{"id":54214,"date":"2025-02-23T20:06:56","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T01:06:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=54214"},"modified":"2025-02-23T20:07:28","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T01:07:28","slug":"canadians-boycott-sunshine-state-over-trade-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2025\/02\/23\/canadians-boycott-sunshine-state-over-trade-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadians Boycott Sunshine State over Trade War!"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" data-dominant-color=\"975b63\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FLTourismCrisis-1024x576-1.webp?resize=1024%2C576&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-54215 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #975b63; width:747px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FLTourismCrisis-1024x576-1.webp?w=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FLTourismCrisis-1024x576-1.webp?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FLTourismCrisis-1024x576-1.webp?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Angry&nbsp;Canadians&nbsp;are slamming the brakes on U.S. travel plans, and&nbsp;Florida\u2019s tourism industry is bracing for a brutal hit. A fierce trade dispute between the two nations has ignited a boycott, with vacationers swapping Sunshine State beaches for destinations like the Bahamas and Toronto. The escalating tensions stem from proposed U.S. tariffs threatening Canada\u2019s economy, and the fallout could leave Florida\u2019s tourism sector reeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Florida\u2019s Tourism Takes a Hit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The numbers don\u2019t lie\u2014Canadian travel to the U.S. is tanking. Airlines report a 25% drop in demand for flights south of the border, while car crossings from Canada into the U.S. fell by 15,000 in January alone\u2014the first decline since the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Florida, a hotspot for Canadian retirees escaping winter, stands to lose big. Experts predict the state could miss out on 1.3 to 1.5 million visitors this year, along with nearly $1 billion in spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One family from Montreal scrapped their New York trip, but the real sting comes from those canceling Florida getaways. A mother of four vented online about ditching her March break plans in the Sunshine State, citing frustration over trade threats and jabs at Canada\u2019s sovereignty. Her sentiment echoes across social media, where Canadians rally behind the boycott.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why Canadians Are Staying Away<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The spark? A looming 25% tariff on Canadian imports, championed by the U.S. government. Canada\u2019s dollar took a nosedive\u2014hitting a 20-year low\u2014before a slight rebound with news of a 30-day delay. For many, it\u2019s not just economics; it\u2019s personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Talk of Canada as a potential \u201c51st state\u201d has fueled outrage, pushing families and schools to redirect travel plans. Quebec educators, for instance, swapped traditional 10th-grade trips to New York for Toronto, citing job risks tied to the tariffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Florida\u2019s Fort Lauderdale area, a magnet for Canadian \u201csnowbirds,\u201d is already feeling the chill. Retirees who\u2019ve flocked there for decades are opting out this winter, leaving local businesses scrambling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The head of the area\u2019s tourism board described the cancellations as a devastating blow, with loyal visitors sending emails explaining their absence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Economic Ripple Effects<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. could lose $2.1 billion and 14,000 jobs if the boycott holds, according to travel industry estimates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Florida\u2019s economy, heavily reliant on Canadian dollars, faces a grim outlook. Meanwhile, Canadian tour operators report a 40% cancellation rate for U.S. trips, with losses piling into the hundreds of thousands. One operator, in business for over 30 years, called it unprecedented chaos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across the border, American travel to Canada is trending up\u2014car crossings rose 23% in January to 707,000. Canadians online welcome the visitors but warn against annexation jokes, signaling the depth of their frustration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A Trade War\u2019s Lasting Mark<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As tensions simmer, Florida\u2019s tourism leaders are left pleading for a resolution. The state\u2019s winter and spring break season hangs in the balance, with empty hotel rooms and quiet beaches looming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For now, Canadians are standing firm, redirecting their dollars and sending a clear message: this trade war could cost Florida more than it bargained for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Angry&nbsp;Canadians&nbsp;are slamming the brakes on U.S. travel plans, and&nbsp;Florida\u2019s tourism industry is bracing for a brutal hit. A fierce trade dispute between the two nations has ignited a boycott, with&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":54215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"17","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvaTAud3AuY29tXC9sYWtlbGFuZGdhemV0dGUuaW5mb1wvbmV3c1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNVwvMDJcL0ZMVG91cmlzbUNyaXNpcy0xMDI0eDU3Ni0xLndlYnA_Zml0PTEwMjQlMkM1NzYmc3NsPTEiLCJ0eHQiOiJDYW5hZGlhbnMgQm95Y290dCBTdW5zaGluZSBTdGF0ZSBvdmVyIFRyYWRlIFdhciEiLCJ0ZW1wbGF0ZSI6ImhpZ2h3YXkiLCJibG9nX2lkIjoxNjMwNDA2NjF9.c-ZT96Mc7Fd1AkmiNxwCulL9iA-aBHFV3-IUxfjz17kMQ"},"version":2,"attached_media":[{"id":54215,"url":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FLTourismCrisis-1024x576-1.webp","type":"image\/webp"}]},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[10976],"class_list":["post-54214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regional-and-world-news","tag-canadians-boycott-sunshine-state-over-trade-war"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54214"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54216,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54214\/revisions\/54216"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}