Guests stroll close to in Previous Orchard Seashore, Maine, on July 22, 2025.
Robert F. Bukaty | AP Picture
The adage “time heals all wounds” just isn’t holding true for Canadian vacationers and their need to trip in America.
Visits to the USA from Canada are down 25.2%, yr to this point, with a 37% year-over-year drop in arrivals by automobile in July alone, in keeping with Tourism Economics.
“Canadians had been already involved over their private funds, however they’ve taken the rhetoric and coverage bulletins from the U.S. administration very personally,” mentioned Amir Eylon, president and CEO of market analysis agency Longwoods Worldwide, which has been regularly surveying Canadian shoppers.
“Sadly, issues have gone from unhealthy to worse,” he added.
A whopping 80% of Canadian vacationers whose journey choices are being influenced by U.S. coverage and politics say U.S. tariffs and financial coverage are the foremost unfavourable affect. Seventy-one p.c say political statements by U.S. leaders are a key unfavourable issue, up from 64% in April, in keeping with Longwoods International’s mid-July survey.
As an alternative of visiting the USA, the place AAA says Labor Day weekend vacationers shall be having fun with lower year-over-year prices for all the pieces from fuel, resorts and flights to automobile rental prices, disgruntled Canadians are planning to journey inside their very own nation or ebook flights to different nations.
“They’re selecting locations similar to Mexico, the Caribbean and Western Europe,” Eylon mentioned.
It’s not simply Canadians who’re staying away.
Geopolitical and policy-related considerations have additionally led to a lower in guests from Western Europe and Asia, specialists say. Abroad arrivals to the U.S. dropped three months in a row, together with a 3.1% drop in July, bringing the year-to-date decline to 1.6%, according to Tourism Economics.
General, the “sentiment drag has confirmed extreme,” the group mentioned in a knowledge replace launched final week. In December, it had forecast an approximate 9% improve in general worldwide arrivals to the USA for 2025. It now expects an 8.2% decline.
Abroad customer numbers all through the USA might dip even additional because of the $250 visa integrity fee set to enter impact on Oct. 1. The brand new cost could be layered on high of different visa charges and apply to most anybody making use of for a nonimmigrant visa for journey to the USA, together with guests from China, Mexico and Brazil.
The U.S. Journey Affiliation calls it “a misguided junk charge” that may hike the upfront prices of visiting the U.S. by 130% simply because the cities throughout the nation already reeling from the lack of worldwide guests are making ready for main international occasions such because the 2026 FIFA World Cup, America’s 250th birthday and the 2028 Summer time Olympics.
The charge, a part of Trump’s signature tax and spending regulation, requires coordination throughout businesses earlier than it is applied, mentioned a Division of Homeland Safety spokesperson, who defended the measure. “President Trump’s One Massive Stunning Invoice gives the required insurance policies and assets to revive to our nation’s immigration system.”
Autumn of discontent
Locations throughout the USA are bracing for additional journey dips within the fall and are adjusting expectations and punctiliously crafting or holding off on new campaigns.
“Our worldwide guests had been forecasted to develop by 15% in 2025 however at the moment are forecast to drop by 10%,” mentioned Dave O’Donnell, vp of strategic communications for Meet Boston, the group that markets and promotes tourism in larger Boston.
In response, the group is planning winter campaigns and media missions to Mexico, the UK and, most notably, Canada. The group plans to host an occasion in Toronto in September, O’Donnell mentioned.
In Rochester, New York, 90 minutes from the Canadian-U.S. border, 12% to fifteen% of holiday makers have historically come from Canada.
Summer time numbers aren’t in but, however “we all know some Canadians are selecting to remain residence or journey to various locations past the U.S.,” mentioned Rachel Laber Pulvino, vp of communications for Monroe County’s tourism company, Go to Rochester.
Rochester’s vacationer points of interest embody the George Eastman Museum, the Robust Nationwide Museum of Play and the Nationwide Susan B. Anthony Museum & Home. The town’s summer time and fall tourism promotion plans have shifted from conventional tourism advertising and marketing messages to a “softer” method, Laber Pulvino mentioned, together with a “Dear Canada” marketing campaign launched earlier this summer time.
“It’s basically a love letter to our neighbors to the north. Our message is easy: Once you’re prepared, we shall be right here,” she mentioned.
Canadians made 20.4 million visits to the USA in 2024. This yr, the steep pullback of Canadian guests is anticipated to most negatively have an effect on northern cities similar to Seattle; Portland, Oregon; and Detroit. In these cities, general worldwide guests are anticipated to say no this yr by about 27%, 18% and 17%, respectively, according to Tourism Economics.
“We sometimes wish to be on the high of lists, however not this one,” Michael Woody, chief technique officer for Go to Seattle, mentioned.
Woody mentioned the projected dip is “definitely regarding” for Seattle. However, he added, Seattle is having an ideal summer time because of an uptick in home guests, summer time live shows by Girl Gaga and several other different headliners, and a cruise season that the Port of Seattle estimates is bringing about 1.9 million passengers to town.
“We’re wanting ahead to when Canadian customer numbers sure again, however that is pushed by so many components that we haven’t any management over,” he mentioned.
In Portland, tourism has remained flat in contrast with final summer time, largely on account of a decline in Canadian guests, mentioned Jackie Hagan, director of communications for Journey Portland. However, heading into fall, Hagan mentioned the tourism company is taking a wait-and-see method to reaching out to Canadian guests.
“It is essential for us to acknowledge and respect their present choices to not journey to the U.S., whereas additionally expressing that we stay up for their return when the time feels proper,” she mentioned.
How’s it moving into Florida?
Not all states and cities are wringing arms over worldwide customer statistics.
Lately launched knowledge from Visit Florida Research estimates that 34.4 million guests traveled to the Sunshine State within the second quarter of 2025, up 5% over the identical interval in 2024. That features 640,000 Canadians — down 20% yr over yr — and a pair of.3 million abroad guests, up 11.4% yr over yr.
In a statement celebrating the uptick in general visits, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis mentioned, “Folks from all around the world come to the Free State of Florida to benefit from our top-tier points of interest, nice climate, and our dedication to public security.”
Greg Fisher, founder and CEO of Destin, Florida-based tour- and activity-booking web site TripShock, is shocked that customer numbers are up.
The tour operators his firm works with report that enterprise is both flat or down to date in 2025, he mentioned. “Many people in Florida are left questioning the place these guests are literally going and what they’re spending their cash on,” he mentioned.
Maybe they will the Palm Seashores. There, worldwide visitation for the primary half of 2025 is up 2.56% yr over yr, in keeping with Milton Segarra, CEO of tourism advertising and marketing group Uncover the Palm Seashores.
Whereas Canadian guests to the world dipped 4.4% yr over yr, worldwide markets similar to Brazil, the UK, Germany and Colombia noticed progress, he mentioned.
Segarra tied the elevated visitation to components similar to new tourism choices “and, after all, the worldwide highlight as President Trump’s chosen residence base.” Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago house is in ritzy Palm Seashore.
