The growing trend of Canadians avoiding the United States for travel is still going strong, according to new data from Statistics Canada.
It’s a pattern that’s been consistent for multiple months in a row as the trade war has shifted the mindset of travellers from Canada and around the world.
Statistics Canada said on Wednesday that trips by Canadian residents returning from the U.S. in May fell 31.9 per cent compared with May 2024, and that’s the fifth straight monthly year-over-year decline, while return trips from overseas increased by 8.9 per cent.
The report also shows that Canadians overall are travelling abroad less in 2025 than in previous years, with a 22.5 per cent decrease in trips outside the country’s borders in May 2025 compared with the same period a year ago, which marks the fifth consecutive monthly year-over-year decline.
When looking month to month, May saw a decrease in trips abroad by just over three per cent from April.
Fewer Americans are taking trips to Canada as well, with May marking the fourth straight monthly drop in U.S. resident visitors, falling by 5.6 per cent compared with the same month in 2024.
Ever since the start of the trade war and U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, Canadian views of their southern neighbour have soured.
This may be rooted more in a sense of “betrayal” by the Trump administration and tariffs, as the U.S. has long been Canada’s closest ally in both trade, tourism and defence.
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The U.S. has noticed the drop in Canadian visitors, too, according to some senators who visited Ottawa on Monday, with one speaking directly to Canadian tourists, saying, “We miss you.”
When some Canadians have the option to travel abroad, they may be looking more than before to places like Europe instead of the U.S., according to Statistics Canada.
Canadian resident trips by air from overseas countries increased by 9.3 per cent in May 2025 compared with one year earlier. That compares with a 17.4 per cent drop in trips by Canadian residents by air from the U.S., and a 37.4 per cent drop in trips by automobile from the U.S.
This boost in travel demand to places like Europe has been echoed by data from airlines and airports, and comes as more and more Canadians are choosing to travel domestically.
Canadians have responded to the trade war tensions with a renewed sense of patriotism that focuses on the local economy, where Canadians are being more particular about where their loonies are being spent.
Many are prioritizing supporting locally made and sourced products and services wherever possible.
The Canada Strong Pass was developed by the federal government as a way to make it easier for Canadians to access national parks, museums, galleries and Via Rail for free or at a reduced cost.
When first announced, Prime Minister Mark Carney, then the Liberal party leader, said the Canada Strong Pass was being launched “at a time when our economy is under attack from President Trump.”
Carney added: “We are a proud country – and united, we will strengthen our Canadian identity in the face of this crisis.”
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