Fans of Toronto resident Alyssa Daniels and her nine-year-old daughter, both stubborn Dolly Parton, were looking forward to celebrating 50 years of Dollywood in Tennessee this summer, but recently cancelled their plans. Daniels joins the rising wave of anti-American sentiment in Canada as he cites security concerns and indifference and is indifferent to contributing to the US economy.
Tensions between Canada and the United States have risen against tariffs imposed on Canadian imports due to repeated claims by the Trump administration and the US President Donald Trump. The president collected 25% tariffs on all goods in March, except those under the existing North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Canada’s energy and potash are subject to tariffs at a rate of 10%, while Canadian steel and aluminum are currently facing 25% collection. Trump announced mutual global tariffs to be cleaned on Wednesday. A baseline 10% fee for all imports, but the White House fact sheet says Canada is exempt. Canada did not receive additional tariffs, but with the obligations imposed on several items last month still in place, Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday that he will respond with measures.
President Trump’s tariffs and threats have urged many Canadians to cancel plans to visit the US amid the “elbow lift” nationalist movement. (“Elbows Up” is a rally scream inspired by Canadian comedian Mike Myers who quotes Canadian hockey icon Gordie Howe in a recent episode Saturday Night Live. )
Daniels has an entertaining video of her daughter Lyla singing as a toddler to Parton’s songs such as “Jolene” and “Isle of Islands.” “But like many other Canadians, I decided not to travel to America,” she says. “I don’t want to put money in that country.”
Leisure travel bookings for Canadians fell 40% in February compared to a year ago, according to Flight Centre Travel Group Canada, a Canadian travel agency. Advance bookings between Canada and the US plummeted over 70% during the summer flight season, according to an analysis by air data company OAG. Road trips have also declined nearly a quarter of February compared to a year ago, according to Statistics Canada, Canada’s national statistical agency.
Canada Airlines is aware of the trends and responds. Air Canada recently reduced flights to Florida, Las Vegas and Arizona from 10% to 10% since March. Westjet noted changes in bookings from the US to other solar destinations, such as Mexico and the Caribbean. According to air data company Cirium, the number of flights involved in the US from budget airlines Flair Airlines fell 24% year-on-year in March. Air Transat flight figures for March fell 12% year-on-year.
Economic losses in the US travel industry
Canadians around travel to the US will have serious ripple effects. Canada is the top source of international visitors to the United States, with 20.4 million visits in 2024, generating $20.5 billion in spending and supporting 140,000 American jobs. A 10% reduction in Canadian travelers could mean 2 million visits, $2.1 billion in spending losses and 14,000 jobs.
“The travel industry is seen in terms of both domestic and international travel trends, which states that strong dollars, long visa wait times, concerns about travel restrictions, US welcoming issues, recent safety concerns, and these challenges are realistic and require critical action.
Members of the Canadian-based tour company National Tour Association (NTA) said the drop-off for booking trips to the US was “astronomy” and the financial impact was “catastrophic.”
“The decline in group trips from Canada to the US is not only a major loss for Canadian tour operators. American businesses (hotels, restaurants, attractions, shopping venues, sports arenas, experience providers and motor coach companies) have lost millions of dollars this year by losing revenue from cancellations and visits to the president of competition.
In March, the NTA surveyed its US-based members and assessed the impact of a dramatic decline in group travel from Canada. 53% of our members lost business, bookings and/or visits from Canada.
According to Statistics Canada, few Americans are heading north. In February, the number of U.S. residential trips to Canada fell 7.9% from the same month in 2024, with Americans flying to Canada falling 1.3%.
My neighbor’s feelings have worsened
Andrew ESP has been one of many Canadians who have opted to spend their travel dollars in their country or the US rather than in Mexico, Europe or the Caribbean for the past two years, and ESP and four of their peers have gone golfing to Myrtle Beach. They were considering Arizona this year, but switched to Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic.
“The reason for the cancellation was unanimous,” Esp says. “We feel threatened by the rhetoric of the 51st state. None of us want to support the US economy while Canada continues to be avoided and neglected.”
According to ESP, he usually travels to the United States two or three times a year. This includes annual bike trips over the past 15 years. However, this year, Ontario residents will bike north of Montreal, Quebec.
Meredith McCrichy, who lives with her husband and three children in the Lower Mainland area of British Columbia, is about 30 minutes’ walk from the Washington border. When the Canadian dollar is strong, her family travels the nation frequently every six weeks. If the dollar is weak, about 4-5 times a year.
“We travel for simple target runs, concerts, baseball games, weekends, etc,” says McCrichy. “We were hesitant to travel when Trump was first elected, so even in his first term, we were less than before. As soon as he mentioned Canada as the 51st state during the campaign, we knew that if he was elected, we would not cross the border if we took those ‘jokes’ seriously.” ”
Her family made a trip to Disneyland, where they booked the first week of December. “We told the kids that it was at least four years of the last trip, and it would probably be longer depending on what happens.”
Macritchie says she is very troubled by what’s going on. “There are reports of people who are detained for no reason and are asking them to be detained and passed through devices and more. That’s a ‘hell no’ from us,” she says. McCrichy’s family had potential plans to head to Oregon this summer, but it’s now off the table.
Travel advisory updated
Like some European countries, Canada updated its travel advisory for citizens visiting the US in late March, citing changes to US immigration policies and enforcement.
Germany, the UK, Denmark and Finland issued similar warnings, pointing to increased scrutiny at borders, increased visa restrictions and new federal guidelines reportedly affecting transgender and non-binary travelers.
According to an executive order issued by President Trump, Canadians and travelers planning to visit the US for more than 30 days must register. Failure to comply can lead to fines and misdemeanor claims. Previously, Canadians didn’t have to register and only needed a visa if they planned to stay for more than six months.
Some Canadians have not completely ruled out the US
Joshua Potch is traveling to Pittsburgh in June.
“I’ve heard that Canadians have been detained and sent back to the border, so I’m on the fence,” Poff says. “We have friends who go to Buffalo regularly. They are now stopped and searched almost every time. Visitors are searching for phones and electronic devices.”
Despite all these changes, others are not too whimsical about heading to the US. Toronto-based travel blogger Chris Ladder said he is still open to going to work, warning that he would promote his destination once things settle down so that he wouldn’t upset the Canadian audience, primarily. “We don’t have a holiday plan at this time, but we’re considering traveling to the state to visit our family. We don’t have to cut off the family for politics.”
