Canadians cut their US travel by a quarter last year. They're not rushing back.

Canadians won't extremity giving US trips the acold shoulder.

According to Statistics Canada's National Travel Survey released Tuesday, Canadian residents took 5.5 cardinal trips that included a sojourn to the US successful the first 3 months of 2026, down 10.6% from the aforesaid play past year.

The figures widen a crisp pullback that began past year. A Statistics Canada report released past period said that the number of Canadian residents returning location from trips to the US fell 25.4% successful 2025 compared pinch 2024.

It was the deepest and astir sustained non-pandemic diminution connected record: 11 consecutive months of year-over-year falls. Border crossings successful early 2026 remained astir late-2025 levels, which Statistics Canada said pointed to a "persistent shift" distant from the US.

The pullback began aft President Donald Trump imposed wide tariffs connected Canada and Mexico successful early 2025, prompting calls for Canadians to boycott US equipment and vacations.

Now, the waste and acquisition conflict has flared up again. US-Canada trade talks collapsed down past week, and caller 50% US tariffs connected astir $20 cardinal of Canadian imports took effect connected Saturday.

Canada has said it will retaliate dollar for dollar from September 8, and connected Tuesday announced a bid of targeted tariffs connected 700 US products, from alloy and aluminum to each types of caller and stiff fish.

That retaliation came successful consequence to Trump's announcement connected Monday that tariffs connected Canadian cars, trucks, car parts, and alloy would emergence to 50% from January 1, 2027.

Rachel J.C. Fu, chair and professor successful the University of Florida's Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management and head of its Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute, said the renewed tensions could make a accelerated betterment little likely.

"The 2025 numbers propose that we are looking astatine much than a impermanent guidance to 1 governmental announcement aliases 1 information of tariffs," she said. "We are seeing grounds of a broader alteration successful Canadian recreation sentiment and, potentially, recreation habits."

Canadians recovered different places to go

Flight Center Travel Group Canada's information show that US leisure bookings person improved from past year's lows, but stay beneath their pre-pullback levels.

New US leisure bookings made from January done August for recreation this twelvemonth were down 7.4% from the aforesaid play successful 2025, while turnover slipped 1%, Flight Center said. July bookings roseate 5.7% from July 2025 but remained 39% beneath July 2024 levels.

"We're seeing betterment from the lows of 2025, but clearing a very anemic 2025 barroom is not the aforesaid arsenic returning to erstwhile recreation patterns," Amra Durakovic, Flight Center Travel Group Canada's caput of communications, told Business Insider.

Fu said the existent consequence for US destinations is that Canadians whitethorn person developed caller picnic habits.

"Once travelers found caller picnic patterns, destinations person to compete to triumph them back," she said.

Domestic recreation roseate by 5 cardinal visits successful 2025, while overseas trips accrued by 1.3 million, Statistics Canada said, pinch visits to Europe rising 13.6%, while visits to Asia climbed 16.7% past year.

Economic fallout for the US

The displacement could transportation an outsize costs for US tourism businesses.

Leisure trips to the US fell by 21.5% successful 2025, aliases by 3.2 cardinal visits, Statistics Canada said.

Canadian spending connected US trips fell by $3.3 billion, to $18.8 cardinal successful 2025. Leisure-travel spending fell by $2.2 billion, to $12.1 billion, accounting for astir of the wide decline.

"Many redirected their recreation spending elsewhere," Fu said. "This is not simply mislaid demand; it is request being captured by competing destinations."

The effects could beryllium felt astir acutely successful separator communities and warm-weather destinations that dangle connected Canadian holidaymakers, she said. Those visitors support hotels, restaurants, attractions, retailers, rental-car companies, airlines, play courses, and cruise businesses.

Leisure matters particularly because Canadians walking overseas chiefly for holidays spent astir 5 times arsenic overmuch arsenic those whose main intent was visiting friends and relatives. Family-related US visits fell 9% successful 2025, acold little than leisure trips, per Statistics Canada.

"In tourism, losing a visitant for 1 play is simply a gross problem," Fu said. "Losing that visitor's wont is simply a market-share problem."