"Things will get better": DACC & Expedia report positive signs for Canadian travel to the U.S.

Discover America Canada Committee (DACC) held its 2026 annual general meeting on Tuesday (Mar 31) at Zoomer Media's Zoomerplex in Toronto's Liberty Village.

The hybrid event welcomed travel industry members in person at Zoomerplex's studio meeting space, while connecting members outside the GTA using the venue's livestreaming equipment for an afternoon of insights from Expedia Group on what's driving and potentially reviving Canadian travel to the United States.

Opening the meeting, DACC president Susan Webb of VoX International reflected on a challenging time for Canadian travel to the U.S., but suggested the research data signals a turning point. 

"We've spent the last year and a half talking about negatives and everything not looking good," she said, "so hopefully we're on the uptick for bookings to the U.S."

Five trends shaping 2026 travel 

The event's feature presentation came from Raina Williams, senior regional manager at Expedia Group Advertising, who shared findings from Expedia's Unpacked 2026 report based on responses from 24,000 digital travel shoppers across 18 countries, combined with first-party data from Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo, social media listening, and insight studies conducted over the past six months.

"There's a lot happening in our world right now," Williams told attendees before diving into the findings. "But things will get better, and we will move forward."

Her presentation covered five emerging travel trends shaping consumer behaviour globally. Sports and entertainment travel, or fan voyages, continues its upward trajectory, with 57 per cent of travellers saying they're likely to travel to watch a live sporting event.

Williams noted that travellers are seeking more immersive, culturally connected experiences around sporting events rather than destination-based itineraries.

She flagged Gen Z and millennials (ages 14 to 45) as the demographic to watch, noting they're not pulling back on travel, especially when a major sporting event is involved.

"That is really a demographic you want to be paying attention to moving forward," she said.

Williams also pointed to the FIFA World Cup coming to the U.S., Canada and Mexico in 2026 as a major catalyst, and noted that even amid current tensions, Canadian fans had still purchased tickets to watch the Blue Jays play in the U.S.

"There is definitely a pull and a draw with sporting and music," she said.

According to Williams, hotel hopping, where travellers stay at multiple properties within a single trip, is another trend, with 54 per cent of travellers now embracing this style.

Williams cautioned against misreading shorter average lengths of stay as a decline in overall travel, noting that social media mentions of hotel hopping spiked 1,100 per cent year-on-year.

On the wellness side, Expedia's Vrbo data showed 91 per cent of travellers are interested in trips centred around reading, relaxation and quality time, or what's being called readaways.

Farm-based tourism, or farm charm, is also gaining momentum, with 84 per cent of travellers expressing interest in staying on or near a farm, and Vrbo guest reviews mentioning farm-related experiences up 300 per cent year over year.

Rounding out the trends was set jetting or travelling to destinations featured in popular films and TV series (such as Emily in Paris), now projected to be an $8 billion industry, with 53 per cent of travellers saying their desire to take a set-jetting trip has increased, and 81 per cent of Gen Z and millennials saying they're willing to book travel based on what they've seen on screen. 

"Definitely an upswing": Canadian travel demand for the U.S.

As the Canada-U.S. political and economic tensions continue, Williams also presented Expedia's latest data on Canadian travel demand to the United States.

The data shows that Canadian airline capacity to the U.S. declined five per cent in 2025, with much of that redirected to Europe, Latin America and Asia.

Consumer sentiment followed, with a 22 per cent decline in Canadians travelling to the U.S. in 2025.

"There's still a very large number (of Canadians) that were still travelling," Williams noted, pointing to year-to-date 2026 figures showing the decline beginning to reverse. 

According to research findings, search demand from Canadians for U.S. destinations is now surpassing last year's levels in the first quarter of 2026, which Williams described as "definitely an upswing" in Canadian interest.

"The search is high, and it is really strong," she said. February and March 2026 bookings are also showing an upswing over the same period in 2025.

As for where Canadians are still choosing to travel within the U.S., Las Vegas and Florida continue to lead, with car rental data pointing strongly to Florida and California.

Expedia's data shows Canadians are searching broadly across U.S. destinations, while bookings are concentrating in familiar leisure markets. The top motivators remain meaningful experiences and time with family, with deals, value, and weather continuing to drive the final decision.

READ MORE: Car travel from Canada to U.S. drops 13%, air travel falls 17.6%: StatCan

Williams urged destinations to stay visible now, even if bookings don't happen overnight. Williams pointed out that as travellers temporarily reroute, Expedia is seeing interest in non-disrupted areas and well-connected markets rather than a drop in overall travel intent. 

"Staying visible today positions your destination for tomorrow's recovery," she said.

Recent data from Statistics Canada on cross-border travel from Canada to the United States suggests that trends are stabilizing now that we’re well past the one-year mark of Donald Trump’s U.S. presidency.

In February, 1.5 million Canadian residents returned from trips to the United States, a 14.5 per cent decrease from the same month in 2025, StatCan says. 

When compared with February 2024, before the emergence of trade tensions between Canada and the United States in early 2025, the decline is even more pronounced at 31.5 per cent.

Both major travel methods experienced reductions that month. Return trips by automobile fell 12.9 per cent, while air travel from the United States dropped 17.6 per cent compared with February 2025.

Brand USA's "Canada Connect" will return

Jackie Ennis, vice president of global trade development at Brand USA attended the DACC event with Marion Certain, Brand USA's newly appointed trade manager, now based in Toronto. Ennis acknowledged a tough year, but stressed that Canada remains an important market. 

"Although the numbers, certainly in 2025, have suffered a serious decline from the Canadian market into the United States," Ennis said, "that still means over 16 million visitors a year from Canada go to the U.S." 

She added that Brand USA is "very confident that there is strong travel desire still to come to the U.S."

Ennis announced Canada Connect 2026 will run October 26–29, with three days in Toronto and a final day in Montreal, noting nearly 100 U.S. destinations and partners had already expressed interest. 

"I think that truly highlights the level of significance and importance that Canada has in our marketplace," she said.

DAAC's upcoming events

DACC's mission is to provide a networking forum for the exchange and collaboration of marketing strategies in order to increase awareness of, and build Canadian tourism to the United States. 

Webb reported strong membership growth for DACC, closing 2025 with 85 members, up 12 from 2024, with new members already being considered for 2026. 

Upcoming events include a May 28 webinar featuring industry updates from Jennifer Hendry of Signal 49 Research (formerly the Conference Board of Canada), a May IPW DACC Canadian reception in Fort Lauderdale, a summer social at the U.S. Consul General's residence, a joint media day with Brand USA on October 28, and a holiday reception on December 3 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Toronto. 

Final dates and details will be listed on DACC's website for each event.

For more information on Discover America Canada, visit here.

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