by Jen Mallia
Last updated: 2:35 PM ET, Mon November 17, 2025
The death knell of snowbird tourism to the U.S. may not be sounding just yet, despite dire predictions to the contrary. A new survey released by Snowbird Advisor indicates that while fewer Canadians intend to spend the winter stateside than in previous years, there are lots who still plan on going.
According to the survey, 70% of respondents plan to winter in the States, compared with 82% who said the same last year. The 12% fall isn’t as dramatic as other surveys have indicated, nor does it reflect the steep decline in cross-border traffic reported by Statistics Canada, which does not break down its data by age or length of time away for its monthly reports.
Snowbird Advisor, an on-line resource that caters to retired and semi-retired people who spend the winter away from Canada, compiled information from more than 4,000 Canadian snowbirds in late October for this survey.
Addressing the differences between its results and other surveys that have been released, Stephen Fine, President, Snowbird Advisor, said:
“We believe the discrepancy in survey results is due to the fact that our survey focused exclusively on snowbirds who travel each winter to their snowbird destinations, while some other surveys included general travel intentions for all travellers, or Baby Boomers who are not necessarily snowbirds.”
The survey also indicated that of the snowbirds who have decided to avoid the U.S. this year despite it being their usual winter destination, more than half will consider going back to the U.S. “in the future.”
International Destinations Beckon
Interest in non-U.S. destinations almost doubled this year: 12 percent of snowbirds spent the winter in Mexico or overseas last winter, while 23 percent of them will this year.
“Clearly, the majority of Canadian snowbirds will still be going to the U.S. this winter,” said Fine. “But it does show significant growth in the number of snowbirds travelling to international destinations such as Mexico, Costa Rica, Portugal, Spain, the Caribbean and others.”
As for how long snowbirds plan to travel for, that remains virtually unchanged. Three to six months away is the sweet spot. This year, 62 percent will travel for a quarter to half the year, which is not a significant change from the 64 percent who did the same last year.
Related: If the U.S. is Out, Where Should Snowbirds Migrate this Winter?
Topics From This Article to Explore
