Tariffs, Politics, Iran War continue to slow Canadian travel to U.S.

Fifty-seven percent of Canadian travellers report that U.S. government policies, trade practices and political statements make them less likely to travel to the U.S. in the next 12 months.

That’s one of the findings of the latest Longwoods International tracking study of Canadian travellers.

And 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 their trip. Among those replacing the U.S. with other international travel, Europe remains the top alternative, followed by Mexico and Asia.

Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International, observed of the findings: “U.S. politics and trade policy have reduced Canadian travel to the U.S. for a year. And now the war in Iran is negatively affecting all international travel by Canadians.”

As well, 38% of Canadian travellers report that they are less likely to travel internationally because of the war in Iran. And the percentage of Canadians who believe the U.S. is a safe place to visit continues to decline, from 42% a year ago to 34% now.

Other key takeaways from the survey include:

• Cancellation of Travel Plans Persists:  In 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 twelve 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 Travellers to Significantly Re-think International Travel:  38% of Canadian travellers surveyed indicate the Iran War is making them less likely to travel internationally in the next twelve months.  Of those travellers who indicated the Iran War is influencing their international travel plans, 38% will postpone their international trip and 35% plan to replace their international trip with a domestic trip.  This sudden hesitancy to travel abroad due to the war 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.
• Less Feeling Safe, and Only Marginally More Welcome: The insight that remains one of the most concerning is that only 34% of those surveyed perceive that the U.S. is a “safe place to visit.”  This is down eight points from 42% back in April of 2025!  As for “feeling welcome”, the news is slightly more positive with 48% of Canadian travellers agreeing (up 6 points from April 2025), but still shy of a majority.  The most positive news is that 89% of Canadian travellers still see the U.S. as a place with “lots of things to see and do,” pointing to its product still being very much desirable.
• Policy and Politics Continue to Deter Visits to the U.S.: 57% of Canadian travellers 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 U.S.:  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 their trip.  Among those replacing the U.S. with other international travel, Europe remains the top alternative, followed by Mexico and Asia and the Caribbean.  The domestic Canadian travel industry is the big winner here.
• It’s Still the Economy Too:  42% of Canadian travellers 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 travellers who were already on the fence about their travels to the U.S. due to the economics of the trip.

CLICK HERE for more on the survey.