Canada

Canadian Car Travel to U.S. Drops 34% in August, Eighth Straight Month of Decline

Published SEP 10 2025

Story

Above: The Canada-U.S. border in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, Canada on July 12, 2025. Image credit: Nasuna Stuart-Ulin/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Facts

Canadian visitors traveling to the United States by car dropped 34% in August 2025 compared to August 2024, marking the eighth consecutive month of declines in cross-border travel, according to Statistics Canada data.
Statistics Canada
Forbes
Bloomberg.com
Government data also showed air travel from Canada to the U.S. decreased 25% year-over-year in August, following a similar 26% decline in July, with double-digit drops recorded every month since April of this year.
Statistics Canada
Forbes
The decline in Canadian visitors is contributing to a projected economic loss of up to $29 billion for U.S. tourism compared to initial 2025 expectations, with Canadian tourists having spent an estimated $20.5 billion in the U.S. during 2024.
Forbes
Travel And Tour World
Between January and June 2025, Canadians increased interprovincial spending by 5% compared to the previous year, with British Columbia seeing a 3% rise in money spent by residents from other provinces.
Travel And Tour World
Retail Insider
CityNews Vancouver
U.S. border cities are experiencing notable economic impacts, with one New York golf club reporting $400,000 in lost Canadian revenue and the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls seeing traffic drop by 30%. However, some state authorities like the Maine Tourism Office note that higher domestic tourism is helping sustain overall activity despite the decline in Canadian visitors.
Buffalo News
Brandon Sun
Christian Science Monitor
Canadians took 77.4 million domestic trips within Canada in the first quarter of 2025, while domestic visitor spending is projected to reach nearly $104 billion in 2025, representing an 8% increase from the previous year.
Brandon Sun
Forbes

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Trump's aggressive rhetoric about making Canada the 51st state and his punitive tariffs have created a hostile environment that justifies avoiding U.S. travel. The administration's stricter border policies requiring Canadians to register with Homeland Security for stays over 30 days represent an unacceptable intrusion. When three-quarters of Canadians view Trump as dangerous, choosing domestic destinations becomes both a principled stand and smart economics.

The Conversation

Narrative B

While political tensions grab headlines, the reality shows 74% of Canadians proceeded with their U.S. travel plans undeterred by the rhetoric. The 26% who changed plans represent normal market fluctuations, not a systematic boycott. Economic factors like exchange rates and post-pandemic travel patterns better explain shifting tourism flows than political posturing. Canada benefits from keeping tourism dollars domestic regardless of politics.