Canadian travel to the United States has fallen sharply, with some travelers citing political rhetoric, immigration concerns, and the feeling that recent U.S. policies don’t match their values—even as a temporary visa-bond waiver tied to World Cup ticket holde
For Paul Doroshenko, the last long stretch in the United States ended more than nine years ago. In his mind, it isn’t the distance that has changed—it’s the mood.
The Vancouver lawyer says he hasn’t planned another trip since 2017. when he attended a trade conference in Arizona that overlapped with President Donald Trump’s first inauguration. He watched the ceremony on television in a hallway. calling himself a “close political watcher.” His break from the U.S. narrowed further after Trump’s second inauguration. when he started feeling “very concerned” about the administration’s stance on diversity. equity and inclusion. a string of detainments over the past year. and rhetoric about taking over Greenland and Canada.
Doroshenko told MISRYOUM that “all of these things come to play,” and that the decisions Canadians are making now are political but also deeply personal. He pointed to fears tied to immigration enforcement and treatment at the border.
“It’s insulting and offensive and not the way you treat your neighbor or business partner,” he said.
For him, the issue isn’t whether Americans and Canadians do business well together. He says success on both sides has always been intertwined. What’s different now, he argues, is that current U.S. policies run against what he considers core values—and until he sees a “significant shift. ” he has canceled all upcoming American vacations.
A sharp drop, measured in millions
Doroshenko isn’t an outlier in what the numbers are showing. The decline in Canadian travel to the U.S. has been building for years and accelerated enough that the shift is now visible in official statistics and travel-industry data.
According to Statistics Canada, the number of Canadian residents returning from the U.S. in February 2026 was 1.1 million. That is a drop of 13.25% from 1.27 million in February 2025 and a 28.2% decline from 1.41 million in February 2024.
That trend also shows up in a separate look at mobile behavior. A Toronto University study published in May 2026 analyzed cell phone activity data and found an even larger fall: comparing April 1. 2024. to March 31. 2025. with April 1. 2025. to March 31. 2026. there was a median 42% decline in Canadian visits to the U.S.
While global travel is surging, the U.S. hasn’t been winning that momentum. As travelers from Canada decide where to put their time and money amid rising travel costs, many are choosing domestic trips or other destinations such as Europe and Mexico.
The U.S. has slipped as the top stop for Canadians, and the ripple goes beyond tourism brochures. On the inbound side, the U.S. is losing traction with all international visitors as well.
The U.S. Travel Association reported that overall visitation to the U.S. by foreign nationals dropped by 5.5% by volume in 2025, with the decline driven mainly by fewer Canadians. The impact reached spending too: that translated into a 2.4% loss in inbound travel spending revenue. The data also underscores why this shift matters—Canadian travelers spend three times as much on their U.S. trips as Americans do.
Rules at the border, and a threat in “sanctuary” cities
The U.S. travel slowdown has collided with another policy discussion—one that targets how quickly travelers and cargo are processed at major airports.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin recently floated the possibility of ceasing customs and immigration processing of international travelers and cargo at major airports in “sanctuary” cities such as Denver. New York and Los Angeles. Earlier this month, private warnings were sent to travel executives. Industry groups have pushed back.
Airlines for America warned that reduced staffing at major hubs would have a “devastating effect” on U.S. tourism and the airline industry.
Even for Canadians who don’t see themselves as staying away permanently. the combination of political rhetoric and uncertainty about enforcement can change how they plan. Doroshenko described a lingering sense that Canadians could face detention or public humiliation. including fears related to rhetoric about the “51st state.” He also cited “Canadians being detained” and “Canadians locked up in immigration detention. ” calling the idea of treating neighbors and business partners that way “insulting and offensive.”.
Where the money goes instead
Skipping the U.S. hasn’t stopped Doroshenko from traveling. He says he simply swapped the direction.
He traded a trip to Florida for a trip to the Dominican Republic. He said his wife and children canceled a visit to Disneyland and went to Europe instead. He has also skipped U.S. conferences and trade shows, choosing an upcoming conference in Mexico.
When the U.S. feels politically off-limits, he said, British Columbia has started getting more of his attention than it has in the last decade.
This summer, more Canadians are leaning into options closer to home. Expedia’s Summer Travel Outlook said domestic travel is getting the edge. with shorter. closer trips offering “more bang for their buck.” Based on Expedia’s lodging searches from Jan. 5 to April 5, 2026, for travel between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2026, the most popular domestic destinations for Canadians are Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. On the international side, Paris, London and Rome remain the top choices.
A World Cup spike may help—but only if conditions hold
There is a possible opening for a rebound later in the year, driven by major events and a partial easing of travel paperwork for certain visitors.
The latter half of the year could see some recovery, with events like the FIFA World Cup 2026 drawing more travelers. The projection included a 21% increase in Canadians.
At the same time, the U.S. government’s response is not a blanket invitation. The Trump administration temporarily suspended a visa bond requirement for World Cup ticket holders. But the projected rebound hinges on more than tickets.
The organization that laid out the Spring 2026 U.S. travel update said the increase would depend on “policy conditions, global sentiment and geopolitical stability.”
That conditional language matters, because it echoes what many Canadians are reacting to right now: the feeling that rules—and the tone around them—can change how safe or welcome travel feels.
Still, some Canadians say they’re not backing away
Not all Canadians are staying away from the U.S. For some, personal relationships and community events carry more weight than politics.
Sharon Wickham, who lives in Alberta, continues to visit the U.S. She comes mainly for cowboy-mounted shooting competitions with her horses and said she enjoys meeting “like-minded grassroots people.” As long as her paperwork is in order, she said she hasn’t had trouble at the border.
“To those boycotting traveling to the U.S., I believe, are missing out,” she said.
Carla Foley, based in Winnipeg, is another Canadian still making the trip—largely as a snowbird. She described a childhood tradition in which her family spent half the year in California. She recently spent three weeks in Arizona and is headed to New York in June for the kickoff of the FIFA World Cup.
Foley said Trump’s previous rhetoric about Canada’s sovereignty and the trade wars felt “disheartening.” She said she could see how that fueled fear among fellow Canadians, but that her own perspective is different.
“We’re very strong, and Canada to me will always be Canada,” she said.
Foley, who is also a small-business owner, said she hopes Canadians think about who actually gets hurt by boycotts. She argued that travel cutbacks don’t punish leaders; they hit communities.
“You’re not hurting Trump and you’re not hurting people who have billions of dollars,” she said. “You’re just hurting those little small businesses that relied on you coming down every year to support your little town or whatever it is.”
For Foley, the message is simple and aimed across the border: politics should stop driving the relationship.
She hopes travelers on both sides can look past it. “I just wish that all the politics on both sides would simmer down – we are each other’s closest neighbors.”
The picture the data paints is stark: Canadians are changing destinations. cutting time in the U.S. and deciding the country is not the default choice it once was. Whether the World Cup brings back momentum depends on whether the policy temperature—and the uncertainty around border processing—falls enough to let travelers book with confidence.
Canada to U.S. travel decline Paul Doroshenko Statistics Canada Statistics Canada February 2026 1.1 million U.S. Travel Association 5.5% drop Canadian travel spending visa bond waiver World Cup 2026 Markwayne Mullin sanctuary cities Airlines for America staffing warning Expedia Summer Travel Outlook FIFA World Cup projected 21% increase Canadians