Could the U.S.-Canada trade war help Toronto tourism? Some attractions are betting on it

Operators of tourist attractions are hoping for a busy March Break in Toronto now that some Canadians are changing their travel plans due to U.S. tariff threats and the weak loonie.

Various attractions in the city, such as Ripley's Aquarium and the CN Tower, are stepping up offerings or promotions in a bid to attract residents opting to travel within Canada instead of crossing the border.

Some are also wondering if the threat of on-again, off-again tariffs will impact the number of U.S. visitors to Toronto.

Peter Doyle, general manager of Ripley's Aquarium of Canada is one of them.

"America is a big part of our market. It always has been. So will they be coming? The strength of their dollar versus ours may be a reason to visit, but also, are they going to come or stay in the U.S. and visit there and spend money there? It's such an unknown. 

"COVID was strange. This is stranger." 

Doyle said the attraction has seen an influx of Quebec visitors this week, which is Quebec's March Break, and the numbers of visitors from that province is higher this year than last year.

From Feb. 15 to March 7, the aquarium offered a 25 per cent discount for Ontario residents. The numbers surpassed expectations, with more than 12,000 tickets sold, it said.

During the upcoming March break rush, it's running a "No Tariff Tuesday" discount, offering 25 per cent off to all walk-in visitors.

Peter George, chief operating officer of the CN Tower, said on Friday the attraction may benefit from people opting to travel within Canada instead of crossing the border. 

The tower already has two million visitors a year, he said. The question is if people choosing to cancel travel plans will mean even more this year.

"I think it's going to be good for our tourism industry as we move through this," George said. "We've always been really pro-Canada. We've always focused a lot of our work on Canada. We're just hyper-focused now."

The CN Tower, which he says tells the story of Canada, has images of maple leaves in red light on its ray dome, which is the bubble around its top, every night. George says it's being lit in red and white every hour and is promoting Canadian beer, wine and spirits on its menu in its restaurants.

The attraction also plans to hang "rather large" Canadian flags to give photo opportunities to visitors, George said. Its retail store as well will feature more Canadian products as well.