New figures suggest Canadians — often described as America’s “neighbors to the north” — are scaling back both the time and money they spend visiting the US, following President Donald Trump’s heated remarks about annexing Canada.
While the president’s hardline opening stances frequently don’t translate into policy outcomes — a pattern that has even picked up the nickname TACO (Trump Always Chicken Out) — the comments about absorbing Canada appear to have struck a nerve across the border.
Compared with the previous year, fewer Canadians are taking trips to the US after Trump floated the idea of making the country “our cherished Fifty First State,” tying the provocation to demands in ongoing trade disputes.
Passenger data compiled from eight of Canada’s busiest airports indicates tens of thousands of would-be visitors chose not to travel to the US over the past year. Overall passenger volumes on US-bound routes dropped by about seven percent, and carriers have reportedly responded by pulling some summer services.
Between March 2025 and March 2026, the combined number of travelers heading to the US from those eight airports fell to roughly 1.2 million. That drop happened even as the airports themselves recorded higher overall passenger totals over the same 12-month period.
Some hubs actually saw strong growth in general traffic during the period when US travel declined. Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International Airport, for example, posted a 15 percent year-over-year increase, according to the National Post.
Toronto also recorded a notable rise, with passenger counts up by 14 points, while Calgary saw an 11 percent increase in overall footfall.
Those aviation numbers reflect a broader cooling in Canada-to-US travel that coincides with Trump’s trade fight targeting sectors such as dairy, steel, and autos. Other indicators help explain how Canadian vacation choices may be shifting beyond air routes alone.
Airbnb recently published research pointing to a rise in domestic Canadian travel, attributing the change in part to Trump’s rhetoric, tighter border enforcement, and a broader immigration crackdown.
The report found: “Canadians chose to explore their own country in record numbers in 2025, with over 9.5 million domestic guest arrivals, accounting for over 60 per cent of all trips on Airbnb — up more than 50 per cent since 2019.”
A closer look at the bookings suggests many travelers are staying especially close to home, with a jump in reservations made within their own province. These hyper-local trips reportedly made up around 50 to 70 percent of stays.
The downturn in Canadian visits may also reflect headwinds for US tourism more generally. The World Travel and Tourism Council has cited a 5.5 percent fall in visitor numbers since 2024, alongside a 4.6 percent decline in tourist spending to $176 billion.
Even so, the upcoming FIFA World Cup — expected to draw around 1.2 million visiting fans — could offset at least some of the shortfall from fewer Canadian travelers in the months ahead.