Canadians took significantly fewer trips to the United States in 2025, redirecting both their travel plans and spending toward domestic destinations and overseas vacations, according to a new report from Statistics Canada.
The analysis, published in Economic and Social Reports using data from the National Travel Survey, found that Canadians made 7.1 million fewer trips to the U.S. in 2025 compared with the previous year.
According to Statistics Canada, that decline was "almost entirely offset" by an increase in domestic travel, which rose by 5.0 million trips, along with 1.3 million additional overseas visits.
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The report attributes the shift to changing travel patterns following the change in the U.S. administration in early 2025 and the implementation of America First policies.
Leisure travel saw the largest change.
Statistics Canada reported that leisure trips to the United States fell 21.5%, representing 3.2 million fewer visits, while leisure travel to overseas destinations increased 12.2%, or 1.1 million additional trips, over the same period.
Travel to visit family proved more resilient. Family-related visits to the U.S. declined 9.0%, equivalent to 536,000 fewer trips, suggesting travellers were less likely to substitute those journeys with other destinations.
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The change in travel behaviour also had a noticeable impact on spending.
Canadians spent $18.8 billion on travel to the United States in 2025, a decline of $3.3 billion from the previous year.
Statistics Canada found that reduced leisure travel accounted for most of the drop, with spending on U.S. leisure trips falling by $2.2 billion to $12.1 billion.
Spending on overseas leisure travel increased sharply.
Canadians spent $22.8 billion on overseas leisure trips in 2025, an increase of $3.6 billion year over year. According to Statistics Canada, overseas leisure travel accounted for just under half of all Canadian spending abroad.
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Domestic tourism also benefited from the shift.
Travel spending within Canada reached $81.3 billion in 2025, up 8.7% from 2024. Statistics Canada said the increase was driven by an 8.1% rise in leisure travel spending.
The findings are detailed in Statistics Canada's Economic and Social Reports article, "Canadian-resident travel to the United States: A year in review," which examines how Canadians adjusted their travel choices throughout 2025 in response to changing geopolitical and economic conditions.
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