Tariffs, Politics, and Iran War Continue to Slow Canadian Travel to U.S.

Longwoods International has been tracking Canadian Travel Sentiment toward the USA with field surveys each quarter to gauge the impact, if any, of current events/policies and other factors on the destination for the Canadian market. The first survey in March 2025 revealed some major concerns resulting from political rhetoric and newly implemented policies. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been sustained improvement over the past year. The latest survey adds the impact of the Iran War as a new pressure potentially impacting U.S. visitation.

More highlights, insights and graphs are found at the Longwoods International website.

Cancellation of Travel Plans Persists: Over the past six months, 22% of Canadian travelers surveyed said they have canceled a previously planned trip to the U.S. (almost unchanged from 23% in January). Looking ahead, the numbers are more optimistic with 12% indicating they had cancelled plans they had already booked to travel to the U.S. in the next 12 months, but that is also up from 9% in January. But, this is significantly down from 36% in April of 2025.
The Iran War is Causing Canadian Travelers to Significantly Re-think International Travel: 38% of Canadian travelers surveyed indicate the Iran War makes them less likely to travel internationally in the next 12 months. Of those travelers, 38% will postpone and 35% plan to replace this with a domestic trip. This sudden hesitancy to travel abroad may very well add further to the declining visitation from Canada to the U.S., especially as air fares rise due to surging jet fuel prices and safety concerns grow.
Fewer Feel Safe and Only Marginally More Welcome: One of the most concerning insights is that only 34% of those surveyed perceive that the U.S. is a “safe place to visit.” This is down 8 points from 42% over one year. As for “feeling welcome,” the news is slightly more positive with 48% of Canadian travelers indicating agreement, up 6 points from April 2025. The most positive news is that 89% of Canadian travelers still see the U.S. as a place with “lots of things to see and do,” pointing to product still being highly desirable.
Policy and Politics Continue to Deter Visits to the US: 57% of Canadian travelers surveyed report that U.S. government policies, trade practices, or political rhetoric make them less likely to travel to the U.S.— almost unchanged from 59% in January, and a bit down from a peak of 63% in July of 2025. The share saying U.S. policies have no influence on their intent to travel is at 21%.
Domestic Travel Remains Top Alternative to Visiting the US: Of those Canadians whose travel is being influenced by U.S. policies, 35% are replacing their trip to the U.S. with travel in Canada, 25% will go to another international destination, and 13% will cancel. Among those replacing the U.S. with other international travel, Europe remains the top alternative, followed by Mexico, Asia, and the Caribbean. The domestic Canadian travel industry is the big winner here.
It’s Still the Economy, Too: 42% of Canadian travelers surveyed indicate that the exchange rate between the Canadian and U.S. dollar is also causing them to change their travel plans. This number has held relatively steady from previous waves of the survey reinforcing a likelihood that the policies, politics, and rhetoric have been a tipping point for many Canadian travelers who were already on the fence about their travels to the U.S. due to the economics of the trip.