The Canadian boycott of travel to the US is much worse than reported

What a new report revealed

The Canadian boycott of travel to the United States has been a massive problem for the American travel and tourism industry, but a new report revealed that the situation is a lot worse than the official figures showed when they were revealed.

Why Canadians are boycotting the US

Canadians began boycotting travel to the United States after Donald Trump returned to power in January 2025. Trump began attacking Canada even before he was back in the White House, which began a cycle of political strain and serious anger. 

A response to Trump’s slights

Trump’s repeated slights against the former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by calling him the Governor of Canada, and the US President's persistent rhetoric about his desire to see Canada become the 51st state, upset Canadians and forced them to act. 

Trump’s tariff was the last straw

The talk of levying a new blanket tariff in February 2025, and the actual imposition of the tariff the following month, was the final straw for many Canadians. Travel to the US was one of the first items on the chopping block, and it declined massively in 2025. 

Canadian visitors fell by a quarter in 2025

According to data from Statistics Canada, Canadian resident return trips from the United States fell by 25.4% in 2025, down to 29.1 million visits. However, this figure is likely not accurate, according to a new report. The real figure may be nearly double. 

What new cell phone data revealed

The results of a new research tool developed by researchers at the University of Toronto that tracks cell phone data were recently revealed in a blog from the institution, and the data found that there was 42% drop in visitors from Canada to metropolitan areas of the US in 2025. 

Unreported travel declines

Researchers suggested that the official data on the travel declines to the United States from Statistics Canada is not capturing a large drop in business and trade-related travel to the United States. However, that wasn’t the only major finding.

Many locations are suffering big declines

The researchers also reported that Canadians aren’t only traveling to major destinations in the United States less than before Trump returned to the White House, but they also visited fewer locations in the US and stayed for less than they have in the past. 

One of the worst-hit regions in the US

Some areas were hit much worse than others. For example, the cell phone data showed that the popular tourist destination Myrtle Beach suffered the largest visitor decline. The city saw a 65.4% year over year decline in Canadian visitors in 2025. 

The data was consistent with reporting

“Consistent with media reporting, our data shows significant declines in snowbird destinations like Florida; border-region cities in states like New York, New Hampshire, and Vermont; major tourist destinations like Las Vegas and Disney World; and winter recreation areas,” the researchers reported. 

Revealing unreported travel losses

However, in addition to the regions that have seen a lot of reporting about their declines in Canadian visitors, other major regions have seen massive declines in Canadian travel that have gone completely unreported by the media. 

Examples of the unreported problems

“High-tech and financial centres like San Francisco and Houston appear to be experiencing reductions not only in tourists but also in business-related travel, reflecting changing travel preferences due to broader economic uncertainties on both sides of the border,” the researchers explained. 

What the data showed

The new data showed that San Francisco saw a massive 56.9% travel decline from Canada year over year in 2025. Houston suffered a similar drop in Canadian travel last year, with a year-over-year fall of 51.7%. Neither city has been on the radar of travel decline reports. 

Another strange example

The researchers also noted another weird example, Grand Rapids. This city in Michigan is closely tied to Ontario and the cross-border automotive industry. It reportedly suffered the second-highest drop in visitations in 2025. 

What we know about Grand Rapids

Canadian travel to Grand Rapids fell by 53.2%. Unfortunately, the researchers did not include the number of visitations in the research period, which ranged between April 1st, 2024 to March 31st, 2026. However, they noted this drop was likely due to tariffs. 

What the cell phone data captured

“Differences between cell phone-based estimates and border-crossing estimates likely reflect differences in measurement scope. Our cell phone data includes freight traffic, whereas border-crossing data does not,” the researchers reported. 

The strongest months for visitation

“Notably, January and February 2025 were among the strongest months for Canadian exports to the US, likely driven by the anticipated tariff threats. The introduction of major tariffs, such as the 25% tariff in automotive parts, may explain the reduction in trade-related trips beginning in April 2025,” the researchers added. 

Another piece of the puzzle

Another important piece of the puzzle was that of Canadians living in the United States temporarily. The data suggested that the decrease in their activity in the US may reflect a return migration to Canada that has not been captured elsewhere.