More Canadians plan to travel this summer, but not to the US: poll
While a majority of Canadians plan to travel this summer, numbers of those planning to visit the U.S. are down from last year
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OTTAWA — While more Canadians are planning to travel this summer, U.S. destinations are not on the itinerary.
New polling released Thursday by Leger show a surge in Canadians looking to take a leisure trip this summer — 55%, up from just 47% in 2024.
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But fewer Canadians are considering spending their vacation dollars in the United States, with just 10% of respondents saying their plans include America.
That’s down sharply from 23% last year.
Of those planning a summer trip, 77% say they plan to stay within Canada — up from 69% last year.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war is a key factor in people’s decision to avoid American travel, with seven-in-10 saying they’re less likely to travel south of the border this year — 71% this year compared to 59% pre-tariffs.
For those looking to get away from it all, Canadians are also opting to spend their vacation dollars overseas instead of the U.S.
Data from Statistics Canada shows that during the first five months of this year, Canadians booked 10% more overseas flights than they did last year, with flight bookings to U.S. destinations dropping by 20% over the same time period.
Cross-border car trips have also fallen by 35%, prompting concern for both U.S. border towns and Canada’s land border duty free shops — who were on Parliament Hill this week seeking federal help.
As well, 48% plan on staying in-province this summer, up from 38% last year, while 42% say they’re more likely to travel outside of their province.
While most blame tariffs on their avoidance of the U.S., other concerns cited include the political climate (61%,) personal safety fears (47%,) poor exchange rates (46%) and feeling unwelcome by Americans (44%) as factors for staying in Canada.
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Seventy-five per cent say the trade war directly influenced their decision — 56% planned to visit the U.S. but will now go somewhere else, 21% said they’ve cancelled a previously booked trip, and 6% said they’re considering cancelling.
Of those still planning a U.S. trip, 43% say they still wanted to visit their destination, 41% said the political climate between Canada and the U.S. won’t factor into their decision, and 27% say they’re visiting family or friends.
Data was gathered among 1,537 adult Canadians between May 16 and 19 via Leger’s online panel.
As margins-of-error cannot be applied to online polls, an equivalent sample size would yield margins no greater than ±2.50%, 19 times out of 20.
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