A newly formed alliance of leading tourism organizations from the United States and Canada is urging both governments to reset cross-border tourism policies, warning that current measures are undermining travel demand, damaging local economies and eroding decades of cooperation between the two countries.

The Beyond Borders Tourism Coalition (BBTC) was created in response to a sharp decline in Canadian travel to the United States in 2025, a downturn that industry leaders attribute to unexpected fees, rising tariffs and increasingly hostile rhetoric surrounding cross-border movement. The coalition describes itself as a unified front of tourism associations that would “rather be promoting increased visitation than explaining new surcharges.”

The BBTC brings together a broad cross-section of the travel industry, including the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) and the Canadian Association of Tour Operators (CATO); the American Bus Association (ABA) and United Motorcoach Association (UMA); the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), National Tour Association (NTA), International Inbound Travel Association (IITA) and the Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA). Indigenous tourism organizations also play a central role, with participation from the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), the American Indigenous Tourism Association (AITA) and Destination Original Indigenous Tourism (DOIT), alongside Destinations International.

In a statement released to the press, the coalition outlined a series of recommendations aimed at restoring confidence, predictability and goodwill in cross-border travel. Among its key proposals is an end to what it calls the “surprise-fee era,” urging authorities to stop introducing significant cost increases—such as new per-person park surcharges or revised commercial use authorization fees—after tour seasons have already been sold. The BBTC stresses the need for clear timelines, meaningful consultation and sufficient lead time so operators can adjust without jeopardizing contracts or customer trust.

The coalition is also calling for a reassessment of travel-related tariffs and cross-border costs, arguing that while such measures may resonate politically, they quietly drain billions of dollars from border economies and disproportionately affect small and medium-sized tourism businesses. In addition, the BBTC urges policymakers to abandon aggressive or dismissive messaging toward foreign visitors, replacing it with language that reflects the economic and social value of tourism to jobs, tax revenues and community development on both sides of the border.

Beyond policy tone and fees, the coalition emphasizes the importance of reinvesting in the bilateral tourism relationship itself. This includes joint marketing initiatives, recovery programs and targeted support for gateway destinations and Indigenous communities, which often bear the economic consequences of policies they did not help design.

“Every $100 surprise at a park gate, every new tariff, every off-the-cuff negative comment about our closest neighbor sends a signal,” said Shannon Stowell, President of the Adventure Travel Trade Association and an initial founder of the BBTC. “Right now, that signal is: ‘Maybe don’t come or maybe you won’t be welcome.’ Our ask is simple: stop making it harder and more expensive for Canadians and Americans to visit each other and start acting like the longest undefended border in the world—and our longstanding relationships—are still worth protecting together.”

As North America looks to rebuild momentum in international and regional travel, the BBTC’s message underscores a broader concern within the tourism sector: that cooperation, clarity and mutual respect are essential not only for visitor numbers, but for the long-term health of cross-border destinations and communities.