Canadians changing their travel plans

Recent surveys show a significant shift in Canadian travel behaviour when it comes to visiting the United States:

• One poll found that over 65% of Canadians said they have changed their travel plans this year to avoid travelling to the U.S. — with ~35.7% cancelling their trips completely, and ~29.5% choosing a different country instead.

• Another survey reported that among Canadians who had planned a U.S. trip, 56% had either cancelled or modified it.

• A February 2025 poll showed that 48% of Canadians said they were “less likely” to visit the U.S. this year compared to last.

• According to the Travel Health Insurance Association (THIA), about 70% of Canadians intend to avoid travel to the U.S. this year.

Actual travel numbers backing the shift

It isn’t just intentions — the data show real declines in travel:

• For April 2025, return trips of Canadian residents from the U.S. by vehicle dropped ~35.2% compared with April 2024; by air they dropped ~19.9%.

• In May 2025, automobile return trips from the U.S. dropped ~38.1% year-over-year.

• For August 2025, Canadian-resident return trips to the U.S. were down ~29.7% overall; vehicle trips fell ~32.6%.

Why are Canadians avoiding U.S. travel?

The various sources point to a mix of factors:

• Political tensions and trade disputes between Canada and the U.S. — for example, Canadians citing tariffs and a sense of being treated unfairly.

• A weak Canadian dollar vs. the U.S. dollar making travel to the U.S. more expensive.

• A preference for alternatives: more Canadians are choosing to travel domestically (within Canada) or to other international destinations instead of the U.S.

What this means

• The U.S., which has historically been the top destination for Canadians travelling abroad, is seeing a noticeable pull-back in Canadian visitors. For example: in 2024 Canadian-resident trips to the U.S. totaled around 39 million, representing ~75% of all Canadian-resident travel abroad.

• For U.S. tourism and border-economies that count on Canadian visitors, the drop is significant — both in visitor numbers and likely in spending.

• For Canada, this means more of the tourism “dollar” may stay at home or go to other destinations — which could benefit domestic travel sectors.

• For travellers: if you were planning to go to the U.S., this might be a good time to reassess exchange rates, border conditions, and perhaps compare alternatives.