Canadian travel to the U.S. dropped about one-quarter in 2025 compared to the previous year, a new report shows.
The U.S. has been the primary destination for Canadian international travel due to proximity and warmer weather, according to a report released July 22 by Canada's national statistics agency. In all, Canadian residents have returned from the U.S. 25.4% less in 2025 compared to the previous year.
Though Canada has historically been one of the U.S.' closest allies, Trump has imposed tariffs on goods from the northern neighbor and teased making it the 51st state of America. He recently reignited the trade tensions, announcing a 50% retaliatory tariff on a range of goods scheduled to go into effect Aug. 19.
"Following the change in the U.S.
administration in early 2025 and the implementation of America First policies, Canadian travel sentiment shifted abruptly," the report states. The authors found the return crossings in early 2026 stayed at levels similar to late 2025, indicating a persistent sentiment shift.
Canadians traveling elsewhere under Trump administration
The report found that the decrease in visits to the U.S. did not mean Canadians had stopped traveling. Domestic travel increased by 5 million visits (1.5%) and overseas travel rose by 1.3 million visits (10.2%), according to data from the National Travel Survey.
The result has been less money spent on traveling to the U.S., a loss of $3.3 billion, according to the report, which found leisure-related travel was the primary lost expenditure.
The report found the decline in travel has been historic.
"Excluding the COVID-19 pandemic period, the resulting 11-month streak of year-over-year declines was the deepest and most sustained on record for border crossings from the United States," the report states, adding the only other time travel declined more than 30% year-over-year was in September 2001, following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers.
Trump has called for Canada to become the 51st state
Trump's policies that put Canada in the cross-hairs have stirred up animosity from Canadians, everywhere from hockey games to travel plans.
Trump recently moved to impose new 50% tariffs on a range of Canadian goods after threatening to impose tariffs over Canadian wildfire smoke, though the latter is still under consideration, Trump said on July 21.
"I have a good relationship with Mark Carney, but we got to stop the fires up there," Trump told reporters while traveling for the World Cup final match where he shared a suite with the Canadian prime minister.
Back when Carney was elected in April 2025, he had fighting words for Trump.
"As I’ve been warned, America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country. But these are not idle threats," Carney said, according to a transcript by Canadian outlet Global News. "President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us .... That will never ever happen."Carney also called "the American betrayal" a "shock."
Before Carney won that election, Trump had again taken to Truth Social to call for the annexation of Canada, an idea he had floated multiple times.
"Elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes in half, increase your military power, for free, to the highest level in the World, have your Car, Steel, Aluminum, Lumber, Energy, and all other businesses, QUADRUPLE in size, WITH ZERO TARIFFS OR TAXES, if Canada becomes the cherished 51st. State of the United States of America," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "No more artificially drawn line from many years ago. Look how beautiful this land mass would be."
Contributing: Joey Garrison, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at KCrowley@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X (Twitter), Threads, Bluesky and TikTok.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Canadian travel to US dips 25% under Trump's presidency, report says
