Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.
Well, this weekend is Memorial Day Weekend, and it's a time when we remember those members of our military who sacrificed their lives in service to their country. It's also the unofficial beginning of Maine's busy summer season.
Last year, a record number of cars, at least a million cars, traveled the Maine Turnpike to bring friends and family to our state throughout the holiday weekend. For many communities and businesses across Maine, these upcoming weeks are vital. Yet ever-changing federal tariffs and months of harmful rhetoric aimed at Canada have created a great deal of uncertainty for this busy season.
So, this week I met with some small business owners in York County and we discussed the impact of tariff uncertainty, and the strained cross-border relations on Maine businesses with close ties to Canada. We met at the Seaside Inn in Kennebunk, which is Maine's oldest business and a beloved destination of tourists from both sides of the border. In fact, it is the oldest continuously operating business in the United States. This year though, the inn has seen a sharp drop in visitors from Canada.
Some of the small businesses there told me that uncertainty created by the president's tariffs, and the president's negative rhetoric towards Canada, has made our Canadian neighbors feel very unwelcome in the United States and uncertain about visiting the state of Maine. Well, last year nearly 800,000 people, about 5% of our visitors, were from Canada and they spent nearly half a billion dollars here. But this year, just from February to April alone, 166,000 fewer Canadians traveled by land to Maine. That's 26% less than the same period last year. That's a big drop in visitors. So, my administration is doing what we can to market Maine as a destination for Canadian travelers.
For example, Massachusetts Governor Healey, New York Governor Hochul, Connecticut Governor Lamont, Rhode Island Governor McKee, and Vermont Governor Phil Scott, and I have scheduled a summit with the premiers of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec to be held in Boston on June 16th. At that meeting, I plan to discuss our partnerships with Canadians and our work to ensure that our historic friendship and our deeply intertwined economies will endure for generations to come.
I look forward to that meeting, and in the meantime, I've directed the Maine Department of Transportation to place brand new signs at our border crossings with Canada and near popular destinations to welcome Canadian travelers to our state. They are bilingual signs and the first sign was placed in Old Orchard Beach this week and it says "Bienvenue Canadiens" or "Welcome Canadians." The Department of Economic and Community Development is also making versions of these signs, smaller signs, available free of charge for Maine businesses across the state to place in their windows to make Canadians feel welcome this summer.
Look, I know that a sign alone cannot fix this economic uncertainty, but it can convey to our neighbors that they are welcome here, and that we do value their presence in our state. We do not feel hostility towards our Canadian friends and neighbors.
We may have seen a decline in Canadian tourism so far this season, but we can market Maine as a premier destination for visitors on both sides of the border. I'm planning to take my own trip into Canada this summer and I hope you'll consider doing so as well with your family. Make sure they know we're still friends.
Well, while this holiday weekend marks the beginning of the busiest season for visitors in Maine, we also can't forget that Monday also marks Memorial Day. When, again, we honor the men and women who gave their lives for our country and when we commit to making sure that their sacrifice for our freedoms and our liberty is never forgotten.
I encourage all Maine people to take some time on Monday in solemn remembrance of our deceased military.
This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.