“We’re not going to let politics interfere with our friendship”: Louisiana brings Southern charm to T.O.

STORY BY ERIC STOBER

Political and tourism representatives from Louisiana hosted a steak dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse at the Hilton Hotel in Toronto on Monday evening (Sept. 15) to share warm Southern hospitality and news about the state that is ready to welcome more visitors from Canada.

“We wanted to come here and visit with friends,” Louisiana's Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser told PAX. “We have a special bond with the Canadian people.”

Nungesser said that Canadians and Louisianans are actually very similar – they’re both friendly and not afraid to talk to strangers.

That’s not to mention the unique history that has connected the two locations. The Acadians in Eastern Canada were expelled by the British in the 18th century and many found their way down to Louisiana.

Eventually, “Acadian” was shortened to “Cajun” and has become a unique culture that is now emblematic of the state.

Nungesser said it’s the people of Louisiana that really make the state special, including their hospitality.

“We welcome you into our home, into our backyard to eat crawfish,” he said. “Most people leave Louisiana with a friend for life.”

PAX felt the hospitality of the state, enjoying steaks with mashed potatoes and broccolini, the sides served family-style in plates to be shared among the hungry guests, which is how Louisianians often dine.

Nungessen called it a “Louisiana table” and noted that Ruth’s Chris began in New Orleans and has since expanded into Canada.

For dessert was Bananas Foster, a Louisiana classic consisting of bananas, rum, brown sugar and cinnamon that was flambéed on the spot, with cinnamon thrown into the flame for that extra sparkly touch.

“We’re not going to let politics interfere with our friendship"

It was important for the representatives of Louisiana to come to Canada given the hostile temperament of the current U.S. administration, including President Donald Trump’s tariffs and talk of making Canada a 51st state.

U.S.-based Axios News reported earlier this year that Canada had been New Orleans’ top market of origin for international visitors by a large margin, according to New Orleans & Co., the city’s tourism arm. 

Walter Leger, the group’s president and CEO, told the outlet that there has been a “distaste” from visitors towards the current political climate and it is a “concern” for the travel industry.

Canadian visitation numbers to the U.S., in general, have seen a continual decline.

New figures from Statistics Canada show that Canadian-resident return trips by air from the U.S. dropped 25.4 per cent in August compared to the same month last year, nearly mirroring the decline seen in July.

Canadian-resident return trips from the U.S. by automobile, meanwhile, saw its eighth consecutive month of year-over-year declines.

READ MORE: Canadian travellers avoiding U.S. trips over politics, study finds

in August, the number of Canadian return trips by car from the U.S. totalled 1.9 million, a steep decline (-33.9 per cent) from the same month in 2024, reports StatCan.

Despite the drop, Nungesser said he wants Canadians to know that the state of Louisiana still considers Canadians friends.

“We’re not going to let politics interfere with our friendship,” he said. “We just want to come up here and rekindle our friendship and show that we care about Canada.”

Beyond the French Quarter

At the event were partners from all across Louisiana, including New Orleans, North Shore, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Baton Rouge.

While New Orleans and its French Quarter may get most of the tourists’ attention when they think about the state, Nungessen wanted to highlight that there’s much more to enjoy in Louisiana.

He pointed out birding, which the state has recently put more resources into to update and expand the trails on offer. The state’s coastal wetlands are an important location for migrating birds. There you can see a wide variety, from bald eagles to blue herons.

Then there’s the “hot sauce trail,” where visitors can travel between towns to see how the spicy stuff is made, including tabasco, which was invented in Louisiana.

Doug Bourgeois, the assistant secretary to the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, told PAX that you can get great bang for your buck in Louisiana, especially if you venture off the beaten path.

He said there are Mardi Gras all over the state, not just in New Orleans, where visitors can get the same energy at a fraction of the price.

In New Orleans, there is value to be found if you go outside the French Quarter, he said.

“You can find really good accommodation at a great price,” Bourgeois said. “New Orleans has some great deals going on.”

Of course, the state and especially New Orleans has been rocked over the years by a number of disasters, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the recent truck attack on Bourbon Street on New Years Eve.

Nungessen said the state is investing in safety and opened a new state police headquarters in the French Quarter that has facial recognition cameras to catch criminals before they commit crimes.

“In the last year, the French Quarter has become so much safer,” he said. “I think we’re on the right track and really making people feel safe about coming to New Orleans and, of course, the rest of the state.”

Getting there

There is a direct flight to New Orleans to Toronto with Air Canada that Nungessen said is an important one for the state that they will continue to support.

A new Amtrak train service called The Mardi Gras has also recently opened that travels through the U.S. South, from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama, and stops in Mississippi.

 “It’s a great connectivity to the whole Southern U.S. right there along the coast,” Bourgeois said.

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