Trump’s trade war is keeping Canadian tourists away

American tourism organizations have been actively promoting Canada in recent years, but Josh Loewen, a Vancouver resident and marketing executive, believes that the recent trade war between the two countries is causing a decline in Canadian tourists visiting the United States. Since President Donald Trump took office, the number of Canadians traveling to the U.S. has plummeted due to his controversial remarks and subsequent trade war.

Loewen finds the U.S. tourism industry's attempts to attract Canadians disheartening, stating that their efforts are "a wasted effort."

Relations between the U.S. and Canadian governments have deteriorated significantly since the collapse of their trade negotiations, with both countries imposing import taxes of up to 50% on various Canadian products. Trump even ordered the renaming of Lake Ontario to "Lake America," while Canada's Prime Minister dismissed insults from Trump's Cabinet as childish and undignified.

Despite these tensions, state and local tourism officials are still striving to persuade Canadians to return. New York State launched a "NY Loves Canada" promotion offering discounts at hotels, restaurants, and attractions, while some Las Vegas hotels are treating Canadian dollars as equivalent to U.S. dollars. Las Vegas tourism officials even visited Canada to meet with travel advisers, tour operators, and airline representatives to show their support.

However, these efforts face challenges as Canadians are increasingly choosing not to travel to the U.S. In 2025, Canadian residents made 25% fewer return border crossings and spent about $2.4 billion less on travel to the U.S. than they had the year before, according to Statistics Canada. The decline in Canadian travel to the U.S. coincided with other headwinds, including a weaker Canadian dollar and rising prices for airfares and hotels.

While there were tentative signs of improvement in May, June, and July, when border crossings slightly picked up, the uptick in cross-border traffic primarily consisted of trips by car, while air travel to the U.S. continued to fall. The U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office predicts that during the first six months of 2026, Canadians will make even fewer overnight visits to the U.S. than they did during the same period last year.

As summer comes to an end, some U.S. destinations heavily reliant on Canadian visitors are entering their most crucial season. Experts are skeptical that the boycott will extend into the winter months, with only a few optimistic tourism officials expressing confidence.