Canadian Travel Boycott Against the US Continues Unabated

Fri Nov 14 2025 13:18:03 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The trend of Canadians boycotting travel to the United States is showing no signs of slowing, as a growing number of residents opt for domestic trips in protest of U.S. policies. Data reveals a sharp decline in cross-border travel, raising concerns for both countries’ tourism industries.

Canada faces a significant drop in travel to the U.S. as residents protest against policies from the Trump administration. This boycott is affecting both air and car travel, with reports showing a nearly 24% decrease in air travel and over 30% decline in car trips when compared to last year. This trend appears to be fueling a rise in domestic tourism in Canada, with industry analysts closely monitoring the implications.

Kirsty Gammon used to travel to the US from Canada at least once every other year, taking ski trips at Lake Placid in New York and traveling to Baltimore, Maryland, for her husband's favorite Orioles baseball games. But those trips are now over, she said. This year, the Nova Scotia resident has avoided even passing through the US on her way to Ontario, a shortcut for an otherwise 18-hour drive.

Since President Donald Trump took office earlier this year, the 62-year-old said she and most of her Canadian friends have decided to stop visiting the US as a way of protesting policies they oppose and trade actions Trump has taken against Canada.

There are so many things that we just feel aghast about in terms of how the administration is acting internationally, behaving toward their own citizens, and how they're treating their allies and neighbors, i.e. Canada, Ms. Gammon said.

Ms. Gammon and her friends are part of a trend that shows no signs of slowing. October marked the 10th straight month of decline in the number of Canadian travelers to the US. Air travel from Canada to the US dropped nearly 24%, while car travel fell more than 30% compared to the same period last year, according to data released this week by Canada's statistics office.

Overall, the US has seen a 3.2% drop in international spending in the country, driven primarily by fewer visitors from Canada, according to the US Travel Association, a nonprofit group representing the American travel industry.

As relations between the two countries remain icy, mostly in response to new tariffs Trump has imposed, Canadians are apparently committed to giving their southern neighbors the cold shoulder.

In the past, Canadians have made up about a quarter of all international visitors to the US, spending over $20bn annually, according to the US Travel Association.

They began to curb their US travel after Trump imposed a series of tariffs on goods from the country earlier this year, asserting he wanted to reduce the trade deficit. Canada is currently facing 35% tariffs on its goods, although most are exempt under an existing North American free trade agreement.

Major events scheduled to take place in the US could help drive visitors from other places, including the FIFA 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, according to the US Travel Association.

Still, with Canadians choosing to travel closer to home, Canada's tourism industry has seen record revenues, reflecting a shift in travel behavior among its citizens.