Hooting owls. Crackling campfires. Canadian accents.
All are common sounds at New Hampshire campgrounds in a typical summer.
But this year, the campgrounds will likely sound a little different.
According to the state’s Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, reservations at state-run campgrounds through the first five months of 2025 show bookings by people with Canadian addresses are down more than 71% compared to the same period last year — from more than 1,000 reservations in 2024 to fewer than 300 this year.
The slide is just one component of a broader decrease in cross-border economic activity that has much of New Hampshire's tourism industry anxious heading into summer. Many Canadians continue to boycott all-things American, fueled by President Trump’s oft-expressed wish to turn Canada into the 51st U.S. state.
But that doesn’t mean the state's campgrounds will be empty this summer: Overall booking numbers for 2025 are on par with 2024 levels. Sleeping under the stars in one of the New Hampshire’s 23 state-owned locations remains popular with both domestic and international travelers from other countries.
“Camping is generally in high demand, so it may end up being that overall visits are not impacted,” said Greg Keeler, a spokesperson with the state. “But we’ll have a better idea later in the season and once all of our sites have reopened.”
Privately-owned campgrounds are also reporting a decline in Canadian reservations. At Saco River Family Camping in North Conway, approximately 90% of bookings made by Canadians for the season have been cancelled.
“May and October have taken a big hit for us, between the canceled reservations and the lack of Canadian bookings coming in,” said Saco River’s Brooke Wade.
Some campgrounds, however, appear to be shrugging off the impact of a Canadian boycott.
“They can stay in Canada,” said Joshua and Missy Phillips, the owners of Trailside’s Big Rock Campground in Stratford, when asked by a reporter about a decline in Canadian bookings.
New Hampshire tourism officials have a different mindset. The state is advertising its natural beauty in a multimedia ad campaign that will include running spots in the greater Montreal region. Business and Economic Affairs Commissioner Taylor Caswell recently told reporters that the state will keep trying to lure Canadians to visit and shop in the state.
“We have not left that market; we have no intentions to leave that market,” he said.
