The Canadian boycott of travel to the United States is showing no signs of a let-up, according to the latest figures from Statistics Canada, which reveal a year-on-year decline in visitor numbers for August, marking the eighth month in a row that travel from Canada to the US has declined.
The majority of Canadians travel by road into the US, but road trips crossing the border from Canada fell by 34% in August 2025 compared to August 2024, and that follows a 37% decline in July.
Similarly, fewer Canadians took to the skies to reach their southern neighbour, with a 25% year-on-year drop in air travel for August. It seems Canada’s resolve is holding steady after a 26% drop in July.
The situation is reciprocal, but the decline in US travel to Canada is not as catastrophic. Five per cent fewer Americans travelled by car to Canada in August 2025 compared to the previous year, and four per cent fewer took the plane, whereas the year-on-year fall in Canadians visiting the US has been in the double-digits since April.
Canadians are not the only ones turning up their nose at the idea of visiting the US. Amid Trump’s controversial foreign relations and border security so tight that it has prompted travel warnings from countries as far and wide as China and Germany, holidaymakers from around the world are choosing to spend their vacation budget elsewhere.
Call it the “Trump Effect” pic.twitter.com/qbfevrrxXS
— Maine (@TheMaineWonk) September 9, 2025
The US Travel Association has repeatedly warned of the ruinous consequences of the trend some have dubbed the “Trump Slump,” calculating that up to €29 billion could be wiped from the US economy. Various US destinations previously popular with Canadian consumers, such as California and Las Vegas, have attempted to win them back with discounts and persuasive delegations. However, as Steve Hill, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, told the press in early September, “A portion of our friends in Canada are not happy with us right now. We want them to come back, but we understand they may not be ready to do that.”
The #TrumpSlump for tourism continues. @POTUS’s policies are discouraging people from traveling to @Vegas and destroying our hospitality economy. pic.twitter.com/aF3rN3y5sp
— Dina Titus (@repdinatitus) July 30, 2025
Conversely, the Canadian economy appears to have benefited from Canadians choosing to take breaks at home, where the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) forecasts domestic tourist spending will hit $104 billion by the end of 2025, a year-on-year increase of eight per cent.
As well as Canada itself, other destinations like Europe, Mexico, and Latin America have been boosted by the 26% of Canadians who, according to an Angus Reid travel survey commissioned by Moneris, have adapted their travel plans in the wake of Trump’s election and his inflammatory comments about Canada becoming a 51st US state. Despite US destination managers’ best attempts, it’s a stand-off that looks unlikely to end soon.
