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Canadians’ trips to the U.S. declined by $3.3 billion last year as citizens remained wedged in the midst of a new economic and political arena sparked by President Trump’s second term.
Our neighbors up north spent $18.8 billion on trips to the U.S. in 2025, according to a recent report from Statistics Canada.
Leisure trips to the U.S. dropped by $2.2 billion while international travel for leisure increased by $3.6 billion for Canadians.
The report says family related travel to the U.S. also decreased within the span of 11 months, but noted that the decline was much slower than the drop recorded in leisure travel.
“The magnitude of the pullback grew as the year progressed, bottoming out in July, with border crossing volumes nearly one-third below those reported 12 months earlier. Return crossings then stabilized in late 2025 to about one-quarter below 2024 levels,” the report says.
The report said its findings reflect the lowest number of border crossings since 1972, when digital recordkeeping began for the Frontier Counts program, excluding the pandemic period.
It notes the year-over-year declines of more than 30 percent were only previously recorded after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.
Canadian residents returning from the U.S. dropped by over 70 percent from December 2024 to December 2025, according to the report.
Months into his second term, Trump initially imposed a 25 percent tariff on Canadian goods via the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
The president cited border security and fentanyl concerns as reasons for the levies, though USMCA-compliant goods were generally exempt.
There was a 10 percent tax on energy and potash in addition to tariffs on timber, lumber and certain vehicle parts imported from Canada.
Most of the tariffs were repealed in a February Supreme Court ruling that determined Trump overstepped his presidential power.
However, businesses and consumers in the U.S., Mexico and Canada had already faced repercussions leading to tension that influenced travel.
Trump has since threatened additional tariffs on Canada for wildfire smoke impacting Michigan and previously made quips about Canada becoming the “51st state.”
Despite the drop in Canadian travel to the U.S. in 2025, trips have begun to inch back up as government officials aim to mend relationships with the bordering countries via an ad campaign, according to CBC.
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