‘We miss you guys’: U.S. mayor urges Canadian tourists to come back
Amid ongoing tensions with the U.S. and a significant drop in Canadians travelling south of the border, it seems some American officials are desperate for us to come back.
There’s been no shortage of animosity between the two countries lately, but one U.S. mayor is hoping to squash the beef and invite Canadians over for dinner.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey recently posted a video on Instagram telling Canadians just how much he misses us.
“Hey, Canadians, we like you guys, we miss you, we don’t think of you as the 51st state,” Frey said.
“I understand you’ve been dealing with some unreasonable stuff, and to put it lightly, we’ve dealt with some unreasonable stuff in Minneapolis also,” he continued. “We could talk about that when you come to visit us.”
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Frey is likely referring to the turmoil his city experienced in January when protests erupted over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
The unrest intensified when two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were fatally shot by ICE agents during the unrest, prompting much wider protests and a major standoff between state officials and the federal government.
Frey has been mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota’s largest city, since he was first elected in 2017.
Minnesota, which shares borders with Manitoba and Ontario, is one of many U.S. destinations that have seen a decline in Canadian visitors since the political tensions between the two countries intensified in 2025. And the ongoing trade dispute certainly hasn’t helped.
Statistics Canada has been keeping an eye on the trend, and the numbers are pretty striking.
In 2025, Canadian residents made 23.1 million trips to the U.S., down 23.5 per cent from 2024 and 26.7 per cent from 2019. Leisure and vacation trips fell even more sharply, dropping 21.5 per cent year over year, while trips to overseas destinations increased 10.2 per cent.
Florida is another state that has been feeling the effects of fewer Canadian snowbirds heading south.
But Frey seems optimistic, extending an olive branch to his Canadian neighbours and pitching Minneapolis as a fall getaway.
“We can visit some of the best restaurants in the world,” he says. It’s worth pointing out, though, that Minneapolis does not have any Michelin-starred restaurants. Meanwhile, Toronto, Vancouver, and other Canadian cities boast hundreds between them.
Minneapolis does, however, have a serious theatre scene. The Twin Cities are widely described as the third-largest theatre market in the U.S., behind New York and Chicago.
Minneapolis has more than 5,000 acres of parkland, and 98 per cent of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park.
It’s also a shopping haven since the state does not have a sales tax on shoes and clothing.
“We can have each other’s company,” Frey concluded. “I can’t wait to see you when you visit our city.”
But it’s not all hunky-dory just yet.
“This Canadian will not step foot on USA soil,” one user commented on his post.
“Every cent of my hard-earned money will be spent in Canada,” wrote another.
“Nice attempt, but you are just trying to bring money to your economy,” read another rather blunt comment.
Frey may have meant well with his video, but judging by the reaction, most Canadians just aren’t ready to make the trip south.