By Guy Page
News item: Businesses in the Northeast Kingdom are now accepting Canadian dollars at par with U.S. dollars. Think about that for a minute. A Canadian dollar is worth only about 70 cents U.S., yet Kingdom Trails, Burke Mountain Resort and participating businesses are saying, “We’ll take it at full value.”
The Northeast Kingdom tourist officials and businesses recently announced Canadian Community Month. It’s Part of the shared “Cross the Border. Discover the Kingdom.” campaign to bring Canadians to Kingdom Trails.
Now through August 6, Canadian dollars will be accepted at par with U.S. dollars for annual and day memberships purchased in person at the Kingdom Trails Welcome Center.
Why? Because they need Canadian visitors. The NEK in particular draws crowds of Canadians. Recently my wife and I hiked Mount Pisgah off of Lake Willoughby in Westmore, and almost everyone at those beautiful lookouts near the summit spoke French. And indeed you can see Quebec from there. New Yorkers come to Woodstock, Canadians come to the Kingdom but not so much since President Donald Trump said Canada should become the 51st state. Canadians are very polite but they love their country and they don’t want to be annexed by the US of A, something that was kind of tried in the War of 1812 and didn’t work out so well.
For generations, Canadians have been among Vermont’s best customers. They fill our hotels, campgrounds, bike trails, restaurants and country stores. But political tensions, a weak Canadian dollar, and changing travel habits have cut deeply into cross-border tourism.
Businesses aren’t taking loonies on par because times are booming. They’re making it because they need people to come back.
That’s smart business. They’re adapting. They’re investing in customers. They’re doing everything they can to keep Vermont’s tourism economy alive.
Which brings me to a missed opportunity that still bothers me.
Thru Friday, America is celebrating its 250th birthday with the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington. Millions of visitors came through our nation’s capital. Every state had an opportunity to tell its story and invite Americans to visit.
Vermont should have been front and center.
Imagine what we could have showcased: the Green Mountain Boys, the independent Vermont Republic, maple syrup, dairy farms, our ski resorts, fall foliage, covered bridges, Lake Champlain, the birthplace of President Calvin Coolidge, and the story of the first state admitted after the original thirteen colonies. The first state to ban slavery.
Instead, bowing to the anti-Trump Resistance, Vermont chose not to participate.
The Governor said it came down to cost and timing. But if businesses in the Northeast Kingdom are willing to absorb a 30-percent exchange-rate loss just to attract visitors, surely promoting Vermont at one of the biggest patriotic celebrations in decades deserved a serious look.
Tourism is one of Vermont’s largest industries. Every visitor who fills a hotel room, eats at a local restaurant, shops on Main Street, or buys a tank of gas helps support Vermont families and small businesses.
This wasn’t about partisan politics. It was about marketing Vermont.
When local businesses are offering discounts just to bring Canadians across the border, it tells us something important. Competition for tourists has never been tougher. That’s exactly why every opportunity to showcase Vermont matters.
Our state has an incredible story to tell. We shouldn’t miss the chance to tell it—whether it’s to our neighbors in Quebec or to millions of Americans looking for their next vacation.
