Steep Decline in Canadian Travel to the U.S. in March – But We’re Not the Only Ones
by Bruce Parkinson
Fowler says people are so much more than the governments that happen to represent them.
New data from Statistics Canada revealed a growing shift away from travel to the U.S. last month, both by car and air. And new data from U.S. sources shows that Canadians aren’t the only ones adjusting their destination choices in the tumultuous early months of President Donald Trump’s second term.
In March, the number of Canadians taking road trips into the U.S dropped by 32% compared to March 2024. More importantly for travel advisors, there was a 13.5% decline in air travellers from Canada compared to March 2024. That followed a 23% year-over-year drop in car travel in February, and a 2.4% drop in air travel.
The U.S. Travel Association (USTA) warned in February that even a 10% reduction in Canadian inbound tourism could translate to more than US$2.1 billion in lost spending. A sustained decline of more than 30% in Canadian visitors would compound the losses to the U.S. economy.
The plummeting numbers come in the wake of Canadian anger after President Donald Trump announced tariffs and began referring to Canada as “the 51st state.”
But it’s not just Canadians – who account for a quarter of international visitors — shying away from travel to what is traditionally one of the world’s most popular destinations. The next biggest market is Mexico, and there were 23% fewer air travellers to the U.S. in March compared to March 2024.
According to preliminary data released last week by the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), there was a 17% decline in inbound travel from Western Europe to the U.S. last month. March inbound tourism volume also dropped year over year from the Caribbean (26%), Central America (24%), South America (11%), Africa (10%), Oceania (8%) and Asia (1%).
NTTO data showed that March inbound tourism volume also dropped year over year from the Caribbean (down 26%), Central America (down 24%), South America (down 11%), Africa (down 10%), Oceania (down 8%) and Asia (down 1%).
U.S. carriers including Delta and United are reducing seats on Canadian routes, while Canadian carriers Flair Airlines and Air Transat recently chopped 30,000 April seats on trans-border routes.
As the peak summer travel season nears, it is unclear whether the Canadian travel boycott will wax or wane. But according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, third-party flight bookings made in the first quarter 2025 for travel in April through June are down by 21% from major Canadian cities to key U.S. destinations.
