Nearly 900,000 fewer people went to the U.S. in March as cross-border travel plummets

John Paul Tasker · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 16, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

The fig of cross-border travellers going from Canada to the U.S. dropped by astir 900,000 successful March compared to the aforesaid period past year, according to the latest U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) information — easy 1 of the worst year-over-year drops recorded extracurricular of the COVID-19 wellness crisis.

The borderline figures show 4,105,516 travellers crossed the U.S. bluish borderline successful March of this year, down from 4,970,360 radical who did the aforesaid successful 2024 — a astir 17 per cent diminution that observers accidental is mostly driven by President Donald Trump's commercialized war, 51st authorities taunts and Canada-bashing.

In a motion of conscionable however overmuch southbound question cratered successful caller weeks, much radical made the travel from Canada to the U.S. successful March 2022, erstwhile pandemic-related question restrictions were inactive successful place, than they did successful the aforesaid period this year.

The diminution is notable due to the fact that March is typically 1 of the busiest months for U.S.-bound travel, with galore radical vacationing implicit outpouring interruption to sunnier climes.

Those calamitous travel figures person immoderate U.S. authorities officials feeling anxious given conscionable however overmuch Canadians walk southbound of the 49th parallel.

According to the U.S. Travel Association, Canadian visitors spent $20.5 cardinal US stateside past year, supporting an estimated 140,000 jobs.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to crook things astir with a caller advertisement run designed to gully Canadians backmost to the Golden State.

"You cognize who's trying to disturbance things up backmost successful D.C., but don't fto that ruin your formation plans," Newsom said of Trump successful a video touting California to Canadians released Tuesday.

"Here successful California, we've got plentifulness of sunshine and a full batch of emotion for our neighbours up north," helium said.

Caroline Beteta is the president and CEO of Visit California, which promotes question to the state.

She said Trump's rhetoric is unfortunate and she wants prospective Canadian visitors to cognize they are invited successful California.

She said Newsom is personally fronting the campaign because he's bothered by the broadsides against Canada.

"Obviously we can't power decisions made 2,000 miles distant connected different coast. But we privation to scope retired and widen that manus to Canadians and say, you're valued, and we're frustrated too," she said successful an interrogation with CBC News.

WATCH: Canadian question to U.S. drops by astir 900,000 successful March:

Beteta, an American with familial ties to Canada, said Trump's pugnacious speech has been "devastating" for the state's tourism assemblage — 1.8 cardinal Canadians visited successful 2024 and the fig is expected to beryllium overmuch little this twelvemonth based connected existent question patterns, she said.

"I'm not going to contradict it. It's been devastating culturally, economically. I'm a hybrid Canadian, I'm hurting for what's going connected successful your state and I'm wounded being present successful California," she said.

Ron deHarte, the politician of Palm Springs, Calif., said Canadians are the lifeblood of the city's tourism sector — astir 10 times much Canadians visited the godforsaken resort town successful 2024 than the fig of radical who really unrecorded determination year-round. Canadians besides ain astir 7 per cent of the homes successful the city, helium said.

"The Trump medication is sending messages that conscionable don't consciousness precise American. This is not the mode we dainty our neighbours and we surely don't dainty friends similar this. It's hurting radical and it's causing harm. We recognize that this hits adjacent to location to everybody successful Canada," deHarte said successful an interview.

DeHarte is blanketing the airdrome and the city's streets with "Palm Springs Loves Canada" banners to marque those who are inactive coming consciousness invited successful a spot that has agelong been a wintertime destination for Canadian snowbirds.

"There is a big spread that volition beryllium felt if we don't get this straightened retired for adjacent season," helium said, pointing to some Canadian airlines' recent decision to curb flights to the metropolis arsenic request drops.

While determination are comparatively fewer radical crossing by ft into the U.S. successful the mediate of winter, those travellers besides fell disconnected dramatically successful March — dropping from astir 163,000 past twelvemonth to 121,000, a 26 per cent decline.

The fig of radical going by level from the country's largest airports — the ones with pre-clearance facilities wherever radical spell done U.S. customs connected Canadian ungraded — besides declined year-over-year though the driblet was small, dipping from 1,369,471 to 1,316,570, oregon astir 4 per cent.

While cross-border concern aerial question has mostly held up, manufacture experts say, other information reveals the grade of the decline to destinations fashionable with Canadian vacationers.

According to figures from Harry Reid International Airport successful Las Vegas, the fig of passengers WestJet carried to Sin City dropped by 17 per cent successful February compared to the aforesaid period past year.

Discount hose Flair Airlines reported rider volumes to Vegas dropped by 55 per cent that period portion Air Canada's postulation was disconnected by a much humble 5 per cent.

And, according to manufacture information from OAG, hose bookings to the U.S. implicit the summer months are down immoderate 70 per cent.

But it's the onshore crossings that are bearing the brunt of this question hiatus, said Barbara Barrett, the enforcement manager of the Frontier Duty Free Association, a radical that represents 32 independently owned duty-free shops that dot the Canadian broadside of the onshore borderline from seashore to coast.

"Our stores are calling this a crisis. We beryllium 100 per cent on that question going implicit the border," she said successful an interview.

These stores, galore of them household owned, are uniquely susceptible to question slowdowns, she said.

Under Canadian law, customers indispensable instrumentality the goods purchased implicit the U.S. borderline close distant — section shoppers can't assistance marque up for mislaid sales.

The fig of American travellers coming north, a cardinal lawsuit base, has besides declined, according to Statistics Canada data.

"People aren't travelling and it's border assemblage businesses similar ours that are being deed the most," she said, pointing retired income are down 40 to 50 per cent connected mean compared to past twelvemonth — with smaller stores successful much distant outposts down adjacent much than that.

"We were conscionable connected the roadworthy to betterment from the pandemic and present we've been knocked disconnected that road.… We'll suffer a 3rd of our stores if this inclination continues implicit the adjacent mates of months. People are scared."