U.S. visits to Manitoba bounce back, but still haven't returned to pre-pandemic levels

U.S. citizens are crossing into Manitoba in the largest numbers since the start of the pandemic, but it could take several more yearsbefore cross-border visits fully recover from the upheaval in the tourism industry.

In July of this year, 43,194 Americans crossed into Manitobaat highway border crossings or airports, according to statistics maintained by the Canada Border Services Agency.

That works out to29 per cent more cross-border visits than July 2022, when 33,436 Americans flew or drove into Manitoba.

U.S. visitation in July 2023 still represents only 77 per cent of American visits to Manitoba in 2019, when 56,247 crossings by U.S. citizens were logged by the CBSA.

While these numbers do not capture U.S. visitors who enter other provinces on their way to Manitoba or Americans who enter this province and end upsomewhere else they are in line with expectations from tourism authorities.

Travel Manitoba vice-president Linda Whitfield said her agency doesn't expect international visitation to Manitoba to meet or surpass pre-pandemic levels until 2026.

Overall tourist numbers that is, Canadian and international visits to Manitoba are expected to recover earlier, in 2024.

The rebound in international visits to Manitoba is expected to take longer because some cross-border flights that disappeared during the pandemic still have not returned.

"We don't have the same level of direct U.S. flights now as we did pre-COVID," Whitfield said in a statement, citing comments by a Travel Manitoba colleague.

The Winnipeg Airports Authority stated earlier this year it is working on restoring those routes, particularly flights from Richardson International AirporttoUnited Airlines hubs in Denver and Chicago.

Even as cross-border visitation lags, some Winnipeg hotels are already reporting a risein U.S. visitors.

Jacques Lavergne, who managesthe 390-room Delta Hotelsby Marriott Winnipeg the largest hotel in the province by capacity said vehicle traffic from the Dakotas and Minnesota started picking up over Christmas and continued into 2023.

U.S. visitors coming for events such as the World Police and Fire Games drove up stays in July and early August, Lavergne added, makingthe downtown Delta even busier in the middle of thissummer than it was during summers prior to the pandemic.

"July and August are typically quiet months as it relates to group visitation. So this is actually a bit of an anomaly for us. It's something that we'd love to see and hope to see continue," he said.

U.S. citizens crossing into Manitoba

Here are the number of monthly visitors arriving via airport or highway border crossing, per the Canadian Border Services Agency:

• July 2019: 56,247.
• July 2020: 6,051.
• July 2021: 6,023.
• July 2022: 33,436.
• July 2023: 43,194.