Even if Donald Trump postponed applying stiff tariffs to all Canadian goods for now, many people in Ontario and across the country are dismayed enough by the U.S. President’s show of animosity that they are still vowing to boycott American products and services.
Avoiding certain brands on grocery store shelves is one easy, widely-suggested step, but some are taking their conviction to the cause even further by cancelling travel plans to destinations south of the border.
Amid all of the chatter online in the last few weeks, hundreds of residents of the province claim to have cancelled forthcoming trips to sights like the Grand Canyon, New York City, Florida, Maine and other locales, saying things like “I’m not going into a country that is at economic war with us” and “If they hurt my country, I don’t see why I should spend my money there.”
Even quick cross-border trips to places like Buffalo are off the table for some who are used to regularly visiting the nearby U.S. city for shopping, grocery hauls and events.
A Reddit post on the eve of Trump’s original tariff threats has garnered hundreds of comments from Ontarians who say they are now boycotting travel to the U.S., even if they had existing plans to go there.
Bolstering the stories of those on social media, travel agents at Flight Centre have indeed seen more Canadians shifting itineraries recently, not only due to the tariff threats, but also a weak dollar and political tensions between the two countries.
“Canadians are resilient, resourceful and proud to support the things they believe in. Our experts have already helped Canadians cancel their U.S. vacations and rebook elsewhere,” says Amra Durakovic of Flight Centre Travel Group Canada, saying this “major shift” applies not just to leisure travellers, but those on business, too.
“[A lot] of Canadian businesses plan to reduce U.S. travel, with many already making cuts and exploring alternative international markets,” she adds.
Popular alternatives include places like Antigua, the Caribbean and Portugal, which have all seen “increased interest in travellers looking to maximize value despite economic challenges.”
Passengers are simply not seeing the U.S. as offering that value at this time, along with having personal feelings against Trump and his seeming attacks on the Canadian economy.
Durakovic cites one standout example of the recent “surge of customers at our locations seeking advice from our travel experts to re-plan their existing bookings”: a long-time client who cancelled their trip to Arizona in light of Trump’s tariff deadline earlier this month, organizing a vacation to Portugal instead.
Flight Centre says its agents have noticed some booking impacts for cruises with U.S. ports of call as well.
We’ll have to wait and see whether America’s tourism sector takes as much of a hit as some, including the U.S. Travel Association, believe it may. It will depend in part, of course, on whether Trump moves ahead with the tariffs on all Canadian imports (aluminum and steel may be a whole other story).
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