.
New data shows fewer people did cross the Canadian border near Haines and Skagway this year compared to last year. Still, a full-scale boycott never seemed to materialize – at least in the upper Lynn Canal.
Skagway tourism director Jaime Bricker said she was concerned that Skagway would see fewer Yukoners specifically this season. In some cases, she did hear about people canceling trips to southeast Alaska’s northernmost town. But overall, her worries didn’t come to fruition.
“The majority of people that I’ve talked to have made a special exception to visit Skagway,” she said. “The south Klondike Highway feels like family — it doesn’t feel like one country versus another.”
That comes in sharp contrast to what happened across the country amid intensifying frustration in Canada over President Donald Trump’s trade war and his claims that the country should become the 51st state.
Nationwide border crossings from Canada into the U.S. between May and August of this year dropped by about 24% when compared to last year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Control data published last month by the federal Department of Transportation.
But in Skagway, not much changed at all, the data shows. The nearby port of entry sits just north of town. Between May and August this year, more than 68,000 passengers entered the U.S. there in personal vehicles. That marks about a 4% decrease from the same time period last year.
Bricker noted that she receives border data directly from customs agents stationed in Skagway. According to those figures, border crossings are actually up this year compared to last, not slightly down, as the data published by DOT showed. The reason behind the discrepancy is unclear.
Haines
The situation played out differently in Haines. The Dalton Cache Port of entry is about 40 miles outside town. And CBP data suggests 3,700 fewer people entered the U.S. there between May and August of this year. That represents a nearly 16% decrease.
Haines Borough Tourism Director Reba Hylton said she observed the dip, including at the local visitor center.
“We were definitely negatively impacted,” she said. “And we saw a lot less, not only Canadian travelers, but international travelers in general.”
The local economic impact is less clear. Alaska Sport Shop employee Gabe Long, for instance, said the fishing and outdoor gear store saw plenty of Canadians who have been coming to Haines for years – if not generations. But typically, they also serve a lot of younger Canadians visiting for the first time. That demographic, he said, didn’t seem to arrive in full force.
“We had about eight Saturdays where we had significantly less people than I’ve had last year,” Long said.
But it’s hard to say if that hurt sales, Long added. That’s due in part to the fact that two of the shop’s main competitors were closed this summer.
Haines Brewing owner Paul Wheeler, meanwhile, did notice a drop in business. One month over the summer, he said, sales were down about 20%. He said he observed fewer Canadians than normal, but also fewer Germans. He thinks that’s because German airline Condor canceled their direct flights to Whitehorse.
Other business owners said they really didn’t notice a shift at all. Ramie Carlson Clayton owns Ampersand, a local art gallery and said the season was business as usual. Rhonda Hinson, owner of local store Alaska Rods, echoed that point.
“The Canadian traffic this summer, I’d say, was pretty steady,” Hinson said. “I had folks in pretty much every weekend, and a lot of times throughout the week.”
