The Way Forward: Brand USA, National Parks, and Canadian Tourism

Also, Resources for America 250 celebrations and Support for the Texas flood victims

As with any big legislative package, the BBB has good provisions and bad provisions for tourism. The biggest impact was to international tourism, with Brand USA’s annual federal funding being cut from $100 million to $20 million. In addition, the bill authorizes a $250 visa integrity fee for non-immigrant visas and the ESTA fee on travelers from visa-waiver countries which was established to provide dedicated funds for Brand USA was nearly doubled from $21 to $40. It adds up to a challenging landscape for attracting international visitors. In a statement, U.S. Travel has vowed to restore Brand USA funding and lower if not eliminate visitor fees as part of the FY26 appropriations process.

Travel Weekly has a good round up of the tourism provisions in the BBB, including key tax provisions sought by the hospitality industry.

The National Park Service (NPS) also took a hit under the BBB, which included a provision to bill claw back $267 million of previously committed funding for national park staffing. NPS is already operating at a short-staffed level while also managing record high visitation, which it challenging to provide great visitor experiences. CNN reported on how Trump layoffs and cuts are squeezing the National Park Service in peak season.

The Washington Post reports the Trump’s economy remains pretty strong but some warning signs are flashing. I was glad to see that one of the key economic indicators is international tourism but the article also notes that a decline in Canadian travelers is starting to have an impact.

With America’s Birthday (July 4) and Canada Day (July 1) celebrated during the same week, “Elbows Up” rallies were held in 18 border cities from Alaska to Maine. The Detroit Free Press reports on the “rally of love and support” that was held at Detroit’s Hart Plaza, which is separated from Windsor, Canada by the Detroit River. The term Elbows Up comes from hockey and it attributed to Red Wings great Gordie Howe, who used it to signal his readiness to fight.

I think tourism communities need to adopt the phrase as part of a campaign to maintain a good relationship and strong visitation with our northern neighbor and biggest international market. While many of the trade issues driving the declining relationship between the U.S. and Canada are beyond the ability of tourism leaders to affect, there is one issue they should be advocating for: rolling back the requirement that visitors from Canada intending to stay in the U.S for more than one month must register before crossing the border. Previously, registration was required for stays of longer than 6 months. Restoring the six month requirement would be a big step forward in easing tensions.

With the wrap of America’s 249th birthday celebration, Travel Weekly reports that tour operators and destinations begin preparations now for America’s 250th birthday. Welcome to the party! Over the weekend, Associated Press report that President Trump announced that he would like to host a UFC fight at the White House as part of celebration on July 4, 2026. As I had previously noted, my hope was that President Trump would be focused on 250th festivities on July 4, which would leave the rest of the year for tourism communities to showcase their unique American story to welcome visitors. The UFC announcement adds to urgency to getting those itineraries set up. Just saying….

Today’s New York Times Travel section had a great story on the apps one of their writers used to navigate a cross country trip. I thought this may be useful information for tourism marketers. Some of these apps I knew and some are new to me.

Finally, our hearts are breaking for the families and communities impacted by the terrible floods in Texas. Clearly Camp Mystic had an impact far beyond the Hill Country of Texas. The Washington Post today has a nice column on how Lynda Bird Johnson Robb was sent to the camp in 1956 when her father was planning a run for the presidency. The camp shaped her childhood and established lifelong friendships. It sounds like it was a magical place. For those who want to help the recovery efforts, World Central Kitchen has sent a relief team and is on the ground providing support, local officials are asking for financial donations but have said that supporters should avoid sending food or water. The Washington Post has a round up of the ways to help and links to the official accounts.