Canadian Visits To America Dropped 21 Percent Amid Trump’s Tariffs and Suggestion Canada Should Become the 51st State

Canadian visits to America saw a significant decline in 2025 amid strained relations between the two countries, putting a squeeze on regions heavily reliant on tourism. Canadians soured on America after Mr. Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian imports and said it should become the “51st state.” A Gallup poll released in July found that 15 percent of Canadians approved of American leadership. Meanwhile, a February poll from Politico found that just 37 percent of Canadians believe that America is still an ally. And they are not just expressing their disapproval in polls, but with their vacation plans, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. In 2025, the number of people entering New York from Canada fell by 3.4 million, a 21 percent decrease. The department reports that there was a 16 percent drop in border crossings at Niagara Falls, which it called the “busiest gateway” for personal vehicles and pedestrians along the northern border. A spokeswoman for Destination Niagara, Sara Cercone, said in a statement, “We have received feedback from Canadian clients who canceled bookings for conferences or events in Niagara Falls from 2025, noting tariffs, travel advisories, and strained government relations between the U.S. and Canada as reasons.”Destination Niagara said on its website that there was a 50 percent decrease in Canadian visitors in 2025 compared to 2024, and the group has said it is suspending marketing aimed at Canadians. Across all ports along the northern border, there was a nearly 19 percent decrease in traffic compared to 2024. Truck, bus, and pedestrian crossings were also down along the northern border.By contrast, personal vehicle crossings along the southern border were down just 1.1 percent compared to the previous year. The decrease in Canadian tourists is putting a squeeze on New York’s economy. New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, said that the drop-off in tourists mostly occurred during the peak tourism season, which she said was “adversely impacting New York’s economy.”“The state’s leisure and hospitality sector, a key driver of the state economy, has also been negatively affected,” she said. “Negative sentiment has reduced border crossings and tourism spending from Canada across the state.”In 2024, Canadian travelers spent an estimated $1.7 billion in New York, making up 8.5 percent of all foreign spending in the state. The North Country Chamber of Commerce said that 83 percent of local businesses in upstate New York reported a decrease in Canadian customers. Tourism agencies in other states are also warning about the impact of decreased traffic from Canada. The chief executive officer of a Michigan-based tourism agency, Visit Detroit, Claude Molinari, told the Detroit News that there was a 30 percent decrease in Canadian traffic to southeast Michigan.“That’s a large decline in a short amount of time,” Mr. Molinari said. “And it’s certainly having a detrimental impact on our area hotels, restaurants, and attractions, which have been able to rely on consistent Canadian travel in recent years.”Some tourist agencies are expressing optimism that Canadian visits will rebound. The North Country Chamber of Commerce said that Canadian visits in January 2026 were down 18 percent compared to 2024, which it cast as a positive development after the 30 percent decrease of last year.The president of the chamber, Garry Douglas, said, “We are hopefully past the worst.”

Canadian Visits To America Dropped 21 Percent Amid Trump’s Tariffs and Suggestion Canada Should Become the 51st State

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