Travel to the U.S. takes another hit in April as Canadians vacation elsewhere [Video]

Travel to the United States took another hit in April as an “elbows up” attitude persists among Canadians, who eschewed the country amid anger over tariffs and annexation threats from the U.S. president.

Canadian residents returning by automobile from the U.S. in April fell on a year-over-year basis for the fourth consecutive month, preliminary numbers released by Statistics Canada showed Monday. The 1.2 million trips represented a 35.2 per cent drop from the same month in 2024 and 45.1 per cent lower than April 2019, before the pandemic.

In a backlash against U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and “51st-state” threats over the past few months, Canadians have cancelled trips and appear to be stepping back from making future travel plans south of the border.

This trend in leisure travel is likely to persist, and even ramp up, over the coming months, says Richard Vanderlubbe, president of the travel agency tripcentral.ca.

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