The tariff spat between the United States and Canada may be having an effect on cross-border travel. Statistics Canada says the number of Canadians who returned to Canada from the U.S. by car last month was down 23% from February of last year, falling to 1.2 million. The number returning by air was down 2.4% to 1.8 million. “It doesn’t surprise me that we’re seeing a reduction in discretionary travel to the States,” Avery Campbell, the Director of Advocacy and Industry Relations for the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies and Travel Advisors, told me. Given that people usually book their Read more
U.S. tourism
Flight Centre Travel Group Canada says leisure bookings to American cities have fallen off a cliff, dropping 40% in February when compared to the same month in 2024. The group also says one in five customers cancelled their trips to the U.S. over the past three months. The startling drop in Canadian interest in U.S. travel comes amid repeated threats from U.S. Donald Trump about making Canada a 51st state, and as talk of painful tariffs on the important of Canadian goods to the U.S. increased. It’s not unreasonable to think that Trump’s announcement on the morning of 04MAR that Read more
Oh, Canada. A newly conducted study reveals Canada as the world’s most desired destination for relocation. And it’s not even close. Canada secured the top spot globally with 68.72 searches per 100 million capita, more than double that of second-place Australia (31.05). Talk about a landslide win. Canada outperforms other English-speaking countries like New Zealand and Ireland. The U.S. did not make the top ten. My Baggage conducted a study analyzing global search volume data to determine which countries people worldwide are most interested in relocating to. The study provides insights into current global migration trends and preferences, with Canada emerging Read more
Toronto-based Porter Airlines says it isn’t following Air Canada’s lead by pulling back on some of its U.S. routes. At least not yet. Air Canada on Friday (Feb. 14) said it will reduce capacity to Florida, Las Vegas and Arizona as the U.S.-Canada tariff dispute simmers and the Canadian dollar continues to struggle. WestJet said it’s U.S. business is down 25% and hinted schedule changes might be needed. Porter Airlines has been expanding rapidly in the U.S. in the past year, with new flights to California, Florida and other destinations. But a Porter official told me today (Sunday, Read more
Air Canada says it will reduce capacity to Florida, Las Vegas and Arizona as the U.S.-Canada tariff dispute simmers and the Canadian dollar continues to struggle. And WestJet might be next in line. Speaking on a conference call to discuss Air Canada’s fourth quarter and yearly earnings for 2024, Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President, Revenue & Network Planning and President, Cargo, said it’s too early to know how Canadian currency issues and the U.S.-Canada tariff dispute will play out. But he said Air Canada will be reducing capacity to such U.S. destinations as Florida, Las Vegas and Arizona beginning in Read more
