Canadians are cancelling trips to the U.S. amid tension

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The urge for Canadians to buy local and to support Canadian businesses has been growing since U.S. President Donald Trump announced 25 per cent tariffs, most recently on Canadian steel and aluminum, and made repeated comments about making Canada the 51st state. But has it seeped into the travel world? It may be too soon to tell, but here’s what airlines and travel groups are noticing.

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Toronto-based Porter Airlines said it was “mindful of the overall economic situation” and it was “monitoring booking patterns” between the U.S. and Canada, in an emailed statement to the National Post on Wednesday.

“We initially saw some softening of select U.S. leisure markets, but it is too early to determine if there are any strong trends one way or the other. Many routes have increased bookings in recent days,” the statement said. “If Canadians choose to travel more domestically, 75 per cent of our peak summer capacity is for routes within Canada. There is also the opportunity for more Americans to visit Canada to benefit from the exchange rate.”

WestJet Airlines said it is “actively reviewing and working with the Government of Canada on the potential impacts of tariffs and related countermeasures,” in an emailed statement to the National Post on Wednesday.

“The situation remains dynamic, and we are committed to working toward positive solutions during this time,” the airline said.

Air Canada told the National Post over email that it continues to monitor the situation, but due to its fluidity, it is premature to comment. Air Transat did not immediately respond to the National Post’s request.

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Head of communications for Flight Centre Travel Group Amra Durakovic told the National Post over email that the number of Canadians going to the U.S. was on the decline — although specific data for the amount of travellers they helped rebook on other trips was not available at the moment.

“Within our Flight Centre, Corporate Traveller, and FCM Meetings & Events brands, we have observed a decline in U.S. travel bookings spanning leisure, corporate, and event travel segments following the U.S. administration’s tariff announcement on Feb. 1,” she said.

She said experts at Flight Centre have already helped Canadians change U.S. travel plans and rebook elsewhere, including “bucket-list and milestone experiences valued at $20,000 and more.” She said Canadians are “resilient, resourceful and proud to support the things they believe in.”

Business travel trends have been changing, as well, Durakovic added.

A survey about corporate travellers by market research group YouGov showed that 85 per cent of Canadian small and mid-size enterprises said that “U.S. tariffs or trade restrictions would decrease their businesses’ cross-border corporate travel for trade business activities.”

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More than three quarters of them are looking at new markets. That could signal “a potential shift in North American business dynamics in the short term,” said Durakovic.

The online survey was taken by more than 1,000 Canadian small and mid-size enterprise workers between Dec. 25, 2024 and Jan. 5.

“Yet, despite these changes — including a softening in travel to the U.S. from business travellers in manufacturing, mining, oil and gas industries — the overall sentiment seems to be one of caution,” she said. “We remain optimistic about the enduring strength of the Canada-U.S. partnership.”

One Ottawa artist Jordan Danger told CBC News that she cancelled her trip to the United States later this year as “a matter of principle.”

Another would-be Canadian traveller, Amanda-Lyn Smith, told CBC News that she cancelled a planned two-week trip to Disneyland and Universal Studios. The family is now going on a road trip to Mexico instead.

“We have always been a family that thought of ourselves as allies to those who would consider themselves in the minority category,” Smith said.

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On Feb. 3, Narrative Research published the results of a survey asking residents of the Maritime provinces what impact Trump’s presidency will have on their personal travel to the United States within the next year.

Currently, two thirds of Maritime residents surveyed — 62 per cent, up from 37 per cent in December 2024 — said they expected to travel less because of Trump’s presidency.

When asked why they would travel less, 54 per cent of the Maritimers said it was due to to dissatisfaction or disagreement with Trump’s leadership, values and administration. Nearly 35 per cent of Maritimers said they also had safety concerns and fear of violence, crime and gun culture in U.S.

In addition, nearly 35 per cent of Maritimers said they’d opt to travel less to the United States to financially boycott U.S. goods in opposition to Trump’s economic policies, such as tariffs, as well as his hostility towards Canada.

More than 1,600 Maritimers, including residents from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, took the online survey on Jan. 30 and Jan. 31.

The potential decline in Canadian travellers to the United States could have a devastating effect on the American economy. Canada is the nation’s top source of international visitors, with 20.4 million visits in 2024, the U.S. Travel Association said in a news release on Feb. 3. Those travellers generated $20.5 billion in spending and supported 140,000 American jobs. “A 10 per cent reduction in Canadian travel could mean 2.0 million fewer visits, $2.1 billion in lost spending and 14,000 job losses,” per the association.

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