As Canadians keep up travel boycott, U.S. tourism could take a US$5 billion hit
With fewer tourists from Canada crossing the U.S. border, the ongoing travel boycott could cost the American tourism industry billions in lost revenue.
Many Canadians have sworn off travel to the U.S. due to ongoing trade tensions between both countries and U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments suggesting that Canada should be the U.S.’s 51st state.
According to the latest travel forecast by the U.S. Travel Association, a national non-profit organization, inbound travel spending is expected to fall 3.2 per cent to US$173 billion for the year, a decrease of over US$5 billion in tourism revenue. The forecast states this is due mainly to a drop in visitors from Canada.
“Significantly fewer visits from Canada are the primary driver of this decrease, and the volume of visits from countries other than Canada are expected to be flat,” states the report.
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According to October travel data from Statistics Canada, there were 24 per cent fewer Canadian residents returning from the U.S. by air compared to the previous year, while return trips by automobile fell by over 30 per cent. Data from the International Trade Administration reveals that out of the 72.39 million international visitors in the U.S. in 2024, 20.24 million, or 28 per cent, were from Canada.
There has been growing anxiety among Canadians about security while crossing the border. The U.S. also introduced new fingerprinting rules for longer stays, and a survey by non-profit Angus Reid reveals that 65 per cent of Canadians find the new requirement “invasive.”
In response, the Government of Canada launched the Canada Strong Pass in April, which gave Canadians domestic travel perks such as free access to national galleries, museums, and train travel. Building on the program’s success, Prime Minister Mark Carney revealed that the Canada Strong Pass would be extended for the holidays and Summer 2026.
“America is no longer the top destination for global travel. International visitation to the U.S. peaked in 2018 under President Trump but has failed to reach those levels since,” stated Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, in April.
He added that the U.S. ranks behind Spain and France in the global competition for visitors, while China is “on a path to catch or surpass us over the next decade.”
With files from Isabelle Docto