Canadian boycott of US journey reveals no signal of slowing

Kristy Gammon used to journey to the US from Canada at the least as soon as each different yr, taking ski journeys at Lake Placid in New York and travelling to Baltimore, Maryland, for her husband’s favorite Orioles baseball video games.

But these journeys are actually over, she mentioned. This yr, the Nova Scotia resident has prevented even passing by way of the US on her method to Ontario, a shortcut for an in any other case 18-hour drive.

Since President Donald Trump took workplace earlier this yr, the 62-year-old mentioned she and most of her Canadian buddies have determined to cease visiting the US as a method of protesting insurance policies they oppose and commerce actions Trump has taken in opposition to 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, how they’re treating their allies and neighbours, i.e. Canada,” Ms Gammon mentioned.

Ms Gammon and her buddies are a part of a development that reveals no indicators of slowing.

October marked the tenth straight month of decline within the variety of Canadian travellers to the US. Air journey from Canada to the US dropped practically 24%, whereas automobile journey fell greater than 30% when in comparison with the identical interval final yr, in accordance with knowledge launched this week by Canada’s statistics workplace.

Overall, the US has seen a 3.2% drop in worldwide spending within the nation, pushed primarily by fewer guests from Canada, in accordance with the US Travel Association, a nonprofit group representing the American journey business.

As relations between the 2 international locations stay icy, largely in response to new tariffs Trump has imposed, Canadians are apparently dedicated to giving their southern neighbours the chilly shoulder.

In the previous, Canadians have made up a few quarter of all worldwide guests to the US, spending over $20bn (£15.1bn) a yr, in accordance with the US Travel Association.

They started to curb their US journey after Trump imposed a collection of tariffs on items from the nation earlier this yr.

Canada is at the moment going through 35% tariffs on its items – though most are exempt beneath an present North American free commerce settlement – in addition to particular person levies focusing on specific industries like automobile and metal manufacturing.

Trade talks between the 2 international locations have been derailed final month when Trump was angered by an anti-tariff commercial within the US that featured Ronald Reagan and was sponsored by the province of Ontario.

Meanwhile, he has angered Canadians along with his many public feedback about making their nation the “51st state”.

Some in style vacationer locations in US have tried to buck the development, making an attempt to entice Canadian travellers again to the US.

In Kalispell, Montana, dwelling to Glacier National Park, officers have been providing a “Canadian Welcome Pass” that features offers and reductions at native companies for these crossing the border.

“For the last several months, our countries have been going through some things. But there’s one thing we know and it’s this – we miss you,” the web site for the welcome go says.

Major occasions scheduled to happen within the US within the coming years may assist drive guests from different locations and substitute the lacking Canadian vacationers, together with the FIFA 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, in accordance with the US Travel Association.

Still, with Canadians selecting to journey nearer to dwelling, the nation’s personal tourism business has gotten a lift. Canada’s tourism sector made a record-breaking C$59bn from May to August of 2025, up 6% from the identical interval final yr, largely due to individuals selecting to journey domestically, in accordance with Destination Canada, a nationwide tourism organisation.

Some of these selecting to remain dwelling are Canadian snowbirds, retirees who journey south to states like Florida to search out heat within the winter months. A survey from the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada discovered these child boomers have been staying dwelling greater than different age teams, with solely 10% planning US journeys for this yr, down 66% in comparison with final yr.

Ms Gammon mentioned a few of her buddies have even chosen to promote their winter houses in Florida due to the frosty relations and frustrations with the Trump administration.

“They’ve completely changed their snowbird plans,” the semi-retired household doctor mentioned. “You can feel there’s a shift.”

Ms Gammon mentioned she didn’t know if others would stick with boycotting the US for the remaining three years of the Trump administration. But, despite the fact that she misses her US journeys, that’s her plan for now.

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