- Travel firms have reported that visits from Canadians to the U.S. have decreased due to the trade conflict under President Trump.
- Canada has seen an increase in tourists heading to Mexico as an alternative to visiting the U.S.
- People from Canada are also choosing to vacation within their own country or go to Europe and the Caribbean.
A pattern in travel sector revenues this week has become clear:
Fewer tourists from Canada are traveling to the US.
.
There are indications as well that they might be heading towards their ultimate destination instead.
Mexico
.
Christopher Nassetta, the CEO of Hilton, stated during an earnings call on Tuesday that the company, which predominantly operates within the U.S., has experienced a downturn.
Canadian visitors
Caesars Entertainment, the Las Vegas-headquartered hospitality and gambling enterprise, mentioned during its financial discussion that visitor numbers from Canada had declined. Nonetheless, both firms emphasized that visitors from Canada constituted only a minor part of their total customer base.
Booking Holdings, an online travel booking corporation, additionally stated that
Canada-US travel
had decelerated and provided some understanding of where Canadian tourists are now choosing to go. The firm’s portfolio encompassesBooking.com, Priceline.com, andKayak.
In the recent quarter, we noticed significant shifts in various travel behaviors. Specifically, there was a deceleration in the influx of travelers coming into the U.S., notably from Canadian booking sources, with Europeans contributing less significantly to this trend,” explained Ewout Lucien Steenbergen, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, during Tuesday’s earnings conference. “Nonetheless, improvements were evident in other travel routes; for instance, increased movement from Canada to Mexico led to steady expansion overall.”
Steenbergen also mentioned that the firm remains indifferent about their travel destinations since customers typically spend an equivalent amount, albeit at different locations.
The corporation’s financial performance was another indication that Canadians are shying away from traveling to the U.S., largely due to President Donald Trump’s policies.
trade war
And his remarks regarding Canada becoming the 51st state. Additionally, various travel firms have noticed that Canadians prefer traveling to Mexico rather than the U.S.
A market research firm called Longwoods International, which focuses on the travel and tourism sector, released findings from a survey on Tuesday indicating that Mexico ranked high among Canadian travelers as an preferred destination over the U.S. This survey, carried out earlier this month, polled 1,000 adult Canadians who had traveled within the last three years and intended to embark on another journey within the following two years.
According to the survey, 36% of participants indicated that they initially intended to travel to the US within the following 12 months but ultimately canceled those plans. Additionally, 60% reported that US governmental policies, trading behaviors, or political comments have decreased their likelihood of visiting the country over the upcoming year.
Among those whose travel plans were impacted by U.S. government policies, 40% opted for traveling domestically, whereas 27% decided to visit an alternative international location. The top choices for international trips consisted of Mexico, Portugal, Spain, France, and the Caribbean regions.
In March,
WestJet Airlines
Also mentioned was the preference of Canadian travelers choosing Central America over the U.S.
There has definitely been a response,” stated Alex Cruz, who serves as a vice chairman at WestJet, during an interview with CNBC regarding the impact of Trump’s trade policies on Canadian travelers heading to the U.S. “However, what we’re observing now is that individuals are opting for different locations. Instead of choosing places like Phoenix or Florida, they’re going to the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Mexico.
Christian Wolters, who serves as the Canadian president for travel organizer Intrepid Travel, similarly stated
NBC News
Last month, Canadians were shunning travel to the U.S. and opting instead for domestic trips or destinations like Mexico and Costa Rica.
According to the US Travel Association, a decrease of 10% in tourists coming from Canada—the leading country for international travel to the U.S.—could result in a drop of $2.1 billion in expenditures and lead to the loss of approximately 14,000 jobs.
Would you like to share an experience related to traveling between Canada and the US? Reach out to this journalist at
kvlamis@businessinsider.com
.
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on MSN.
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