In 2025, Canadian travelers significantly reduced their expenditures on trips to the United States, spending $3.3 billion less than in the prior year. This notable decrease, from $22.1 billion in 2024 to $18.8 billion in 2025, highlights a shift in travel patterns amid ongoing political and trade tensions between the two countries.
As Canadian spending on U.S. travel decreased, there was a corresponding rise in international travel outside the United States. Canadians increased their spending in this category by $3.6 billion, reaching a total of $22.8 billion. European destinations saw a nearly 14% rise in visits from Canadians, while travel to Asia surged by almost 17%, indicating a preference for alternative international locations over the U.S.
The decline in travel to the U.S. was also evident in border traffic statistics for 2025. Return trips from the U.S. to Canada, whether by road or air, plummeted by approximately 25% compared to the previous year, with the most significant drop occurring in July, when crossings decreased by roughly one-third.
This downward trend in Canadian travel to the United States has persisted into 2026, with volumes remaining substantially below those seen in previous years. Officials suggest that these figures reflect a sustained shift in Canadian travel behavior, with more travelers looking beyond the U.S. for their international adventures.