Canadians Traveling to the USA in 2025

[bankr63]

PEI gets lots of visitors from the USA every year. Where we go camping they always have caravans of Americans arrive in their motorhomes.

Okay Canadian DISers, let's all saddle up and head on down to PEI to fill any of those open campsites!

We've got 6 camping trips booked in Ontario this summer including 3 new to us provincial parks (Ferris, Driftwood, Samuel de Champlain). Maybe next year we'll try a long trip down to the East Coast if I can actually string 3 weeks in a row off.

I think that with Canadians NOT travelling SOB we can probably pick up any slack from Americans who decide not to visit us.

 

[Carolynleanne]

Stats Canada has released statistics for May, giving the year over year drop (or rise) in Canadians visiting the USA. The drop in tourism which started in January continues:

-CAR- -AIR-
+7% +4.6% Dec
+1% -1.4% Jan
-23% -2.4% Feb
-32% -14% Mar
-35% -20% Apr
-38% -24% May

"How low can you go..." - Chubby Checker

I suspect the numbers are close to bottoming out, and we may start to see an uptick in the summer. On the other hand, That Man can't seem to help himself, and he continues to make comments about Canada becoming the 51st state, and he recently raised tariffs on Canadian aluminium and steel to 50%, actions which Canadians are not likely to find endearing.

Number of Canadians returning from U.S. trips down again in May: StatCan

EDIT: as the article points out, Canadians travelling overseas rose 9.8% in May, so Canadians are still travelling, we just aren't travelling to the US.

As someone who works in the tourism industry, I haven't experienced those numbers at all, so I find it very interesting. Currently Fall travel to Disney is booming on my end (from Canadians.)

 

[ottawamom]

Ah yes, but travel to Disney makes up such a small portion of overall travel to the US. Disney people (me included) are a different breed of people. We're obsessed.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

I would be booked for Universal for February if they would release better ticket options for Epic Universe. As soon as those get released we will be booking.

My folks are on the fence about going, and that's their choice. But I refuse to put my travel life on hold again. Life is too short to conform to someone else's wants/beliefs.

 

[Lesverts]

I had been softening my stance about visiting the USA recently. Until the LA Riots Part whatever and the administrations response. When I go to the US it is Denver, New York City and Disney. Two very liberal cities that would be in line for that kind of overreaction that I wouldn't want to be caught up in and Disney is already facing accusations about ICE presence on property. Unconfirmed but wouldn't surprise me.

So now firmly in the gray area camp and still deeply unsure.

 

[grantclaire]

I would be booked for Universal for February if they would release better ticket options for Epic Universe. As soon as those get released we will be booking.

My folks are on the fence about going, and that's their choice. But I refuse to put my travel life on hold again. Life is too short to conform to someone else's wants/beliefs.

I have rebooked my canceled trip to Orlando for March 2026. Maybe because I am becoming a senior nobody has asked me not to go! I am respectful to both sides of the debate.

 

[grantclaire]

I had been softening my stance about visiting the USA recently. Until the LA Riots Part whatever and the administrations response. When I go to the US it is Denver, New York City and Disney. Two very liberal cities that would be in line for that kind of overreaction that I wouldn't want to be caught up in and Disney is already facing accusations about ICE presence on property. Unconfirmed but wouldn't surprise me.

So now firmly in the gray area camp and still deeply unsure.

We cancelled our 2 US trips this year, hoping to go in 2026!

 

[Disney.yyc]

Really missing the parks, our last trip was December 2023, got close to booking a trip at the end of august but my partner who is a person of colour and often mistaken for someone from Latin America, got told by their coworkers that they should avoid the US due to the ICE issues. Curious on other peoples opinions here on the topic.

I also got some American hate yesterday posting a similar question on Reddit saying to stay home and that america doesn’t need us tourists

We looked at potentially Paris or Tokyo but the flight costs are pretty expensive for a family of our size.

 

[asc]

I would be booked for Universal for February if they would release better ticket options for Epic Universe. As soon as those get released we will be booking.

My folks are on the fence about going, and that's their choice. But I refuse to put my travel life on hold again. Life is too short to conform to someone else's wants/beliefs.

I heard a lot of this during the pandemic. World's a very big place.

 

[asc]

We cancelled our 2 US trips this year, hoping to go in 2026!

Hopefully mid terms flip the circus.

 

[asc]

I have rebooked my canceled trip to Orlando for March 2026. Maybe because I am becoming a senior nobody has asked me not to go! I am respectful to both sides of the debate.

