As the Minnesota Twins open a weekend home series against the Toronto Blue Jays, there may be fewer fans journeying to Minneapolis and Target Field than usual.
Typically, Canadian fans of the Blue Jays help fill those stands but it appears they'll be staying away due to tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration.
Explore Minnesota Executive Director Lauren Bennett McGinty tells Vineeta Sawkar on the WCCO Morning News that while Canadians like Minnesota, they view the tariffs as an attack, and some are choosing not to spend their money in the United States.
"But as the year goes on, it is tough to say exactly what's going to happen," Bennett-McGinty said. "So we, again, continue to just have those positive conversations and ensure that we are welcoming to our friends."
Bennett-McGinty says 335,000 Canadians traveled to Minnesota in 2024, with an economic impact of $110 million.
She also says Canada is number one for international tourism in the state.
"So it's clearly impactful, especially for a lot of the northern communities, but we also know that the Twin Cities is impacted by Canadian travelers too," says Bennett-McGinty. "When they come down here, they're not necessarily just sticking near the border, they're also kind of spreading it out through the rest of the state."
The Toronto Blue Jays play the Twins Friday night, Saturday and Sunday afternoons in downtown Minneapolis.