According to a new Longwoods International study of Canadians, 60% of them say that current U.S policies, trade practices and political statements make them less likely to travel to the U.S. in the next 12 months. And 36% of them had planned to travel to the U.S. in the next year but have since cancelled those plans.
“The U.S. tourism industry may not be front of mind in the current policy debates about the impact of tariffs and trade policy, but this new research demonstrates that the health of America’s hospitality industry is also vulnerable because of America’s current reputational risk globally,” said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International.
“According to the U.S. Travel Association, Canada was the number one source of international visitors to the U.S. in 2024, with 20.4 million Canadian visitors spending US$20.5 billion at American businesses and supporting 140,000 American jobs.”
Longwood’s just-released “Canadian Travel Sentiment Study’ says only 42% of Canadians believe the U.S. is welcoming of visitors from their country, and only 38% believe America values international visitors.
Meanwhile, Canadians concerned about U.S. policy and politics are seeking alternatives to their U.S trips, with 40% choosing to travel at home in Canada and 27% looking to other international destinations, with Mexico and Europe the big winners.
However, despite this concerning sentiment, Canadian travellers continue to see the U.S. as a diverse and attractive international destination, with more than 80% saying that the destination has “lots of things to see and do” and 57% indicating it’s “a place I’d really enjoy visiting.”
The survey was fielded April 10-11, 2025, using a Canadian national sample randomly drawn from a consumer panel of 1,000 adults, ages 18 and over. Quotas were used to match targets for age, gender, and province to make the survey representative of the Canadian population.
Longwoods International is a leading travel and tourism research consultancy with headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, and Toronto.
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