Canadians reduced their travel spending to the United States by $3.3 billion in 2025, compared to the previous year, according to data from Statistics Canada. Total spending on US trips fell to $18.8 billion, down from $22.1 billion in 2024.
Drop in Canadian travel spending to the US in 2025
The decline coincided with a shift in travel preferences. Canadian spending on travel abroad excluding the US rose by $3.6 billion to $22.8 billion in 2025. Visits to Europe increased by nearly 14%, and visits to Asia rose by almost 17% compared to the prior year.
Return trips to Canada from the US by vehicle and plane dropped by about 25% compared to 2024, with the steepest declines recorded in July 2025 when border crossings fell by roughly one-third from the previous year. Statistics Canada described those declines as 'the deepest and most sustained on record.' Since digital record-keeping began in 1972, only the period after the September 2001 attacks saw a comparable drop of more than 30%.
Preliminary 2026 data indicates the downward trend in leisure travel is continuing, with return trips from the US at levels similar to the end of 2025, which saw a 27% decline in the final quarter. Statistics Canada noted the data signals 'a persistent shift away from the United States by Canadian residents in their travel preferences.' The agency attributed the abrupt change in sentiment to the change in US administration and the implementation of America First policies.