David Truijen has been crossing into the United States for more than 35 years. But in late February, he witnessed something he had never seen before. As he approached the border from Winnipeg, there wasn’t a single car in sight.
Traveling to the U.S. had always meant at least half an hour wait for the Canadian. But things have changed dramatically since February 2025, when a nationwide boycott of American travel and products began in response to Donald Trump’s tariffs and attacks on Canada’s sovereignty.
“I obviously knew what was happening,” says David Truijen, 56, a semi‑retired controller at a land‑surveying firm. “But when we drove straight up to the customs agent in February, no waiting, that really brought it home for me that Canadians just aren’t going to visit our friends to the South now.”
In 2024, more than 20 million Canadians visited the U.S., the highest of any nationality. But last year, Canadian travel to the U.S. fell 21%, draining an estimated $4.4 billion from the American economy.
What began as a sudden, angry reaction has, over the past year, grown into a new reality. Today, for businesses across the U.S., the question is no longer just about short-term losses but about how long this shift will last, and what it might take to reverse it.
“It will be years in the making before we see a reversal,” says Thomas Stockwell, associate professor of economics at the University of Tampa. “But the big story here is that the trust is gone. And it goes beyond Canadians—I don’t know how any country can trust the US at the moment.”
From the upscale hotels in Florida and Las Vegas to the quiet woods of New England, American businesses are feeling the impact.
“Canadian reservations, which normally represent 25% of our summer stays, fell by approximately 90% in 2025,” says Amanda Allen, owner of Wakeda Campground in Exeter, N.H. “We’re hoping Canadians’ desire to return to favorite vacation spots will be strong enough to override the political climate. But to date, it appears this year may be even worse.”
The wider data tell the same story. Double‑digit year‑on‑year declines in Canadian visitors to the U.S. were already recorded in January and February, and 76% of Canadian travelers say they are less inclined to include the U.S. in their 2026 travel plans due to political tensions and tariffs.
ECONOMICS, ETHICS, AND ANXIETY
Truijen may have crossed the border once this year, but only because his 18-year-old daughter bought a sweater for her boyfriend from a store in the U.S. Shipping to Canada ‘was exorbitant,’ so they had it sent to Pembina, N.D., and drove down to pick it up.
Otherwise, Truijen is one of the millions of Canadians now opting to avoid American travel. In November, he chose Mexico over Florida, his original holiday plan.
“It cost our family of six about $8,000,” he says. “I think we’d spend about the same on a trip to Florida.”
This year, the United States is not an option for Truijen either.
“There are many places in the U.S. we want to visit, like the Great Lakes region,” he says. “But we’re not comfortable traveling there, so we’d rather go to Europe for the holidays.”
A recent study on Canadian travel sentiment found that 59% of respondents cite U.S. government policies, trade practices, or political statements as making them less likely to visit.
“I’m not Canadian, but if I put myself in Canadian shoes, I would have the same reactions,” says Stockwell. “They were rightfully pissed that the country they had a very close relationship with basically ended that overnight.”
For Frederique Marquez, who has stopped visiting the U.S. since Trump’s re-election, that sense of betrayal has turned the boycott from a travel choice into an ideological stand. A general manager at a tech company in Montreal, she’s proud of the boycott’s economic impact—but for her, it’s about more than dollars.
“I believe it’s an effective way to signal to the American population that maybe there’s something off happening in their country,” says Marquez, 36. “Because having an entire Canadian population—and we’re known for being generally nice people—to get angry enough to boycott America, it sends a message.”
But politics isn’t the whole story. It’s also the deep sense of anxiety that keeps many Canadians away from the States.
Krista L., senior director at a Montreal real-estate firm, has cut out all trips to the U.S. since last year. For her holidays, she now chooses between Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, and domestic travel.
“A leisure trip to the U.S. right now is out of the question,” says Krista L., 38. “There’s this sense of fear. It’s so volatile these days. Who knows what might happen with ICE and everything else we hear in the news? It’s just not safe.”
She’s far from the only one feeling that way. A January survey found that 45% of Canadian travelers don’t consider the U.S. a safe place to visit.
“IT’S REALLY BROKEN”
Some economists express confidence that the American-Canadian relation can be repaired.
“At this stage, it’s still retrievable,” says James Knightley, chief international economist at ING. “All friends tend to have a bit of falling every now and again, and then you look to rebuild. I don’t see this being any different this time around.”
But Canadians are not so sure. At the very least, many believe, it will take a different administration.
“The trust wouldn’t return with Trump just being like, ‘Oh, okay, we’re fine now,’” says Marquez. “It’s really broken. His administration is not trustworthy, not reliable in its promises.”
For Truijen, the uncertainty runs deeper than a single election cycle.
“While I hope to have a sigh of relief on the second Wednesday of November 2028, now there will always be this concern whether that’s going to happen again,” he says.
“Even if the next president takes another stand, wouldn’t the U.S. turn its back on us again in 2032? Right now, I feel like the trust has gone.”