Back in 2024, over 20 million Canadians visited the United States, according to the U.S. Travel Association. Their visits generated around $20 billion in revenue, fueling tourism sectors in places like Florida and Arizona, especially in winter.
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According to data collected in 2026 by the same travel association, there’s been a decline of over 20%. In 2025, only around 16 million Canadians visited the United States.
In fact, the drop has been so steep and consistent that some airlines, including Air Canada, have cut US routes to push more favorable markets.
That’s a red flag for travel sectors across the country. As Tyler Grossnell, managing director of inbound travel at U.S. Travel, puts it, the risk is that Canadian visitors might create traditions of traveling elsewhere. By the time interest in visiting the United States regenerates, they might not be interested in coming back.
That’s doubly true if airlines have already rerouted US-bound routes.
Will Canadian visitors return to the United States?
Industry experts, including Grossnell, are hopeful that inbound visitor numbers from Canada won’t continue to fall. In fact, data pulled from April 2025 and April 2026 in terms of short-term rentals look almost the same—meaning numbers could be plateauing instead of sinking.
Additionally, some travel groups have noted that, while leisure travel is holding at a steady decline, business travel hasn’t taken as much of a hit. Some US states have even launched campaigns designed to curry favor amongst Canadians, who have been turned off from the United States due to political commentary and uncertainty at the border.
For example, Vermont currently has a ‘100% Love for Canada’ campaign going, hoping to set the stage for future tourism growth. Meanwhile, California launched its ‘California Loves Canada’ campaign in partnership with Expedia, hoping to fuel visits.
