Canadian boycott of US travel shows no sign of slowing

Christy Gammon used to travel to the United States from Canada at least once every two years, taking ski trips to Lake Placid in New York and traveling to Baltimore, Maryland, to attend her husband’s favorite baseball games.

She added that those trips have now ended. This year, the Nova Scotia resident even avoided passing through the United States on her way to Ontario, a shortcut of an 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 United States as a way to protest policies they oppose and Trump’s trade actions against Canada.

“There are a lot of things we’re panicking about in terms of how this happened [the administration] “They act internationally, how they act towards their own citizens, how they treat their allies and their neighbours, which is Canada,” Gammon said.

Ms. Gammon and her friends are part of a trend that shows no signs of slowing down.

October marked the tenth consecutive month of decline in the number of Canadian travelers to the United States. Air travel from Canada to the United States is down nearly 24%, while car travel is down more than 30% compared to the same period last year, according to data released this week by Statistics Canada.

Overall, the United States saw a 3.2% decline in international spending in the country, driven primarily by fewer visitors from Canada, according to the U.S. Travel Association, a nonprofit group that represents the American travel industry.

As relations between the two countries remain frosty, mostly due to Trump’s new tariffs, it is clear that Canadians are committed to treating their southern neighbors coldly.

In the past, Canadians made up about a quarter of all international visitors to the US, spending more than $20 billion (£15.1 billion) a year, according to the US Travel Association.

They began limiting their travel to the United States after Trump imposed a series of tariffs on goods from the country earlier this year, saying he wanted to reduce the trade deficit — the gap between the value of goods the United States buys from Canada and those it sells to them. Trump also said Canada must do more to reduce the flow of illegal fentanyl into the United States.

Canada currently faces 35 per cent tariffs on its goods – although most are exempt under the current North American Free Trade Agreement – as well as individual duties targeting specific industries such as automobiles and steel.

Trade talks between the two countries were derailed last month when Trump was angered by an anti-tariff ad in the United States that featured Ronald Reagan and was sponsored by the province of Ontario.

At the same time, he angered Canadians with his numerous public comments about making their country the “51st state.”

Some popular tourist destinations in the United States have tried to buck this trend, in an attempt to lure Canadian travelers back to the United States.

And in Kalispell, Montana, home to Glacier National Park, officials are offering a “Canadian Welcome Card” that includes deals and discounts at local businesses to those crossing the border.

The welcome card’s website says: “Over the past few months, our countries have been through some things. But one thing we know, we miss you.”

Major events scheduled in the United States in coming years could help attract visitors from elsewhere and make up for lost Canadian tourists, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

However, with Canadians choosing to travel closer to home, the country’s tourism industry has received a boost. Canada’s tourism sector generated a record C$59 billion from May to August of 2025, up 6% from the same period last year, mostly due to people choosing to travel domestically, according to national tourism organization Destination Canada.

Some of those choosing to stay home are Canadian snowbirds, and retirees who travel south to states like Florida to find warmth in the winter months. A survey by the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada found that these baby boomers were staying at home more than other age groups, with just 10% planning trips to the U.S. this year, down 66% compared to last year.

Ms. Gammon said some of her friends chose to sell their winter homes in Florida because of frosty relations and frustrations with the Trump administration.

“They completely changed their snowbird plans,” the semi-retired family doctor said. “You can feel there is a shift.”

Gammon said she does not know whether others will commit to boycotting the United States during the remaining three years of the Trump administration. But even though she misses her trips to the US, that’s her plan for now.

“Who knows what could change between now and three years,” Ms. Gammon said. “But they would have to be very significant changes for us personally for us to change our minds.”