These states are feeling the pain: The number of Canadians travelling to the U.S. has dropped by more than 30%

In 2024, Canadian tourism generated $20.5 billion in spending in the United States, according to the U.S. Travel Association. However, that number is expected to tumble this year, with several metrics showing northern visitors aren’t crossing the border as frequently as they used to. Florida, California, Nevada, New York, and Texas are the states most negatively affected.

Canadian traveler numbers down by road and by air

Data from Statistics Canada shows the number of people driving back to the Great White North from the U.S. in June was down 33.1% compared with the same month last year. It was the sixth consecutive month in which a year-over-year decline was recorded. As for air travelers, the same figure dropped by 22.1%.

The bleak outlook is confirmed by aviation data from OAG, a global travel data provider, which shows that advance bookings for flights from Canada to the United States between April and September this year were down more than 70% compared with 12 months ago.

How the U.S. economy could be affected

The U.S. Travel Association has reported that a 10% reduction in Canadian tourists would mean $2.1 billion in lost spending and 14,000 job losses.

According to Road Genius, in the most recent year measured, Canada (20.24 million) supplied the highest number of international tourists to the United States, ahead of Mexico (16.99 million). The U.S.’s two neighbors are significantly ahead of the third country on the list, the United Kingdom (4.04 million).

Florida, California, Nevada, New York, and Texas are typically the states that see the highest number of Canadian tourists, although New Hampshire, which shares a border with Canada in the east, has also reported a sharp drop in Canadian visitors.

“51st state” and tariff controversies

Relations between the United States and Canada appear more strained than usual in recent times, which may be contributing to the trend.

Last December, Donald Trump provocatively said he would make Canada his country’s “51st state,” while the U.S. President signed an executive order increasing the tariff on Canadian goods from 25% to 35%, which has led to a “buy Canadian” movement north of the border.

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