Canadians are taking fewer trips to the United States and choosing other destinations to visit in the wake of disputes over tariffs and concerns about immigration.
The number of Canadian visitors returning to the country by automobile from the United States in May was 38.1% lower than the same period last year, according to new data from Statistics Canada. Also, fewer Canadians returned from south of the border by air, as the total fell by 24.2%, according to Ottawa-based StatCan, the federal government's statistical agency.
Instead, the report found that Canadian tourists returning from countries other than the United States increased by 9.8% in the month.
The decline in visits began in January after United States President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs that launched a global trade war with countries including Canada and ramped up efforts to crackdown on illegal immigration in the United States.
The drop in Canadian travel to the United States is expected to adversely affect the country's tourist industry. The U.S. Travel Association estimated that a 10% drop in tourism from Canada would lead to approximately $2.1 billion in lost spending and threaten 140,000 tourism-related jobs.
One-quarter of tourists visiting the United States come from Canada, and they spent $20.5 billion in the country in 2024, according to the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office.
Americans reach out
Attempts by various American agencies to lure Canadian tourists back to the United States have not reversed the trend. Those efforts included a letter-writing campaign by city officials in Bellingham, Washington, near a border crossing that has seen a decline of nearly 50% in its usual 100,000 vehicle crossings from Canada.
Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a similar campaign this spring in hopes of stanching the decline in Canadian tourist visits to his state. The campaign included a video of him saying, "Last year nearly 2 million Canadians visited California because here in California, we have plenty of sunshine and a whole lot of love for our neighbors up north."
A similar invitation came from the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism in the Adirondacks district of Upstate New York.
"This year, regardless of political tension, our communities remain committed to ensuring that Canadians seeking an Adirondack getaway will continue to feel welcome," said the group's CEO, Dan Kelleher, said in a statement. "We continue to hope that our Canadian friends, along with those from across the Northeast U.S., will come here to get away."
Visits by Americans to Canada also declined during the month of May, as car trips were down 8% and air arrivals declined 0.3% according to the Statistics Canada study.