Excuse me, both sides? Have you seen the dumpster fire south of the border? Oh wait, our right wing media downplays it.

 

[ronandannette]

Clear as can be. I will not buy US products if I can avoid it. Booze? We have great craft breweries and wineries right here. I did buy some celery a while back, but my lettuce is 100% Ontario grown.

We're doing pretty darned well with finding alternate sources for all our grocery needs - except celery. It just doesn't seem to be coming to us from anywhere but the US. I've basically been doing without it since February, but boy, I miss it!

Look who is the premier in those provinces and you know why.

...or you could think a little more deeply and realize both provinces have privatized liquor sales, rather than government outlets. The "rules" for them are a little different than in say, Ontario or BC, where the province itself is the purchaser of all products. Many liquor outlets in Alberta and Saskatchewan had sizeable inventories of American products as well as purchase contracts that they couldn't cancel, meaning they were paying for and storing products they couldn't sell. They have recently been allowed to re-stock the shelves however the result has been predictable - it's not selling. Just like with groceries, people have learned to manage quite happily without American products. From here, the market will decide.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-lifts-ban-on-american-liquor-imports-but-local-demand-for-u-s-booze-isn-t-the-same-1.7556627#:~:text=The Alberta government has lifted,shot, but will consumers imbibe?&text=The provincial government told Alberta,How does that work?

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

I heard a lot of this during the pandemic. World's a very big place.

Yup, and expensive. I go to the parks for free with air miles. No better trip then a free one.

Excuse me, both sides? Have you seen the dumpster fire south of the border? Oh wait, our right wing media downplays it.

Please don't be rude. Your opinion is just that, and not facts. Just because you are left leaning doesn't mean you are correct about everything. I'm a conservative, and I don't try to force my opinions down people's throats and try to demean them because they have a different opinion.

 

[Average Joes]

Excuse me, both sides? Have you seen the dumpster fire south of the border? Oh wait, our right wing media downplays it.

Grantclaire gets criticized for being "respectful to both sides of the debate". The "debate" referred to I believe is going to Disney or at most vacationing in the U.S. in the current climate. I happen to agree with grantclaire.

By the way Canada grants about $33 per person to the CBC. They are definitely not right wing media. I also believe that right of centre media in Canada have been critical about U.S. tariffs on Canada. Is that not the primary reason for the reluctance for most people to travel to the U.S.? Plus the odd 51st state comments.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

All Canadian mainstream media is 100% left leaning lol

 

[grantclaire]

Excuse me, both sides? Have you seen the dumpster fire south of the border? Oh wait, our right wing media downplays it.

I mean I do not tell people what to do, listen to opinions, make my own decisions. Has nothing to do to do with the media.

 

[bankr63]

All Canadian mainstream media is 100% left leaning lol

Actually, on a global scale, all Canadian TELEVISION Media is pretty close to center. Check out your favorite (or favourite) networks at https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/ and you will see that yes, CBC is the most left, but not very far left from center and CTV is almost dead center if just a little right (almost completely unbiased). All popular Canadian networks score high for factual reporting as well.

The results for traditional paper news outlets can be a little broader. And these do change with time. Back in the day the Ottawa Citizen was a pretty left leaning newspaper because they had the right leaning Ottawa Journal as a foil. Since the closing of the Journal and with new ownership the Citizen rates Right Center now and is the only print paper in a large city. In Toronto you have the Star leaning center left, while the Globe and Mail and National Post leans center right and the Sun leans far right. This provides a bit of balance in available media even if predominantly the outlets are Right.

The results for many US Media outlets are hugely skewed left or right - it must be near impossible to find balance down there. IMO we are blessed in Canada to have so much balanced and factual reporting available.

I take great delight in watching Andrew Chang (CBC) trying to break down the current US politics and stay balanced in his "About That" segments. It's a miracle his brain doesn't explode!

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

@bankr63 we'll have to agree to disagree on this as I see them all as nothing more than Liberal media outlets. No one can persuade me otherwise on this one, unfortunately.

 

[PetePanMan]

Excuse me, both sides? Have you seen the dumpster fire south of the border? Oh wait, our right wing media downplays it.

You seem to have difficulty understanding that others may have different views than you

 

[Average Joes]

One person thinks the media is right wing and another left wing. You have to find some humour in that.

I enjoyed your analysis bankr63. Thank you.