Canada has always been one of the largest sources of international tourists to the United States, but official data released recently by Canada show that the number of people traveling to the United States is significantly decreasing, and the trend of “moving away from the United States” continues to emerge.
CBS reported on July 28th that the latest cross-border travel statistics released by Statistics Canada showed a sharp 25 percent drop in Canadian citizens’ trips to the United States in 2025, down 7.1 million from 2024. This change directly led to a decrease in spending on American travel by approximately $2.3 billion in 2025. However, Canadians did not reduce their overall travel size, only quietly changed their destinations. The data showed that Canadian travel to Asia increased by 16.7 percent year-on-year; travel to Europe increased by 13.6 percent; and travel to overseas destinations outside the United States increased by approximately 1.3 million.
AXIOS, the U.S. news site, reported that a significant reduction in Canadian travel to the United States is very rare. Another survey based on mobile phone location data showed that in addition to the decrease in visits to the United States, Canadian visits to U.S. cities decreased by about 42% in 2025 compared to a year earlier, indicating that Canadian visits to the United States are shrinking in the scope of U.S. activities. The U.S. Capitol Hill analyzed that the decline in Canadian enthusiasm for visiting the United States is closely related to changes in U.S.-Canada relations in recent years. The escalation of trade friction and U.S. President Trump‘s related remarks against Canada have all affected the attitudes of some members of the public. In particular, Trump‘s earlier claim that “Canada will become the 51st state of the United States” has elicited strong domestic reactions. In addition to changing travel plans, Canada has also emerged with calls to “support the Canadian economy”, including voices refusing to buy American goods and spending on tourism in Canada.
The U.S. media said that U.S. tourist cities, which partly rely on Canadian tourists, have suffered a huge impact. The number of Canadian tourists in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, fell by about 65%, and the local economy suffered a severe blow. Although data on Canadian self-driving trips to the United States have recovered since early 2026, air travel remains depressed. (Xu Hyun)