B.C. Premier tells residents to rethink U.S. travel in light of Trump tariff threat

British Columbians should rethink travelling to the United States in light of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threat, Premier David Eby said Tuesday (Jan. 21).

"We should really be thinking carefully about spending our money in that country," Premier Eby was quoted as saying, as reported by CBC News. "We will not spend money in a country that wants to do economic harm to Canadians."

Hours after his inauguration on Monday (Jan. 20), President Trump signaled his plan to impose previously-threatened tariffs of as much as 25 per cent on Canada (and Mexico) by February 1.

READ MORE: Trump's tariffs – should the Canadian travel industry be worried?

If implemented, Canada could see potentially devastating effects on prices, jobs and the economy in general. Outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will retaliate, if needed, whereas in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford believes a trade war is 100 per cent coming.  

In B.C., Eby called Trump’s proposal a "deliberate economic attack" on families, he was quoted as saying. 

Eby has expressed his support for retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports, such as Florida orange juice.

And he has not ruled out other measures, such as banning the sale of U.S. wine and liquor in B.C. stores, charging U.S. trucks to drive through Canada to get to Alaska or banning American companies from bidding on B.C. infrastructure projects.

Eby took to his X account to further comment on the matter.

"To be clear: this is not a fight we started or wanted. But in the face of these tariff threats from the US, we have two choices: We can surrender or we can stand up. We choose to stand up for British Columbians and all Canadians," he wrote. 

Trump’s impact on travel

Eby’s remarks add to a string of stories about Trump’s potential impact on the Canadian travel industry.

As PAX reported earlier this week, Canada’s economic conditions directly affect disposable income and consumer spending, which, if severe enough, can have a negative impact on travel sales.

Should travel advisors be worried about Trump’s tariff proposal?

The industry is “at a crossroads,” said Zeina Gedeon, CEO of Trevello Travel Group, in a statement to PAX.

“A 25 per cent tariff could mean higher prices for everything from travel packages to cross-border shopping, potentially reducing the disposable income families have for vacations,” Gedeon said. “The ripple effect could be significant. Fewer trips to the United States, more cautious spending, less disposable income for travel, and a shift towards more budget-friendly travel options.”

At the same time, Gedeon believes the situation presents an opportunity for advisors to promote domestic travel “and show Canadians the amazing experiences right here at home.”

“By working together—travel businesses, government, and industry leaders—we can find ways to adapt, support our travellers, and keep our industry strong, no matter what comes next,” she said.

The bigger threat

According to Gregory Luciani, CEO of TravelOnly, the “biggest threat” to the travel industry in 2025 is the declining value of Canada’s currency versus the U.S. dollar and Euro “as it will make travel more expensive for every Canadian.”

If the Trump’s tariffs do go through, however, “travel to the U.S. will decline at the benefit of Mexico, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean,” Luciani said.

Travel intentions

A snapshot of Canadian travel intentions – specifically, their willingness to travel to the United States – was recently captured in a new poll from Narrative Research.

The survey, conducted in December from a pool of 1,231 Canadians, asked participates what impact Donald Trump’s election will have on personal travel to the U.S. within the next year.

Just under one half (45 per cent) expect to travel to the U.S. the same amount, while three in ten (29 per cent) anticipate travelling less and just one in ten (eight per cent) say that they will travel more, the study founds.

The expected net drop in travel to the U.S. is approximately 21 per cent.

There was no question in the survey about why people’s habits would change.

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