A Nanaimo resident's TikTok inviting Americans to visit sparked an unexpected weekend surge: roughly 500 people showed up from across the U.S., boosting local tourism and goodwill during tense trade relations. Global News covers how one viral post transformed a small harbor city into a cross-border gathering spot.
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When an Anaimo man cheekily invited Americans to visit the harbor city, he initially wasn't expecting anyone to actually respond to his social media sales pitch. But as Taya Fast reports, today was the day and hundreds of people RSVP'd a resounding yes.
Well, good morning everyone, welcome to beautiful Anaimo.
They showed up by the hundreds, flooding Vancouver Island this weekend, all because of a TikTok.
It's hard to not be emotional. My heart is full. Hey Americans who support Canadians, I have an idea.
Nanaimo resident Tod Maffin posted this video in February inviting Americans to visit Nanaimo to show their support for Canada.
When I first did that video, I thought 6 people would come and my wife and I would take them out for lunch.
Best neighbors ever. And not only did 6 people show up, but around 500 answered his invitation. Gathering at Maffeo Sutton Park Saturday for a family photo.
These people who came made an actual, real difference in the Mid-Island, in all of Vancouver Island's economy. And not just that, but just the feeling that everyone's getting. It's been overwhelming.
Many making the trip from all across the U.S. just to be a part of this viral moment.
We're from Marysville, Washington. Bend, Oregon. North Carolina. We're from New York.
The event couldn't have come at a better time with trade tensions growing between the U.S. and Canada, here it's all about friendship.
We're having a blast and we feel so welcome. Yeah, and safe.
I didn't think there'd be so many people that showed up from all around, but, uh, I'm wondering if this exceeded expectations or not. I bet it did, but just goes to show how much we still love our northern neighbors.
The city even gave Maffin a nod for putting Nanaimo on the map and giving local tourism a boost.
Thank you so much for doing this. It's really appreciated and makes Nanaimo as great as it can be. Thank you.
The value of this to Nanaimo is immeasurable.
All of you come up here to Vancouver Island.
One TikTok, hundreds of visitors, and a small reminder that sometimes the best diplomacy starts with a simple invite. Taya Fass, Global News.
