Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tourism topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lodging and restaurant association: demand softening, Canadian visitors down; FIFA in Massachusetts could help
Summary
The New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association told the committee leisure travel has softened since late 2024, Canadian visitation has fallen, hotel rates are easing and the industry is monitoring inflation and gas prices; the group expects flat-to-modest performance for 2025 and hopes for a 2026 boost from regional events.
Mike Summers, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association, told the Senate Ways and Means Committee that leisure travel demand has weakened since late 2024 and that the industry remains in recovery from COVID-era disruptions.
Summers said hotels and restaurants are seeing softer demand, falling average daily room rates in recent quarters and a particular decline in Canadian visitors, which some properties reported as cancelled reservations. He highlighted that New Hampshire’s travel base is broad — leisure, short-term rentals and domestic staycations all play roles — which can mute shocks in any single traveler source.
Summers listed key risks: sustained high prices that depress consumer spending, market volatility, tariffs and higher operating costs. He said gas prices remain a driver for this drive-dependent state and that if prices fall or stay moderate, summer visitation should be supported.
Looking ahead, Summers said organizers expect some spillover demand to New Hampshire from major sporting events in neighboring Massachusetts in 2026 and that the industry’s immediate goal is to be flat to modestly up in 2025. He noted a continuing staffing shortfall in lodging and persistent pandemic-era debt burdens for some operators.
The association referenced national and regional indicators showing weakening leisure travel and a softening in restaurant sales, and advised the committee that short-term rental bookings have stayed steady even while supply has grown.
Summers said weather and the overall consumer picture will substantially influence the summer season.
