BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 20, 2025
Roughly 85,000 fewer international visitors entered the U.S. through Maine in May compared to the same month a year earlier, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, continuing a depressed period that started in February. Total visits last month numbered 176,387 compared to 261,020 in May 2024. The overwhelming majority of those travelers arrived in passenger vehicles crossing the U.S. Canada border. The drop corresponds to a period of tense relations between the U.S. and Canada stemming from threats and punitive actions by President Donald Trump, ranging from tariffs on Canadian imports to suggesting he would annex the country to be the 51st U.S. state.