U.S. visitors opening wallets in Canada, Canadian spending in U.S. down: StatCan

Even as Canadians have been opting to keep their spending at home, Americans are spending more than ever on visits north of the border, new data shows.

From January to March, U.S. travellers poured roughly $2.5 billion into Canada on tourism-related expenses such as hotels, dining, and entertainment — a jump of more than 27 per cent compared with the same period last year, according to Statistics Canada figures released Monday (Aug. 25).

The majority of this spending came from personal trips, which climbed to $2.03 billion from $1.65 billion a year earlier, the Globe and Mail reports.

What’s notable is that this surge in spending came even as Americans took fewer personal trips to Canada and logged fewer overnight stays.

A big factor? The loonie’s weakness. In the first quarter of 2025, the Canadian dollar averaged about 69 U.S. cents — dipping below 68 cents in early February — making trips to Canada more affordable for American visitors.

Meanwhile, Canadians were tightening their wallets south of the border, spending less in the U.S. over the same period in response to U.S. tariffs and President Donald Trump’s suggestions of annexation.

Canadian travellers scaled back their spending in the U.S., dropping roughly 7.9 per cent from the same period last year to $5.7 billion. They made about 6.1 million trips that included a U.S. visit, a decline of 10.8 per cent compared with last year, StatCan reports.

At the same time, domestic travel saw a boost. Canadians took more trips within their own country and spent more while doing so, with total expenditures rising 4.4 per cent from last year to $13.8 billion.

U.S. politics guide travel decisions

A new study, released earlier this month from research firm Longwoods International, shows that U.S. politics and policy are influencing travel decisions for Canadian travellers, with 63 per cent of respondents saying they are less likely to visit the U.S. because of the current political climate.

Of those influenced by U.S. policy and politics, 80 per cent cited U.S. tariffs and economic policy as a negative factor, while 71 per cent pointed to political statements by U.S. leaders—up from 64 per cent in April.

Respondents also reported concerns about political discontent in the U.S., American rhetoric regarding Canadian sovereignty and U.S. positions on social issues.

“More than 20 million Canadians visited the U.S. in 2024, more than from any other country,” said Amir Eylon, president and CEO of Longwoods International.

“But Canadian visitation to the U.S. in 2025 dropped 19% through June, compared to the same period in 2024.”

Of those Canadian travellers citing concerns over U.S. policy, 42 per cent said they are replacing U.S. trips with domestic travel within Canada.

Another 30 per cent said they’re choosing other international destinations instead, with Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean ranking highest.

The survey was conducted July 10–13, 2025, using a national sample of 1,000 Canadian adults aged 18 and older.

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