Nanaimo’s Tod Maffin was so struck by how many Americans were supporting online calls for Canadians to boycott U.S. goods that he invited them to head north for a visit.
“I made a little video that just said: ‘Hey, if you support Canadians, why don’t you come up?’ “
About 2,000 Americans have since told him they’ll be heading to Nanaimo on the weekend of April 25 to 27 for a holiday.
And why wouldn’t they?”
In his , he promised actual keys to the city for tourists, along with a photo of an official-looking man who is not Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog.
He also promised “incredible outdoor activities,” including hiking, along with “some of the best brew pubs in the world.”
“Your dollar would go so far. You know how much it would cost you to buy a meal? Probably about 20 cents.” (Note to visitors: Your meal would cost more than that.)
Maffin isn’t sure how many will actually show up, but said everyone is invited to meet in Nanaimo’s Maffeo Sutton Park on the morning of April for a “family picture.”
Within minutes of his original TikTok post, his phone was chirping with notifications.
“I was not expecting 2,000 in 72 hours.”
About half the respondents who said they plan to show up are from Washington state and Oregon, with the remainder from farther away, including the eastern U.S. and even Australia.
Maffin, who founded a social-media moderation agency and publishes a daily marketing newsletter, has been talking to Tourism Nanaimo and City of Nanaimo officials about welcoming the visitors.
He is continuing to promote Nanaimo on TikTok, posting videos including a tour of the Old Quarter downtown and another showing the scenic waterfront and its shops.
“To be able to have several hundred Americans eat in our restaurants, shop in our stores, see the attractions, stay in our hotels I think will be a very welcome boost to all of Vancouver Island’s economy,” he said.
Nanaimo residents are responding to the prospect of American visitors, offering to take them on activities, he said.
Krog called Maffin’s promotion “brilliant.”
“It’s a wonderful thing and so very Canadian to reach out to people and not to the U.S. government or elected officials and say: ‘Look, come here and visit.’ ”
He predicts Maffin’s campaign will generate a tourism boost, which will become more apparent as the April weekend approaches.
“I think we’ll all be compelled to sort of up the welcome ante … Do we do something more formal and official? Do we put up banners? … Start putting up signs?”
“It’s a great concept.”
To see Maffin’s original invitation and others, go to https://tinyurl.com/k6s5crvu.
