A recent article published by The Travel hints that US-bound travel from Canada hasn’t rebounded this year—even with the help of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
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In 2025, the publication reports that the US hospitality sector missed out on $3.3 billion from Canadian travelers. Areas like Florida, Las Vegas, and the Southwest were hit particularly hard thanks to a lack of winter birds.
But what about 2026? With the FIFA World Cup coming into town, did American hotels and entertainment groups make a sufficient rebound? Let’s dig in.
A second wave of Canadian pushback
Recent trade disagreements between American and Canadian authorities have led to a renewed wave of Canadian pushback. Previously, much of this pushback was a personal decision. Canadians opted to spend their hard-earned income outside of the United States.
However, with a renewed tariff imposition and the renaming of a certain lake, travel between the US and Canada has become pricier and more socially loaded. For example, another article published by The Travel reports that some Canadian airlines, like Porter Airlines, are nixing American alcohol from their sky-high shelves.
These demonstrations of economic solidarity are expected to intensify in the travel sector, driving Canadians to other markets. In fact, tourist spending from Canadians in the United States dropped by a whopping $790 million between January and March of this year, according to Statistics Canada.
Additionally, many trips are shorter, same-day crossings. The same report found that almost 40% of all trips made from Canada into the US are single-day trips.
However, there were indications that travel was up starting in April, with steady gains throughout summer. Some places, including New York City, Financial Times reports that Canadians can find special deals made just for them.
At the moment, NYC’s official tourism page reads, “New York loves Canada. We’re lucky to have neighbors like you!” Though the Big Apple isn’t a border city, it’s feeling the hit from a lack of Canadian tourists.
One tour provider in New York City told Financial Times that between 30 and 40% of his clients were Canadian back in 2024. Today, that number is closer to ten percent.
