Why you likely won’t see as many Blue Jays fans from Canada in Seattle this weekend
Mariners vs. Blue Jays: Where are the Canadian fans?
As the Mariners face off against the Blue Jays, Seattle sees fewer Canadian fans this year amid talks of tariffs and political shifts.
SEATTLE - You might not see as many Blue Jays fans from Canada in Seattle for this weekend’s series at T-Mobile Park. In the past, when the team came to town, that usually meant their fans came along with them.
What they're saying:
Canadians Rhonda and Jason Phillipoff arrived in Seattle on Thursday night, but like so many other fans, who won’t be flocking to the Emerald City this weekend, they too, considered not making their annual trip down for the game.
"It did cross our minds to possibly cancel it," Jason Phillipoff said.
The decision comes as there are talks about Canada becoming the 51st state and tariffs. On Facebook, the Blue Jays Nation asked how many fans in western Canada plan to attend this weekend’s games? There are hundreds of comments, most of them opposed to visiting the United States.
"It’s everyone’s personal choice and so we respect our friends. we do have friends who have chosen to cancel everything and instead go overseas to Europe and see other parts of the world," Rhonda Phillipoff said.
Cars with British Columbia license plates driving into Washington dropped from 200,853 in April of last year to 98,576 in April of this year, according to the Whatcom Council of Governments.
"Canadian visitors are our single biggest source of international travelers to Seattle," Bob Donegan, President & CEO of Ivar's said. "They take over the waterfront and all of downtown with their Blue Jay caps and Blue Jays gear and we're not seeing them this year."
'Open Arms for Canada' discount offered to Canadian tourists in Seattle this weekend
Canadian tourists vising Seattle for the Toronto Blue Jays series will get a roughly a 30% discount at select restaurants and businesses this weekend.
At Shawn O’Donnell’s in Pioneer Square, this is often a big weekend for business.
"I’m optimistic they love their Jays so I’m hoping that’ll take precedent and they’ll come down and still make a weekend of it," Robbie Williamson, Shawn O’Donnell’s general manager said. He adds, this weekend will be the big tell. "Looking forward to having the Blue Jays in town, it’s fun to represent Seattle well, represent our business and show the Canadians a good time," Williamson said.
FOX 13 checked around, and some hotels said they were seeing less reservations than they did around this time last year. In fact, one hotel said pre-bookings were down 30% from this time last year. Tickets for this weekend’s games are still available.
The Source: Information in this story came from the Whatcom Council of Governments and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.
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