The United States has traditionally been the top destination for Canadian tourists, with 20.4 million visits recorded last year, contributing approximately $20.5 billion to the U.S. economy and supporting 140,000 jobs, according to the U.S. Travel Association.
However, those numbers are expected to drop significantly as many Canadians reconsider their travel plans.
For 25 years, Rosalie Côté and her parents spent their summers vacationing in Maine. This year, however, they’re staying home, frustrated—like many Canadians—by Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs and annexation threats.
“We don’t want to support the United States. It’s a matter of principle,” Côté explained.
Romane Gauvreau also canceled her planned trips, including a mountain biking excursion to Vermont and a family vacation in Maine. “We don’t want to visit a place where democracy is under threat, where great injustices occur, and where people are being deported,” she told AFP.
This sentiment is widespread. A recent Abacus Data survey found that 56% of Canadians have either changed or canceled their U.S. travel plans. Bookings to American destinations fell by 40% in February compared to the same month last year, with 20% of pre-existing reservations being canceled, according to Flight Centre Canada.
Even longtime “snowbirds” who typically spend winters in warmer U.S. states are reconsidering. Retired civil servant André Laurent, who spent half of the past 22 years in Florida, decided to sell his home there. “I no longer felt welcome. It even felt like I was betraying my country,” he said. Five of the six Canadians in his gated Florida community have also chosen to leave permanently.
As frustration grows, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has encouraged Canadians to vacation within their own country as an act of patriotism. “Choose Canada” campaigns have spread on social media, promoting destinations like the Rocky Mountains in the west and Prince Edward Island in the east, famously known as the inspiration for Anne of Green Gables.
Travel agencies have taken note of the shift. Nuance du Monde, for example, has stopped promoting U.S. trips altogether. “We’re boycotting them given the current situation,” said company director Samy Hammadache, adding that the decline in Canadian tourism will have a major impact on the U.S. travel industry.
Many Canadians are instead opting for vacations in Europe, the Caribbean, and Central America. Flair Airlines, responding to declining demand for U.S. flights, has increased its routes to Mexico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic. “These decisions reflect market demand,” said Kim Bowie, the airline’s director of communications.
Tourism expert Michel Archambault predicts that this trend will push Canadian domestic tourism to record levels this year. A Leger survey found that six in ten Canadians plan to vacation within the country, an uncommon occurrence.
Additionally, the weakening Canadian dollar has made U.S. travel less affordable, further discouraging trips across the border. For Côté, however, the decision is more than financial—it’s a statement. “We should be spending our money at home rather than supporting neighbors who play dirty tricks on us.”
