Statistics show most Canadians are shunning travel to the U.S. for holidays and vacations, but despite the ongoing trade tensions, many Canadian workers are still travelling south according to new data from travel company Flight Centre Travel Group Canada.
It suggests the trade war doesn’t appear to be deterring Canadian workers from flying south.
In fact, the number of cross-border bookings for air travel through August increased by 6% from the same period a year ago.
Amra Durakovic of Flight Centre Travel Group Canada said when the first tariffs were imposed a year and a half ago, some businesses did pull back.
"But by the end of 2025, U.S. cross-border business bookings were basically flat for the year, and now they’re growing again," she said. "So this really tells us that while many businesses may pause or rethink a trip, they still need to be in those key markets and have access to such a key market for Canadian businesses like the U.S. is."
Durakovic said air bookings in January were up just over 4%, then declined in February and March. But by the summer they were climbing again to reach their highest point in August —16.5% above August of last year.
She said travelling to the U.S. is important because so often customers, suppliers, investors or operations are based there — especially in sectors such as manufacturing, mining and natural resources, technology and finance and banking.
She said it’s not clear yet what impact the latest tariffs from the White House will have.
