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Old Orchard Beach in Maine has long relied on Canadians for a significant portion of its summer tourism, but continued chilly relations with the U.S. are taking their toll on Canadian bookings. Even so, as Carol Bousquet reports, there could be a silver lining this summer.
CAROL BOUSQUET: Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer, has innkeepers and shop owners in Old Orchard Beach sprucing up for what they hope is a successful summer season. The historic pier is preparing to entertain guests. The Palace Playland is getting ready to debut a new roller coaster. Town manager Diana Asanza says the iconic beach town has no match.
DIANA ASANZA: Seeing the lights at night, I mean, when you're driving up into Old Orchard Beach and you see that, it is something. It really is. It's so different from anywhere else around here, and it's kind of fun to be, you know, in the middle of that, and it's summer. You definitely know it's summer.
CALEY MACKENZIE: Thank you for calling the Edgewater. This is Caley. How can I help you?
BOUSQUET: Just down the street from the amusement park are hotels Kebek 3 and Edgewater. They are perched on sand dunes, steps from the ocean. Inside, innkeeper Pierre Janelle and front desk agent Caley Mackenzie are checking the computer and going over bookings.
PIERRE JANELLE: Well, how's the K3 look?
MACKENZIE: Eighty-eight percent full on Saturday.
JANELLE: Oh, good. Good.
MACKENZIE: Yeah, and 97% full for the Edgewater.
BOUSQUET: Janelle says his guest lists are full of families that come here from other places in the U.S. every year, and the ritual continues as their children grow up and have their own kids. He says Canadians' bookings are down to 13%, from 20%, since President Donald Trump took office, sparking a trade war with his northern neighbor. His rhetoric about Canada becoming the 51st state insulted many Canadians.
JANELLE: If a market shrinks and another market doesn't expand, the properties on the beach will be all right, but it will hurt the town overall because not everybody benefits equally.
BOUSQUET: Becky Jacobson is executive director of HospitalityMaine.
BECKY JACOBSON: There's a lot of uncertainty with, you know, the world and the economy and gas prices and food prices, and you name it, and everybody's feeling that pinch a little bit. So some of the smaller properties just seem to be getting hit a little harder with slow booking.
BOUSQUET: Mandi Cote manages the Old Orchard Beach campground and says Canadians are still staying away, so the campground targeted its marketing to other regions.
MANDI COTE: Reservations for this year are trending up compared to last year at the same time. So we have an optimistic outlook on the 2026 season.
BOUSQUET: Cote says she represented the campground at a trade show in Montreal earlier this year, and Canadians told her they wouldn't be back until Trump is out of office. Still, she says the 108-acre resort is adding another 100 sites next year. While sky-high gas prices might keep some visitors away, Janelle says they could work in the beach town's favor.
JANELLE: With the scarcity of jet fuel and the cost of airline and airplane tickets going up, a driving vacation is much more accessible.
BOUSQUET: And a good weather forecast can inspire weekend plans in a heartbeat. For NPR News, I'm Carol Bousquet in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.
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