by Jen Mallia
Last updated: 1:40 PM ET, Wed August 13, 2025
The July travel numbers are in from Statistics Canada, showing that Canadians are continuing to avoid travel to the U.S. in a big way. It’s the seventh month of declining crossborder travel and, according to recently updated research by Longwoods International, it’s a trend that’s based on deeply held opinions about the politics and policies of our neighbours to the South.
The July 2025 Longwoods study, based on a consumer panel of 1,000 adult Canadians, representative of our population based on age, gender and province, revisited a similar study conducted in April, 2025. It found that 63 percent of those surveyed are less likely to visit the U.S. because of U.S. policy and politics. Of those whose travel decisions are being influenced by U.S. policy and politics, 80 percent cited tariffs and economic policy as a negative influence. Close to three quarters (71 percent) stated political statements by U.S. leaders are a negative factor, which is up from 64 percent in April.
Other reasons for avoiding the U.S. included political discontent in the U.S., U.S. rhetoric about Canadian sovereignty and U.S. positions on various social issues.
Our national aversion to American economic and social policies are translating into plummeting numbers of visits Stateside.
According to Stats Can, in July, 383,700 Canadians returned to Canada by air from the U.S., a decline of 25.8 percent compared to July, 2024. Drive traffic fell more dramatically: a decline of 36.9 percent.
American residents also visited Canada less than they did in July last year: 7.4 percent fewer drivers did not offset the 0.7 percent increase in Americans arriving here by air.
Other International and Overseas Travel
Avoiding the U.S. doesn’t mean Canadians are only staying home, however. The government of Mexico is reporting an 11.8 percent jump in tourism from Canada in the first half of 2025, which Mexican news outlets attribute to the U.S. travel boycott.
Canadians returning from overseas jumped a little: 5.9 percent compared with last year. Overseas visitors arrived here in increasing numbers too: 729,800 of them, representing a 5.6 percent increase over July, 2025.
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