Many Canadians continue to move to the United States, and the US economy is paying the price.
A US Tourism Association Report predicting a 3.2 percent decline in foreign tourism activity in the country by 2025, a loss of $5.7 billion We compare to the previous year.
The organization has largely reduced the loss to the decline in the number of visitors to Canada – a trend that has persisted since US President Donald Trump returned to office in January, he sparked a trade war with Canada he started It is referred to in the country as the 51st State.
In Latest data for SeptemberThe number of return trips among Canadians who traveled to the US decreased by 27 percent for air travel, and a jarring 35 percent for land travel, compared to the same period last year.
Canadians traditionally make up the largest group of international visitors to the US, accounting for 28 percent of it 72.4 million visitors by 2024.
Usha Haley, a professor of management at Wichita State University in Wasita State, Kansas, warns that the decline in tourism dollars threatens thousands of jobs.
“The tourism sector is tricky and a major employer in many regions,” he said, adding that job losses could have a knock-on effect.
For example, he said, “Reduced cleanliness in hotels will affect the demand for workers and that will affect the collection of taxes, which can affect the municipality’s income.”
US President Donald Trump, sitting next to Prime Minister Parney, was asked about the decrease in Canadian travel south of the border and said that he thinks “because there is a ‘great love’ between the countries. Trump’s claim that the US has secured $17 trillion in new investment is widely disputed.
Last month, Trump said that Canada’s tourism crisis was “an exploit. There’s a lot of love between the two countries.”
However, since then, he has continued to promote friendly relations with Canada.
between response to anti-tariff ad Introduced by the Government of Ontario, Trump broke off trade talks with Canada late last month. He also threatened to hit the country with more taxes than those set at the beginning of the year.
Trump said the tariffs needed to be fixed Expanded trade deficit with Canada. (The country exports more to the US than it imports.)
However, the decline in American foreign tourism is helping to fuel the disdain for the travel trade, as more and more Americans travel abroad.Ional guests visit the US
The US has historically enjoyed a trade surplus. But by 2025, the travel agency is predicting a shortfall of nearly $70 billion.
Haley hopes that a massive cover-up will take the government aTTTION “as the current US administration is very concerned about trade balances.”
Many Canadians are keeping us away this winter
The travel agency predicts international travel will open in 2026, driven by the US to host the FIFA World Cup and 250 national festivals.
But there are no assurances Canadians upset by the Trump administration will reverse course.
Although snowbird Rena Hans from Toronto owns a condo in Florida, Admamant will not return to the US until Trump is out of office.
“Why do I want to give money to a country whose former president said they want to donate to my country, and put up huge trade barriers?” Hans asked.
Instead, he leaves this weekend for a trip to Costa Rica, followed by another to the Turks and Caicos. In the new year, he plans to spend a month in China and Taiwan.
“There are many other places to go,” he said. “I can’t vote [in the U.S.]but I can vote with my dollars. “
New Angus Reid Poll It suggests that Hans is not alone. Of the 1,607 Canadians surveyed in late October, 70 percent said they would not be comfortable traveling to the US in the winter.
The top reasons for ‘avoiding the country’ were the decision to represent Canada, the current political climate in America, and concerns about improving border security During Trump’s immigration crackdown.
As for border issues, Hans says the Trump Administration’s new registration requirement for long-term travelers is another deterrent. law, which went into effect in Aprilmandates that certain immigrants, including Canadians, who stay in the United States for longer than 29 days must register with the US government.
The law particularly affects border travelers who, If they register at the borderwill be photographed, framed and charged $30 US each.
“For people over the age of 60 to spend a lot of money to plan in Florida for three months … it’s ridiculous,” Hans said.
The Department of Homeland Security told CBC News in an email that the registration rule “aligns with the ongoing efforts of the Department of Homeland Security to improve the safety and security of the United States.”
Many Canadian snowbirds crossing the border into the US are being told they need to be photographed and fingerprinted as part of the new registration process.
US travel groups offer incentives
US States near the Canadian border have already been hit hard by the decline in tourism. In response, several tourism organizations representing regions such as Buffalo, Seattle and Upstate new york launch campaigns Offering discounts and deals on WOO back in Canada.
The last thing to do is to find a spell. The travel group represents Kalispell, a town and ski destination in Northwest Montana, near the Alberta border.
The organization says that the use of the card to buy the card in the years by the year of the nations in the city Between January and September it dropped by 39 percent.
To combat the problem, get Kalispell to create Canadian Welcome Pass There are more than a dozen businesses such as restaurants and hotels offering deals to Canadians on Jan. 15, 2026.
“For years, Montana and Alberta have enjoyed a close relationship,” said Diane Mettler, Managing Director of Discover Kalispell he told CBC radio.
““We just wanted to provide a little incentive,” he said. We miss them. “
Kalispell, Mont. For nine consecutive months, car and air travel to the US from Canada has seen double-digit, year-over-year declines.
Kalispell’s Perford Hotel has seen a 40 percent year-over-year decline in Canadian customers, according to General Manager Brllce Baker.
“It certainly has to affect our bottom line,” he said.
As part of the welcome pass, my local hotel is offering a 26 percent discount on room rates for Canadians.
“I look at it as a way to help, and thank the people who are still coming down,” Buker said. “We want to make sure they understand that we really appreciate them [them]. “
