More than a year after Donald Trump’s return to the White House, many Canadians are still holding firm on their boycott of travel to the United States — and they are spending their vacation dollars elsewhere.
Canadians made 800,000 fewer trips to the US in April compared to the same time in 2024, according to national data. The boycott has meant a loss of about C$3.3 billion ($2.35 billion) in travel revenue for the US last year — money that Canadians have instead chosen to spend overseas or exploring their own country.
The boycott is a response to US tariffs and the president’s comments about annexing Canada. Even with a slight uptick in road trips to the US in April, the financial void has been felt by American cities and states, who have urged Canadians to return through targeted advertisements and special deals.
What Canadians Are Saying
Kent Truscott, from London, Ontario, cancelled a trip to Texas to watch the SpaceX Starship launch with his brother. Instead, he and his wife spent that money in Atlantic Canada — hiking the Cabot Trail and staying at a resort run entirely by women.
“There has been a fundamental break,” Truscott told the BBC. “As much as I would like to say that when Donald Trump leaves everything will go back to normal, well, 70 million people voted for it.”
Lynda Rousseau and her husband moved back to Canada from Texas earlier than planned because of their anger over Trump’s re-election. They cancelled a cruise departing from New York City through the Panama Canal and rebooked on a different cruise through Rome and Barcelona.
“I mean it’s not New York’s fault… but Trump is in charge of it all, and so it all takes a hit,” Rousseau said.
Nick Smith, a Vancouver retiree, has avoided even connecting flights through American cities. Last autumn, he travelled to Mexico City via a direct flight. Earlier this year, he and his wife visited Morocco for the first time.
“We just don’t have anything like that in Canada,” Smith said of experiencing Ramadan in Morocco. He said it would take “more than that” for him to return to the US — he would need to see “some sense of reconciliation” with Canada.
Christie Mitchell, from Powell River, British Columbia, hiked the 490-mile Camino Francés route through Spain to celebrate her 50th birthday instead of taking a trip to Las Vegas.
“It breaks my heart, because I love Americans and I love America,” she said. But she does not want to support the current administration with her purchasing power.
The Financial Impact
The boycott has cost the US about C$3.3 billion in travel revenue last year. New York City’s tourism board has offered Broadway tickets and hotel rooms to Canadian tourists at a 30% discount in an effort to lure them back.
Not everyone is driven solely by Trump’s treatment of Canada. Some Canadians note that the declining Canadian dollar has also made the US less affordable.
But many say they feel their country’s relationship with the US has hit a breaking point, and that it would take a lot for them to return, if at all.
The Bottom Line
Canadians are boycotting US travel in response to Trump tariffs and annexation talk, costing the US an estimated C$3.3 billion in travel revenue last year. Instead of visiting the US, Canadians are exploring their own country, travelling to Europe, and visiting destinations like Morocco and Mexico. Many say it would take a change in leadership and a restoration of relations for them to return.
