The variety of cross-border travellers going from Canada to the U.S. dropped by practically 900,000 in March in comparison with the identical month final 12 months, in line with the newest U.S. Customs and Border Safety (CBP) knowledge — simply one of many worst year-over-year drops recorded exterior of the COVID-19 well being disaster.
The border figures present 4,105,516 travellers crossed the U.S. northern border in March of this 12 months, down from 4,970,360 individuals who did the identical in 2024 — a roughly 17 per cent decline that observers say is basically pushed by President Donald Trump’s commerce conflict, 51st state taunts and Canada-bashing.
In an indication of simply how a lot southbound journey cratered in current weeks, extra folks made the journey from Canada to the U.S. in March 2022, when pandemic-related travel restrictions have been nonetheless in place, than they did in the identical month this 12 months.
The decline is notable as a result of March is usually one of many busiest months for U.S.-bound journey, with many individuals vacationing over spring break to sunnier climes.
These calamitous journey figures have some U.S. state officers feeling anxious given simply how a lot Canadians spend south of the forty ninth parallel.
In accordance with the U.S. Journey Affiliation, Canadian guests spent $20.5 billion US stateside final 12 months, supporting an estimated 140,000 jobs.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is making an attempt to show issues round with a brand new advert marketing campaign designed to attract Canadians again to the Golden State.
“You recognize who’s making an attempt to stir issues up again in D.C., however do not let that spoil your seaside plans,” Newsom mentioned of Trump in a video touting California to Canadians launched Tuesday.
“Right here in California, we have loads of sunshine and a complete lot of affection for our neighbours up north,” he mentioned.
Caroline Beteta is the president and CEO of Go to California, which promotes journey to the state.
She mentioned Trump’s rhetoric is unlucky and he or she needs potential Canadian guests to know they’re welcome in California.
She mentioned Newsom is personally fronting the marketing campaign as a result of he is bothered by the broadsides in opposition to Canada.
“Clearly we will not management choices made 2,000 miles away on one other coast. However we wish to attain out and lengthen that hand to Canadians and say, you are valued, and we’re pissed off too,” she mentioned in an interview with CBC Information.
U.S. border knowledge exhibits that almost 900,000 fewer folks travelled from Canada to the U.S. in March — historically a busy month for cross-border journey. The drop has pushed the governor of California to foyer for Canadians to come back again to his state.
Beteta, an American with familial ties to Canada, mentioned Trump’s powerful discuss has been “devastating” for the state’s tourism sector — 1.8 million Canadians visited in 2024 and the quantity is anticipated to be a lot decrease this 12 months primarily based on present journey patterns, she mentioned.
“I am not going to disclaim it. It has been devastating culturally, economically. I am a hybrid Canadian, I am hurting for what is going on on in your nation and I am damage being right here in California,” she mentioned.
Ron deHarte, the mayor of Palm Springs, Calif., mentioned Canadians are the lifeblood of the town’s tourism sector — practically 10 occasions extra Canadians visited the desert resort city in 2024 than the quantity of people that truly stay there year-round. Canadians additionally personal about seven per cent of the houses within the metropolis, he mentioned.
“The Trump administration is sending messages that simply do not feel very American. This isn’t the best way we deal with our neighbours and we actually do not deal with associates like this. It is hurting folks and it is inflicting hurt. We perceive that this hits near house to all people in Canada,” deHarte mentioned in an interview.
DeHarte is blanketing the airport and the town’s streets with “Palm Springs Loves Canada” banners to make those that are nonetheless coming really feel welcome in a spot that has lengthy been a winter vacation spot for Canadian snowbirds.
“There’s a huge gap that will probably be felt if we do not get this straightened out for subsequent season,” he mentioned, pointing to some Canadian airways’ current decision to curb flights to the city as demand drops.
Whereas there are comparatively few folks crossing by foot into the U.S. in the course of winter, these travellers additionally fell off dramatically in March — dropping from about 163,000 final 12 months to 121,000, a 26 per cent decline.
The variety of folks going by aircraft from the nation’s largest airports — those with pre-clearance services the place folks undergo U.S. customs on Canadian soil — additionally declined year-over-year though the drop was small, dipping from 1,369,471 to 1,316,570, or roughly 4 per cent.
Whereas cross-border enterprise air journey has largely held up, trade specialists say, different knowledge reveals the extent of the decline to locations standard with Canadian vacationers.
In accordance with figures from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, the variety of passengers WestJet carried to Sin Metropolis dropped by 17 per cent in February in comparison with the identical month final 12 months.
Low cost airline Aptitude Airways reported passenger volumes to Vegas dropped by 55 per cent that month whereas Air Canada’s visitors was off by a extra modest 5 per cent.
And, according to industry data from OAG, airline bookings to the U.S. over the summer time months are down some 70 per cent.
However it’s the land crossings which are bearing the brunt of this journey hiatus, mentioned Barbara Barrett, the manager director of the Frontier Obligation Free Affiliation, a bunch that represents 32 independently owned duty-free retailers that dot the Canadian aspect of the land border from coast to coast.
“Our shops are calling this a disaster. We rely 100 per cent on that journey going over the border,” she mentioned in an interview.
These shops, a lot of them household owned, are uniquely weak to journey slowdowns, she mentioned.
Below Canadian regulation, clients should take the products bought over the U.S. border straight away — native consumers can not help make up for misplaced gross sales.
The variety of American travellers coming north, a key buyer base, has additionally declined, in line with Statistics Canada data.
“Individuals aren’t travelling and it is border neighborhood companies like ours which are being hit probably the most,” she mentioned, mentioning gross sales are down 40 to 50 per cent on common in comparison with final 12 months — with smaller shops in additional distant outposts down much more than that.
“We have been simply on the highway to restoration from the pandemic and now we have been knocked off that highway.… We’ll lose a 3rd of our shops if this development continues over the following couple of months. Individuals are scared.”
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