North Dakota Montana aim to revive Saskatchewan tourism by 2026

Decline in Canadian Tourism to Minot and Big Sky in 2025

Minot, North Dakota, and Big Sky, Montana, have been popular tourist spots for Saskatchewan residents. However, both communities experienced a significant drop in Canadian visitors in 2025.

According to tourism agencies, Canadian visits fell by about 20 percent in Minot and nearly 16 percent in Big Sky.

“Financially, having the loss of Canadian traffic is massive,” said Brad Niva, CEO of Visit Big Sky. “In my community, it’s half a million dollars of lost revenue.”

Travel Data and Visitor Sentiments

Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows that 62,000 fewer travelers crossed the border from Saskatchewan into the U.S. last year. The agency reported 412,000 travelers in its 2025 fiscal year, down from 474,000 in the previous year.

Niva mentioned that many Canadians told Visit Big Sky they love the area, known for skiing and snowboarding near Yellowstone National Park, but they will not return for a few years.

“That’s the mindset we’ve had to be able to understand and now work around,” he said.

Marketing Strategies in Response

Big Sky has decided to stop all marketing efforts toward Canadians, “and just kind of let time heal itself,” Niva stated.

In North Dakota, Visit Minot’s executive director, Stephanie Schoenrock, said they are “rolling out the red carpet.” Local businesses are offering deals and discounts specifically for Canadians.

“We understand that there’s going to be people who do not want to travel and we completely respect that,” she said. “When it makes sense again, if it does, we will welcome them at that time.”

Hopes for Future Visits

Schoenrock is optimistic that price-conscious Saskatchewan residents will consider a getaway without flying in 2026. She believes there will be more Canadian visitors this year than in 2025.

Sharon Wheale and George Maslany from Regina stated they no longer travel to the U.S. They have not crossed the border since Trump was re-elected and have avoided buying American goods.

“We don’t really want to spend our money in a country that is undertaking certain actions within the world that’s destabilizing the world,” Wheale said.

Personal Experiences and Concerns

They used to travel regularly to the U.S. and sold their condo in Arizona during Trump’s first term. “We actually sold and got out because of the feeling of what was going to happen, which absolutely came true now,” Wheale added.

Gina Randall returned to Regina for similar reasons after living in the U.S. since the early ’90s. “It was getting too much to live there. I didn’t like the politics, I didn’t like a lot of the changes in regulations and stuff and it just felt safer to be back in Canada,” she said.

Randall expressed concerns about crossing the border and the U.S. government’s actions in Venezuela. She has no plans to travel back due to perceived instability.

Traffic Trends

According to Tourism Saskatchewan, cross-border vehicle traffic into the province from the U.S. increased by two percent in 2025 compared to 2024. Air arrivals to Saskatchewan from all parts of the U.S. rose by 10 percent in the first 10 months of 2025 compared to 2024.