Telephone knowledge reveals 42% drop in Canadian visits to U.S. final yr

Toronto — The neighbors simply aren’t visiting the way in which they used to.

A study by the University of Toronto suggests a roughly 42% discount in visits to U.S. cities by residents of Canada final yr. The drop — a lot steeper than official border crossing statistics counsel — is essentially attributed to mounting political and commerce rigidity between the 2 nations.

By monitoring cellphone exercise, University of Toronto researchers discovered “a year-over-year median decline of approximately 42% in Canadian visits to U.S. metropolitan areas.”

According to official statistics, the variety of Canadians who entered the nation after coming back from the U.S. in 2025 was down 25%, whereas the variety of U.S. residents visiting Canada dropped 75%.

According to the examine, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, noticed the largest drop, with some 65% fewer Canadian residents coming dwelling from the East Coast trip scorching spot. Yuma, Arizona, noticed a 62% lower. San Francisco and the Florida cities of Miami, Palm Bay and Panama City had been among the many different high 10 U.S. metro areas the place the information signifies a greater than 50% drop in visiting Canadians final yr.

The examine’s authors say, apart from the evident drop in trip visits by Canadians, the information additionally reveals a pointy drop in visits to main financial hubs.

“High-tech and financial centers 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 examine says.

Since the beginning of President Trump’s second time period in workplace, some Canadians have boycotted U.S. items and journey in response to sweeping tariffs, stricter immigration insurance policies, and controversial remarks by the American chief about making Canada the 51st U.S. state.

Early this yr, tourism leaders in Florida had been reaching out to their Canadian counterparts to attempt to increase journey amid the backlash to Mr. Trump’s insurance policies and remarks.

“We’re doing what we can, just as we are with any country outside the United States, to make sure that visitation remains strong,” Visit Florida President and CEO Bryan Griffin mentioned in February, forward of conferences with Canadian officers.

In a deliberate bid to lure again Canadian guests, some casinos and lodges in Las Vegas introduced promotions earlier this yr providing a forex trade price of “At Par” between U.S. and Canadian {dollars} by way of the top of August. Under the supply, $1 Canadian is the same as $1 U.S., regardless of the decrease worth of the Canadian forex.