It is that time of year in Yuma when temperatures begin to cool and winter visitors often called snowbirds start returning to the desert to spend the season.
Many of those visitors travel from northern states and Canada hoping to escape harsh winter weather back home, but this season some visitors say they are noticing fewer Canadian travelers.
“Yeah we had different friends that didn't come down, some of them are from Canada,” said Gordy, a winter snowbird.
Several factors could be contributing to the decline.
Recent economic tensions including trade disputes and tariff changes between the United States and Canada have left some Canadians feeling uneasy about returning and spending their money in the U.S.
A weaker Canadian dollar has also made travel more expensive for retirees. Earlier this year the U.S. announced it would begin enforcing a policy requiring foreign travelers to register visits lasting longer than 30 days.
“Just the fact of the unknown once you get to the border, is it going to be a problem or not. You know some probably feared or didn't want to go through that process,” said Starla, a visitor from British Columbia.
A report released this week by Statistics Canada showed Canadian visits to the United States were down by at least 21 percent from April to June.
A decrease in Canadian tourism could impact Arizona, where many Canadians own second homes or choose to spend their winters in communities like Yuma.
Still many longtime visitors have already returned for the season.
Donna Basaraba from Alberta, Canada is one of them. She has been wintering in Yuma for nearly a decade and says nothing could keep her away.
“Every year is perfect, lots of things to do and it's warm, we’ll come back every year as long as our health holds out.”
Basaraba said some of her fellow Canadians decided to stay away from the U.S. this season.
She said the sentiment for some snowbirds was disappointment in the U.S. government.
“We had a few, but sometimes they get over and then they decide to come back and sometimes it’s a health reason why they don't return because we have to buy health insurance so the older you get the more insurance costs so that’s usually what the factor is , whether you can afford to come.”
The Canada Arizona Business Council tracks how much Yuma exports to Canada. Last year Yuma exported about 80 million dollars in goods and services to Canada, and roughly 800 jobs in Yuma are supported by Canadian business and tourism.
RV parks are among the businesses that rely heavily on winter visitors.
Ted Stinson works at Palms RV and Resort. About 40 percent of their visitors are from Canada. He said they did lose some Canadian guests this year, but overall rentals are up 20 percent.
“We have some that have not returned, especially our Canadian friends. We actually gained two Canadian visitors over last year so what we lost we did gain,” said Stinson.
He said he has noticed vacant spaces while driving around town.
With the season still early, there is hope more visitors will arrive in the coming weeks, as many snowbirds do not make their way to Yuma until after the holidays.