Don Delayen and his wife scrapped their plans to visit California this spring, swapping a week in Laguna plus a cruise that sailed back to Vancouver, where they’re based, for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
The decision came after they heard President Donald Trump’s threat to annex Canada into the 51st state. “The tariffs are one thing, but basically it was Trump’s derogatory talk towards Canada that lit the torch,” Delayen said. To the Canadian, it felt like an attack on his country’s sovereignty. It’s not that he’s anti-American; he just doesn’t want to support the U.S. with his money right now.
Delayen isn’t the only Canadian forgoing trips south of the border. Canadian travel to the U.S. is slipping quickly. In March, the number of Canadians crossing the border by car dropped a staggering 32% compared to the same month last year, according to Statistics Canada. Air travel wasn’t far behind, falling 13.5% year-over-year. After a 12% decline in Canadian visitors to California in February, Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a tourism campaign in April encouraging Canadians to visit his “welcoming” state.
It’s the third straight month of sharp declines in Canadian inbound travel to the U.S., following Trump’s renewed rhetoric toward Canada and a wave of new tariffs that some travelers say have made them feel less welcome. As immigration has escalated at U.S. borders and amid high-profile stories of detainments, others worry about their safety and don’t want to take the risk.
The shift has prompted Canadians, who make up the largest demographic of travelers to the U.S., to look elsewhere for their getaways. Some are outright canceling their planned trips. It’s not that Canadians aren’t traveling; they’re just choosing new destinations, with many rediscovering their own country or exploring new locales.