WHITEFISH, Mont. — A chairlift hummed to life as ski patrollers at Whitefish Mountain Resort ran evacuation drills, even though late-November conditions left the base bare and many runs brown. The scene underscored growing unease across Western resorts that have postponed openings because warm weather and limited snowfall have kept them from making artificial snow.
Snow arrived later in the week across parts of the Rockies and Pacific Northwest, including Whitefish, but operators say weather is only part of the problem. Many resorts are bracing for fewer international visitors after tariff disputes and sharp political rhetoric that have strained relations with neighboring countries.
Whitefish Mountain, known locally as Big Mountain, typically counts about a quarter of its business from Canadian visitors. Local tourism officials say Canadian arrivals have dropped roughly 25% since steep tariffs and provocative comments by the federal administration. Credit-card spending by Canadians in Whitefish shops, restaurants and hotels is down about 12%, a significant hit in a town of fewer than 10,000 people.
‘We think of Canadians as our neighbors,’ said Zak Anderson, executive director of Explore Whitefish, the resort’s chamber of commerce. He said the local message to prospective visitors is simple: ‘We’re here — we’re open for business.’
The trend is national. The U.S. Travel Association estimates about 5 million fewer international visitors to the United States this year. Market researcher Longwoods International reports that many Canadians cite U.S. politics — including tariffs and hurtful rhetoric — as reasons for canceling trips, along with a weaker Canadian dollar. ‘Many Canadian travelers were already on the fence for financial reasons and then felt insulted or hurt,’ said Amir Eylon, Longwoods’ president and CEO. That combination has led some to skip travel south.
Small economies that rely on cross-border tourism are trying to win visitors back. Kalispell, a gateway to Glacier National Park near Whitefish, launched a ‘Welcome Back Canada’ campaign and hotels, including the century-old Kalispell Grand Hotel, are offering discounts. General Manager Mitchell Bump said managers are focused on filling rooms rather than on politics. Even in Flathead County, which heavily favored the president in the last election, business leaders are offering incentives such as 20% off rooms to recapture Canadian custom.
Back in Whitefish, the outlook remains uncertain. The resort is coming off its second-busiest season on record, with some peak weekends occurring before tariffs took effect. Christmas-week bookings look healthy and a surge of domestic visitors, along with population growth in Montana since the pandemic, has softened the blow. But domestic travelers are booking later, complicating planning for hotels and resorts.
‘There’s so much uncertainty — it’s hard to know what’s going to happen,’ Anderson said, noting that political developments seem to shift rapidly and can affect travel decisions almost overnight.