GRAND FORKS — The flow of Canadian travellers into North Dakota is shrinking — and that’s raising red flags for the hospitality and tourism industries in the Grand Forks / East Grand Forks region. Personal-vehicle crossings at the Pembina Port of Entry are down roughly 30 % in 2025 compared with the same period in 2024.
Local hoteliers and restaurateurs say the dip in Canadian visits is already hitting their bottom lines.
For years, Canadian visitors — especially from Manitoba — have been a dependable source of lodging nights, dinner reservations and shopping in Grand Forks and the surrounding areas. The data show that from January through July the year-over-year declines at the border crossing have ranged around 30–38 %.
According to the North Dakota Department of Commerce, lost visitor spending in the first half of 2025 is estimated at about $14.4 million compared with 2024.
In the Grand Forks region, the ripple effect matters: fewer Canadian vehicles crossing means fewer hotel bookings, less dining out and lower sales for retail and entertainment venues. Many businesses in the hospitality-industry cluster rely on the “drive-in” Canadian market as a core customer base — one that is now noticeably quieter.
“We’re still in the early days of this,” said Julie Rygg, executive director of Visit Greater Grand Forks. “Of course, we’re very concerned … we love our Canadian visitors, and on top of that the exchange rate is very poor.”
“We are obviously watching the Canadian travel patterns and are concerned,” said Sara Otte Coleman, marketing and tourism director at the North Dakota Department of Commerce.
The drop in Canadian visitors is not just a statistic — it’s a real-world setback for Grand Forks’ hospitality economy. As the local lodging, dining and events sectors feel the pinch, city and state tourism agencies are being pressed to re-examine marketing, incentives and cross-border engagement.
For residents and business owners in Grand Forks, the warning is clear: the region’s vitality is tied not only to home-grown visitor flow but to its international neighbour to the north. With a nearly 30 % dip in key cross-border traffic, immediate action may be essential if the Grand Forks area wants to keep its tourism engine running strong.
