Canadian travellers reconsider U.S trips amid tariff dispute

Airlines and travel agents are reporting a drop in the number of Canadians heading to the United States.

Some Canadians are re-thinking their travel plans to the United States as tensions rise between the two countries over tariffs.

“I’ve been planning on doing a big cycling trip in Utah, Montana and the Pacific Northwest, but just with the uncertainty of everything, I figured now is the best time to travel in Canada,” said Kayla Church.

Some travel agencies, including Flight Centre, are reporting a noticeable drop in bookings.

“When we compare February 2025 to bookings in February 2024, there has been a 40 per cent decrease in Canada to U.S,” said Amra Durakovic, spokesperson for Flight Centre Travel Group. “That’s quite a significant number and I believe that factors in the tariffs imposed and that were sort of imposed or threatened at the beginning of February.”

Durakovic said the value of the Canadian dollar against the American dollar may be part of the reason, too. Despite travelling within Canada being expensive, she said travel agents are seeing more people looking to travel domestically.

“They tell me many Canadians are actually booking right now for the East Coast, so tours specifically are booking up fast as well as, car rentals,” she said.

According to what Durakovic is being told by travel agents at Flight Centre, people are listening to the message from the prime minster and the premiers.

“All of them have been encouraging Canadians to travel elsewhere,” she said. “They’re getting outside of their comfort zone and focusing on alternative destinations where the loonie holds strong, but also where the countries hold or align, rather with our values. So we’re seeing a lot of movement to Europe this year.”

Durakovic reports there has been an increase in bookings to Europe.

Frequent U.S. traveller Tammy Colter said she often goes to the States for sporting with her husband, but that will not be happening anymore.

“We’re deeply influenced with sports and culture and all that good stuff, but I think we’ll watch it on TV this year,” she said.

Church’s family will be going to Europe this spring, but next year they will be planning a trip in Canada. Her mother Patti said the family will be avoiding travelling to the U.S. for the next few years.

“There’s so many other places to go. Why would we choose a place that’s go so many issues, and we don’t completely agree with their values of what their projecting. We’ll stay in our country, and we will love it,” she said.

Not everyone is cancelling potential trips to the U.S., especially those with family members living there.

“I have family in Boston, [and] I have a cousin in California, so they’d be kind of the only reason I’d kind of want to get over there. Other than that, probably now. I’d rather be here in Canada if anything,” said Can Roan. In statements to CTV News, WestJet, Air Canada and Flair say they are monitoring the situation.

WestJet confirms it is seeing Canadian travellers shift their booking from U.S. destinations to places like Mexico and the Caribbean.

Halifax Stanfield International Airport communications advisor Jessica Pettigrew says there have not been any changes to the number of flights heading to U.S destinations.

“We’re not hearing at this time from any of our airline partners that they are removing or reducing any of their U.S. services. Our role as the airport authority is to support and advocate for air access for the community, so at this time we are not seeing any changes being made to those services,” she said.