Americans return to Canada amid Canadian travel boycott of US
- After seven months, US travel north is rising again
- Americans have been avoiding Canada
- US travel north is back on the rise
- What we know about the numbers
- Land crossings to Canada
- American air travel visitors
- The big boost in cruise ship travelers
- A major source of tourism dollars
- Canada’s summer travel boom
- Record revenue in 2025
- Foreign visitors also played a role
- Canadian spent billion at home
- The boycott of travel to the US
- Massive declines in October confirmed
- A worrying warning in February
- The top source of travelers to the US
- An updated travel forecast for 2025
- Canadians are to blame for the decline
- How bad will 2025 be for the US?
After seven months, US travel north is rising again

Canadians have been boycotting travel to the United States since US President Donald Trump returned to power and started attacking Canada. The political tension resulted in a massive dip in Canadian travel south of the border, but that is only half of the story.
Americans have been avoiding Canada

While Canadians have been boycotting travel to the United States in response to tariffs and Trump’s 51st state rhetoric, Americans have been quietly avoiding Canada, based on cross-border travel data released by Statistics Canada in recent months.
US travel north is back on the rise

However, despite the recent decline in American travel to Canada, October saw the first increase in US visitors to the country in more than eight months, according to the official final travel numbers released by Statistics Canada on December 22nd.
What we know about the numbers

October saw American trips to Canada hit 1.8 million, which was a rise of 3.0% from the same period in 2024. This broke an eight-month trend of year-over-year declining travel numbers from the United States to Canada. Most arrivals were by vehicle.
Land crossings to Canada

Land border crossing saw 1.2 million Americans enter Canada, which was the same as it was in October 2024. Interestingly, 53.5% of vehicle crossings were same-day trips.
American air travel visitors

Air travel to Canada from the US rose to 448,000, which was an increase of 6.3% year over year. However, this wasn’t the biggest US traveler increase that Statistics Canada recorded.
The big boost in cruise ship travelers

A whopping 122,800 cruise ship travelers disembarked in Canada. That may not sound like a lot, but it was up by 22.2% from the same time period the previous year. The total number of US travelers to Canada in October reached 1,814,406, up 3% from 2024.
A major source of tourism dollars

While Americans are one of the biggest sources of foreign visitors to Canada, the nation has been doing just fine without American tourist dollars in 2025. The travel and tourism industry in Canada has experienced a major boom despite the lack of American visitors.
Canada’s summer travel boom

According to Destination Canada, the Canadian travel and tourism sector enjoyed what the outlet called “a record-breaking summer in 2025.” Travel revenue between May and August hit $59 billion dollars, which was a 6% increase year over year.
Record revenue in 2025

“The record revenue was driven by a strong base of Canadian travellers who chose to explore our country like never before, with the highest domestic growth coming from Canadians travelling outside of their home province,’ Destination Canada reported.
Foreign visitors also played a role

“Rising international interest also powered the record summer, particularly from overseas markets, where visitor spend surged 10.4%. Overall, visitors are spending more per trip, resulting in a higher yield this summer,” Destination Canada continued.
Canadian spent billion at home

Canadian travelers spent $44.4 billion dollars in their own country this summer, based on analysis by Destination Canada, and it is undoubtedly true that much of this travel revenue was the result of Canadians staying home rather than heading south of the border.
The boycott of travel to the US

In November, Statistics Canada revealed that between February and October, Canadian air travel to the United States fell overall by 21%, while land travel dropped by a massive 33.5%. The latest official data for October confirmed the final numbers for that month.
Massive declines in October confirmed

Canadian return travel trips by air in October declined by 15.1% compared to the same time last year and automobile return trips fell by 30.2%. Well over half (67.5%) of all the automobile return trips were same-day, according to the data.
A worrying warning in February

The massive decline in Canadian travel south as a result of Trump’s early economic attacks and sovereignty slights against Canada was something that concerned the US Travel Association in February 2025. The association issues a warning that even a 10% drop in Canadian travel to the US could have major ramifications.
The top source of travelers to the US

“Canada is the top source of international visitors to the United States, with 20.4 million visits in 2024, generating $20.5 billion in spending and supporting 140,000 American jobs. A 10% reduction in Canadian travel could mean 2.0 million fewer visits, $2.1 billion in lost spending and 14,000 job losses,” the association explained.
An updated travel forecast for 2025

On October 1st, the US Travel Association issued its updated travel forecast for 2025. It noted that total inbound travel spending in the United States was set to drop to 3.2%, or $173 billion for the year, and blamed Canadians for the decline.
Canadians are to blame for the decline

“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,” the forecast from the US Travel Association explained.
How bad will 2025 be for the US?

Exactly how many Canadians boycotted travel to the United States in 2025 isn’t clear yet, but we do now know the drop-off has been significant based on the data currently available. Statistics Canada has noted that in the first seven months of the year, overall Canadian visits to the US fell by 23% year-over-year, the National Post reported.