Travel between Canada and the U.S. continued its decline in May for the fifth consecutive month, with Statistics Canada reporting significant drops in return trips by Canadians (38.1% by car, 24.2% by air) and a smaller decline in American trips to Canada. This trend is attributed to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, his rhetoric, and a weakened Canadian dollar, impacting airlines which have reduced flight capacities.
Canada-U.S. travel falls further for 5th straight month: StatCan
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Travel between Canada and the U.S. continued its decline in May for the fifth consecutive month, with Statistics Canada reporting significant drops in return trips by Canadians (38.1% by car, 24.2% by air) and a smaller decline in American trips to Canada. This trend is attributed to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, his rhetoric, and a weakened Canadian dollar, impacting airlines which have reduced flight capacities.
Trending- 1 Beginning of the year: Travel started to drop.
- 2 March (recent): Air Canada reduced flights by 10% to Florida, Las Vegas, and Arizona; WestJet, Flair Airlines, and Air Transat made similar moves.
- 3 April (recent): Canadian return trips by car dropped 35.2% compared with April 2024; by air dropped 19.9% compared with a year earlier.
- 4 May (recent): Canadian return trips by car dropped 38.1% compared with May 2024; by air dropped 24.2% compared with May 2024. American trips by automobile dropped 8.4% compared with last year; by air fell 0.3% compared with 2024.
- Reduced travel volume between Canada and U.S.
- Negative impact on airlines, leading to reduced flight capacity
- Economic ripple effect on the travel industry
What: Travel between Canada and the U.S. has declined for the fifth consecutive month in May, affecting both Canadian return trips and American trips to Canada.
When: May (latest data), April (previous month's data), March (airlines reduced flights), "since the beginning of the year".
Where: Canada, U.S., Florida, Las Vegas, Arizona.
Why: Due to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and rhetoric (e.g., "51st state"), as well as a weakened Canadian dollar.
How: Measured by Statistics Canada data on return trips by land and air. The decline has led airlines to reduce flight capacity to respond to lower demand.