A wave of Canadian travelers is canceling trips to the United States in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest tariff announcement, signaling a significant backlash against the economic policies straining Canada-U.S. relations.
The newly imposed 25% tariff on Canadian imports has led to widespread frustration, prompting a surge in travel cancellations as Canadians rethink their vacation plans. Even long-time snowbirds, who have traditionally spent months in U.S. destinations like Florida and Arizona, are putting their properties up for sale, citing broken trust and political uncertainty.
Since Trump’s tariff announcement, Canadian travel agencies have been inundated with calls from customers scrapping U.S. vacations and rerouting their plans to domestic or international destinations.
“Calls are still coming in,” said Amra Durakovic, head of communications at Flight Centre, one of Canada’s largest travel agencies. “There’s a lot of disappointment. There’s a lot of sadness. And I think there’s a lot of trust that’s been broken.”
Among the high-profile cancellations were:
- A $10,000 vacation to Arizona, abruptly called off.
- A $20,000 family cruise set to port in Miami, now rerouted elsewhere.
Durakovic noted that Canadians are not hesitating to pay cancellation or rebooking fees, underscoring the strength of their convictions. “They are most certainly turning their backs on U.S. travel right now.”
For long-term snowbirds, who traditionally escape Canadian winters in Arizona, Florida, and California, the tariffs and the deteriorating political climate have been a breaking point.
Laurie Levine, a real estate agent specializing in Arizona properties for Canadian buyers, said she has seen a noticeable shift:
“They’ve always seen Americans as their best friends, and now Canadians feel like their friends are letting them down.”
One Canadian couple in San Tan Valley, Arizona, recently listed their home, telling Levine:
“We can afford to stay here, but we’ve had enough. It’s time to do something different.”
Some potential Canadian buyers are now pausing their property purchases in the U.S., waiting to see how the political and economic tensions unfold.
For travelers like Catherine Ann Marshall and her husband Mike Manning, Trump’s announcement was the final straw. The couple had planned to fly to the U.S. for a ski trip with American friends but quickly changed course.
“We looked at each other and said, ‘We can’t go. We can’t support what’s going on down there and spend money,’” Marshall said.
Instead, they canceled their flights to the U.S. and booked a Mont-Tremblant Airbnb in Quebec—where their American friends will now join them instead.
Across Canada, travelers are shifting their plans toward destinations where the Canadian dollar holds stronger value, including Japan and the Caribbean.
Canadian tourists accounted for 11% of international travel spending in the U.S. in 2024, with expenditures totaling $20.5 billion last year, according to the U.S. Travel Association.
Between April and June 2024 alone, 6.5 million Canadians visited the U.S., spending a staggering $6.5 billion. Any disruption to this travel pattern could have significant economic consequences for American tourism.
Even though Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Trump reached a temporary 30-day pause on tariffs, many Canadians remain steadfast in their decision to boycott U.S. travel.
For many Canadians, the fractured relationship with the U.S. feels irreversible. Some, like Marshall, have begun to question whether the neighborly trust between Canada and the U.S. has been permanently damaged.
“I felt absolutely devastated to realize that the cooperative and neighborly relationship I’ve had with Americans my whole life has changed,” she said. “And depending on how this all plays out, it might be permanently changed.”