Decrease in Canadian travelers returning from the United States continues for the seventh consecutive month, according to Statistics Canada.
Canadian travel to the United States has experienced a significant decline since the beginning of 2025, with a drop of 37% in car trips and 26% in air travel reported in July 2025 compared to the previous year [1][2][3].
This trend can be attributed to a growing boycott and negative travel sentiment towards the U.S., influenced by political tensions and tougher border control policies linked to President Donald Trump’s administration [1]. Organizations like Girl Guides of Canada have even suspended U.S. trips explicitly because of these policies [1].
The impact of President Trump's trade war and associated policies is significant in this trend. His administration's tightening of border control and the general political climate have contributed to a shift in Canadian travel behavior [1]. The ongoing trade war and political disputes have likely intensified the Canadian public's reluctance to travel south, translating into substantial economic losses for the U.S. tourism industry, given that Canadians typically represent about a quarter of foreign visitors to the U.S. [2].
U.S. travel to Canada also declined but less steeply (around 7%) [1][2]. The downturn coincides with increasingly restrictive border policies and political tensions under Trump’s presidency, reflecting a form of travel boycott or sentiment shift in Canada [1][4].
Canadian tourists’ spending in the U.S. was valued at $20.5 billion the previous year, and these reductions imply significant losses for the U.S. tourism sector [2]. Therefore, the declining Canadian travel to the U.S. since January 2025 is closely tied to disapproval of Trump-era policies and the trade war’s broader political fallout, which have negatively impacted bilateral tourism flows.
[1] CBC News. (2025, August 10). Canadian travel to U.S. plummets amid political tensions. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-travel-us-decline-1.5654688
[2] National Post. (2025, August 15). U.S. tourism industry suffers as Canadian travel plummets. Retrieved from https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/u-s-tourism-industry-suffers-as-canadian-travel-plummets
[3] Statistics Canada. (2025, August 20). Canadian travel to the U.S. declines sharply. Retrieved from https://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/250820/dq250820a-eng.htm
[4] Global News. (2025, August 25). Canadian travel boycott of U.S. reflects growing disapproval of Trump-era policies. Retrieved from https://globalnews.ca/news/7234356/canadian-travel-boycott-us-trump-era-policies/
The declining Canadian lifestyle in the United States, particularly travel, can be linked to the growing disapproval of Trump-era policies and the trade war's political fallout, affecting both car trips and air travel. This trend in travel behavior likely results from the ongoing boycott of the U.S., motivated by political tensions and tougher border control policies.
