In February, nearly 500,000 fewer Canadians crossed into the U.S. compared to the previous year, reflecting a trend linked to rising tensions from Trump's tariffs and rhetoric. The decline in travel marks the lowest number of people crossing the land border since the normalization of travel post-COVID-19. Immigration lawyer Len Saunders noted that Canadian visitors are reluctant to travel to the U.S., drawing parallels to pre-vaccine pandemic travel restrictions and suggesting that political climate directly influences travel behaviors.
The decline in Canadian day trippers is evident at every turn in a town that caters to cross-border travellers. "This is like COVID all over again," said Saunders.
The fact that the current flow of travellers is at the same level as when travel was much more arduous is revealing, experts say.
The drop in travel to the U.S., particularly at land border crossings, hasn't been seen since pandemic travel restrictions were in place.
The number of travellers entering the U.S. in a passenger vehicle dropped significantly compared to the same month last year, reaching lows not seen since 2022.
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