Bar Harbor businesses react to Canadas retaliatory tariffs | News [Video]

BAR HARBOR — Tuesday, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to President Trump’s tariffs by imposing a retaliatory 25 percent tariff on the U.S.—and discouraging Canadians from vacationing in places like Old Orchard Beach.  

Bar Harbor business owners said it’s too soon to tell how much of an impact the tariffs will have.  

“It would be a meaningful impact, not catastrophic,” owner of Stay Bar Harbor Stephen Coston said. 

Coston who operates 12 hotels, said the effects haven’t been felt yet.  

“I’ve not seen any dramatic changes. And if those changes are going to occur, I’d say that snowball hasn’t quite rolled down the hill yet,” Coston said.  

He notes that of the roughly 100,000 guests his hotels hosted in 2024, fewer than 4 percent were from Canada.  

“Most of our visitation is from Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, but we draw people from all over the world,” …