Canadians Cut Back on U.S. Travel as Trade Tensions Persist, New Data Shows

Canadians continued to scale back travel to the United States in November 2025, according to the latest figures from Statistics Canada, as the fallout from the ongoing trade war and strained bilateral relations shows little sign of easing.

Newly released travel data reveals that Canadian resident return trips to the U.S. dropped by an average of 23.6 per cent in November compared with the same month last year. While the decline remains significant, it marks a gradual slowing from earlier months, suggesting the sharpest pullback may have already occurred.

In total, Canadians made about 2.2 million return trips to the United States in November. Of those, roughly 1.5 million trips were by automobile, with 68.5 per cent classified as same-day travel. Air travel accounted for 721,600 return trips during the month.

The downturn has been consistent since early fall. In October, Canadian return trips from the U.S. were down 26.3 per cent year-over-year, following an even steeper 30.9 per cent decline in September, according to previous Statistics Canada reports. Analysts note that comparisons are now being made against the first months after Canadians began turning away from U.S. travel following the re-election of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Despite fewer trips south of the border, Canadians are travelling more elsewhere. Statistics Canada reported that in November 2025, Canadian residents returned from 1.1 million overseas trips, representing a 14.1 per cent increase from a year earlier. The rise continues an upward trend seen in recent months, up from 9.1 per cent in October and 5.1 per cent in September.

Public sentiment appears to be a key factor behind the shift. After Trump launched a broad trade war in the spring of 2025 imposing tariffs on nearly all countries, including Canada attitudes toward the United States among Canadians have cooled noticeably.

A Global News–Ipsos poll released in September found that six in 10 Canadians said they could never trust Americans the same way again, while 71 per cent believed tensions between the two countries would likely persist for several years.

Those tensions were underscored recently at the World Economic Forum, where Trump criticized Canada and singled out Prime Minister Mark Carney.

“I watched your prime minister yesterday. He wasn’t so grateful, but they should be grateful to us. Canada lives because of the United States,” Trump said. “Remember that, Mark.”

Carney responded indirectly the following day during a speech in Quebec City, stating, “Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian.”

Economic nationalism also appears to be influencing consumer behaviour. Another Global News–Ipsos poll from September found that 56 per cent of Canadians said they had recently purchased Canadian products or investments, while 58 per cent reported actively avoiding American alternatives.

As political and economic tensions continue to reshape cross-border relations, the latest travel data suggests Canadians are increasingly choosing to look beyond the United States when planning their trips.