New data shows that Canadians are continuing to shun the United States as a destination to spend their tourist dollars. The latest data comes in a report from Statistics Canada. It found that return trips by Canadian residents from the US continued to decline sharply in April.
The protest by Canadians to boycott American products and travel is seen as a protest against the administration of President Donald Trump. It was the third straight month of declines by air, with 4.5 million travelers, which is down almost 20 percent from last year. When it came to Canadian resident return trips by land crossings, the number declined by 1.2 million, a drop of more than 35 percent from a year ago.
Some analysts like Aaron Ettinger, an associate political science professor at Carleton University, said what became a protest idea, may now have become a trend.
“I think it reflects authentic feelings of patriotism among Canadians. It’s very difficult to affect the world as an individual. But on this one thing, you can actually do something,” Ettinger said.
The decline in cross-border travel has also led to a crisis for duty free shops. They’re seeing a drop in customers in border stores because of the trade tensions. Barbara Barrett is the executive director of the Frontier Duty Free Association.
“It’s a very dire situation for our stores across the country,” Barrett said. “Some of them are saying they won’t even make it until the summer.”
Many Canadians say they’re refusing to travel south because of the trade war, and talks of a fifty-first state, as well as fears over new U.S. policies that include stricter border checks that include detaining some visitors.
As for when Canadians will start regularly traveling to the U.S. again, analysts like Ettinger don’t see that happening until after Trump leaves office.
