Travel boycott to U.S. continues with Canadian and European destinations the main beneficiaries

Laurie Dillon and her family were planning a week-long trip to New Jersey to see a concert this summer – but those plans have been scrapped, and the family will instead be travelling to Ottawa for their summer holiday.

The Kawartha Lakes family’s change of plans isn’t due to typical past concerns, such as poor exchange rates or scheduling conflicts, but rather what Dillon describes as regressive policies under U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.

“In recent months, we’ve become increasingly concerned about the direction of some U.S. policies – from the rollback of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives, to the removal of leaders from public institutions, to immigration actions like deporting international students with valid visas,” Dillon told the Advocate.

“These actions raise serious concerns about the treatment of marginalized groups and the long-term health of public institutions. As a family that includes immigrants, first-generation Canadians, members of the LGBTQ+ community, scientists, educators and strong women, we felt it was a moment to pause.”

Dillon and her family are among a growing number of Canadians who say they’re boycotting travel to the U.S. due to a myriad of reasons, including the ongoing trade war, safety at the U.S. border, Trump’s bizarre threats to make Canada the “51st state,” and aggressive policies aimed at marginalized citizens.

“The repeated, and frankly unexpected, ‘51st state’ comments didn’t cause our decision, but they did reinforce that now may be a time to show support for Canada and the many people who are feeling uncertain about where things are heading,” Dillon said.

According to the most recent data released by Statistics Canada, the number of Canadians travelling to the U.S. by land and air was down significantly in May compared to a year ago. May marked the fourth consecutive month that saw a decline in return trips to Canada by Canadian residents.

The data, published June 10, shows there were 1.3 million Canadian resident return trips from the U.S. by automobile – a decline of 38 per cent from May 2024. Meanwhile, nearly 490,000 Canadian residents returned from the U.S. by air, down 24. per cent from one year previous.

Statistics Canada also reported that 1.1 million Canadians returned from overseas trips in May – an increase of 9.8 per cent compared to May 2024.

Cheryl McDonald, owner of Cruise Holidays Plus in Lindsay, said the travel agency is seeing an uptick in business lately, with many people planning holidays to Europe. Cruises in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean are top sellers, McDonald added.

McDonald said that Cruise Holidays doesn’t handle much U.S. travel, aside from Alaska cruises. However, she noted that there were a handful of cruise cancellations after Trump took office in January – even though those cruises had been booked prior to his inauguration.

The cancellations the agency did see were largely based on factors such as concerns about crossing the U.S. border, fear of harassment from U.S. citizens and overall anger at Trump’s aggressive policies towards Canada.

“The other opinion being expressed is that people have booked these bucket-list trips so far in advance, sometimes as a celebration of a milestone birthday or anniversary, and they aren’t willing to give Trump even more control over their lives by depriving them of a dream vacation,” McDonald said.

Instead of travelling to the U.S. this summer, Dillon said she and her family will be heading to Ottawa. The change of plans, she noted, has the added benefit of supporting Canadian businesses.

“We’ve always believed in supporting local – whether that’s shopping, giving or travelling,” Dillon said. “We’re genuinely excited to enjoy what’s close to home and to support Canadian tourism and businesses.”

The results of a Canada-wide survey conducted by TD Bank Group and released in June show that 89 per cent of respondents said it was important to support small Canadian businesses this summer, with 64 per cent saying they planned to travel within Canada in the upcoming months.

According to the survey, 63 per cent of respondents said they will be researching shops, restaurants and attractions before planning their trips.

“It’s encouraging to hear that Canadians are planning to support local small businesses as part of their vacation plans this summer, as it helps both entrepreneurs and our local economies,” said Julia Kelly, TD’s vice-president of small business banking.

“It’s particularly welcome news, as many of our small business customers have been concerned about consumer spending slowing down.”

Although Dillon and her family have enjoyed past holidays to the U.S. and have made American friends along the way, she said they do not plan to travel south of the border in the near future due to the political climate in the U.S.

“We see this as a longer-term shift – at least for the next few years,” she said. “That said, we hold a lot of affection for the U.S. and for the people we know there. They understand our decision and the values behind it, just as we respect theirs.”