When the American-Canada border closed for most passengers in the start of the pandemic in 2020, Eureka Mike Volsky business owner lost a large part of his client base in the Four Cosino and Grill. To fill his income, he moved to the sale of real estate, a market that was heated when a number of Canadian property owners sold their homes in northwest Montana.
With a population of about 1,500 inhabitants, the owners of businesses in the city located 9 miles south of the border set in Roosville have endured peaks and valleys over the past five years. After falling down during the pandemic when the border was closed after a growth behind Kovid, Eureka residents are adaptable.
“During Covid, real estate were more active and restaurants were slow,” Volsky said. “Most of our inventory was Canadian and many of them sold their properties. This affects them to go down here.”
Volsky said that even after the border reopened in early 2022, tourism never recovered in what it was after the second house owners sold their parts and the Canadian dollar became weaker, falling to a low two decade of $ 1.44 by the end of 2024.
But when the continued trade wars between the two countries caused tension and the US travel association warned of a possible decline in Canadian tourism demand in countries, with a 10%rated landing, Eureka business owners remain unsaturated.
“Many of our Canadians are quite committed to coming – some of them still have home here,” Volsky said. “Most Canadians I know personally through the restaurant are still sitting.”
Volsky said the fall of Canadian tourism in recent years is likely to be linked to the weak dollar combined with fewer homeowners and he suspects that Eureka will undergo much boycott, despite political controversy.
“We’ve spent many years of the same question mark,” Volsky said. “It feels like there are fewer Canadians here than it used to be pre-Kovidik, but we still see a line at the border.”
“Eureka stays alive,” he added.
The Trump administration in January announced plans to set 25% tariffs in Canada, which were scheduled to enter into force on March 4. While tariffs for most of the goods have been laid on, steel and aluminum tariffs settled on March 12. In retaliation, Canada has set 25% tariffs on $ 30 billion worth of goods.
In the site of the Western Montana glaciers, a Missoula -based tourism office, the President and CEO Racene Friede said while there is no data available to determine if the trade war voltage is contributing to a decline in tourism, it is monitoring traffic count and visitors’ expenses.
According to the Montana University Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research, Canadian visits account for $ 200 million and 4% of the total expenses of visitors to Montana.
While Friede said there is no direct evidence of the lower demand for tourism, she said the tensions caused by the trade war have created disappointment in all industries.
“We really don’t think about Canadians as international visitors – they are families,” Friedde said. “They are our neighbors in the north.”
As Eureka’s service industry begins to emerge from the slow winter season, owners of Front Porch Dewey Burger and Fish Co. Andy and Jim Monroe said they did not notice any changes to the business demand. After the last five years of rising and rising, the hopeful travel monroes will not be affected, and they describe the border as a border where Canadians and Americans come regularly and go.
“We have learned not to expect anything,” Jim said.
At The Treasure Outpost Rock Shop in downtown Eureka, owner Win Parker said 2023 had collided. But the business slowed last year, which she suspects is due to the weak Canadian dollar.
“It was much slower,” Parker said. “I hope it will be busy, but with the Canadian dollar to be so bad and trade war. I really don’t know what to expect this summer.”
In Indian Springs Montana Golf Course, Operations Manager Brandon Baker said he has seen a strong demand in Canadian memberships and booking so far this year, with the business that continues to grow after growth after the Fandemia. With the Canadians making up 65% of rounds of green tariffs and 25% of members, Baker said the demand is high and it remains optimistic.
“Canadians are our family,” Baker said. “They are the ones that make this valley breathe.”
[email protected]