Before heading off on a Caribbean cruise, Dennis Murphy and his wife had a stopover in Florida. But they didn’t intend for it to be a proper Florida vacation.
“We kind of plan on spending as little of our money in the U.S., based on everything that happened,” Murphy said in an interview.
The couple are just two of the many Canadians who have modified travel plans to the United States, voting with their wallets to express distaste over the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, including his trade war with his northern neighbour and his comments about making Canada the 51st state. And tourism hotspots are feeling the weight of Canadians’ displeasure.
Canadian visitation to Florida has dropped more than 18 per cent over the first two quarters of 2025 and other states, including Louisiana, California and Nevada have seen sharp drops in the number of Canadians willing to vacation south of the border.
Originally, Murphy and his wife were going to go to Las Vegas, but decided against it. The final straw for the couple was when, in late February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Oval Office to finalize a deal for Ukrainian minerals in exchange for American military support. The meeting — with the media present and broadcast globally — ended with Trump and U.S. Vice-President JD Vance berating Zelenskyy for supposed ingratitude.
“When we saw that, we said, ‘There’s no way that we’re going to put any of our money into their economy.’ So we immediately canceled our trip,” said Murphy.
Hard data bears out that there are fewer Canadians travelling to the United States in 2025. Data from Statistics Canada shows that Canadian trips by car decreased by nearly 36 per cent in July 2025, compared to July 2024, and air travel to the United States dropped by more than 16 per cent.
that at four border crossings from Canada into Washington state, there has been significant declines in vehicle traffic in 2025 compared to 2024. In September 2024, 322,024 personal vehicles entered Washington. In September 2025, 228,580 vehicles entered the state — a decline of 29 per cent. In August, there was a 27 per cent decline compared to 2024. In March, April, May and June, entrance figures had dropped by 30 per cent or more compared to the year prior.
In recent weeks, several politicians in the United States have noted that declining Canadian tourism numbers are hurting them. Both Florida and California, major wintertime destinations for Canadians, have seen declines in the number of Canadian tourists, as has Louisiana and the gambling hub of Las Vegas, which has seen such a decline in visitation figures — including Canadian — that one local union called the strip’s struggles the “
.”
Canada, says Louisiana Lt.-Gov. Billy Nungesser, is the largest international market for visitors to the state, and the state is noticing a drop in its tourism numbers from Canada.
“But to me, it’s more than just the tourism,” Nungesser said in an interview. “I really enjoy the friendships. Canadians are much like Louisianans. They treat strangers like family, and you leave there with a friend for life.”
“I don’t want the comments — the stupid comments — of a president and the tariffs to destroy those friendships.”
Nungesser, a Republican, recently visited Canada to promote tourism. His trip included meeting with travel agents and handing out tabasco ice cream — a little taste of home — in Canadian train stations.
“We were just up there to say … when you feel comfortable traveling again, we’d love to have you back in Louisiana,” Nungesser said.
He added that he heard from many Canadians who said they would not travel to the U.S. until Trump apologizes or is out of office. Nungesser also called on Trump to apologize for his 51st state comments.
“It’s how I feel, it’s how the Canadian people feel,” Nungesser said.
Does he think the president will apologize? “Not a chance in hell.”
“If the Canadian prime minister said he wanted to make America the 51st or make it Canadian, what would you think? It’s offensive. They can’t defend it, in my opinion,” Nungesser said.
In Las Vegas, where Murphy had intended to visit, Canadian air travel has dropped off precipitously. Data from Harry Reid International Airport show that the number of passengers travelling by Air Canada and Westjet to Vegas dropped by nearly one-third in June, compared to June 2024, and the number of passengers visiting Sin City on Flair Airlines flights dropped by 62 per cent.
“International travel is way down. People are not coming to the United States,” Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley said recently. “We have a rather large market with the Canadians. It’s gone from, you know, a faucet to a drip.”
In California, another major tourism destination for Canadians, Canadian visitation is projected to be down by 19 per cent compared to 2024, according to Visit California, the official state tourism organization, and spending is expected to be down by 17 per cent.
For California, Canada is the second-biggest source of tourists, after Mexico. Visit California attributes the decline in Canadian tourism to a number of factors, including economic conditions and an unfavourable exchange rate keeping Canadians away.
“At the same time, geopolitical tension also impacted Canadian visitation in the winter and spring,” Visit California said in an emailed response to questions from National Post.
All around California, there are signs that tourism has dropped off, the Los Angeles Times reported. Not only are Hollywood souvenir shops and sightseeing tours seeing fewer visitors, but towns such as Palm Springs, a frequent second-home spot for Canadians, particularly out west, have seen a drop in visitors from out of country (although Mayor Ron deHarte said that domestic tourism has made up the shortfall).
“We’ve hurt our Canadian friends with actions that the administration has taken. It’s understandable,” he told the Times. “We don’t know how long they won’t want to travel to the States, but we’re hopeful that it is short-term.”
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
