They aren’t coming to Upstate New York as much — that’s bad for the tourism industry
By Stefan Yablonski
Our neighbors to the north aren’t visiting as often as they once were.
The United States saw about 4.2 million fewer visitor arrivals from Canada in 2025 compared to the prior year, according to the Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office. That represents a 20.9% drop and the second consecutive year of decline. Those numbers were down by a much smaller margin of 1.3% in 2024.
The trend continues this year.
In February 2026 alone, there were 1.5 million return trips from the United States among Canadian residents by air and automobile, representing a 14.5% drop from the same month in 2025, according to preliminary data from Statistics Canada.
Data from mobile tracking firm Cuebiq suggests Canadian travel to major U.S. cities may have fallen by as much as 42% over the past year — far steeper than the official estimate of a 25% decline in border crossings.
Visitor numbers declined from several countries, including Germany, India, France, Australia, Chile and China — but the largest drop came from Canada.
Far fewer Canadians are traveling to the United States, according to The Daily Beast Company LLC, an American digital news and opinion website that delivers reporting across politics, media, pop culture and power.
Canadian visitors declining in Central New York
Canadian tourism typically accounts for 10% to 15% of visitors to Onondaga County.
However, things have changed recently. Angered by President Donald Trump’s hefty tariffs and threats of annexation — and compounded by fears of border detentions and ICE crackdowns — Canadians are staying away in droves, refusing to spend their money in America.
According to Visit Syracuse president and CEO Danny Liedka, Canadians spend around $115 million annually in Onondaga County.
“I would say it’s probably about a 10% to 12% dip currently,” he said.
In a typical year Destiny USA see millions of Canadian shoppers. Historically, visitors from across the border make up about 29% of the mall’s shoppers. However, that hasn’t been the case in recent months.
The Port City of Oswego has seen a sharp decline in Canadian visitors in just the past couple of years.
“So far this year, mid-May to now [mid July], there have been no Canadians at the Visitor Center,” said Eva Corradino, chair of the Oswego City’s Promotion and Tourism Advisory Board (P-TAB).
In 2023, there were 16. The next year it was 11, she said. Last year the number plunged to just five.
“I have it on one of the sign-ins in 2023 that a family of three came in [to the center]. They were in town for their son to play in a baseball tournament,” she added.
Coming to America — not
An April survey by Longwoods International Research, an industry leader in travel and tourism research based in Ohio and Toronto, shows that Canadian tourism to Central New York has dropped off considerably.
Data shows that Canadian arrivals to the United States have been down in recent months. Tensions between the two countries rose last year amid Trump’s trade war and branding of the country as the 51st state. Some travelers opted not to visit under the new administration, citing various reasons, including federal policies targeting the LGBTQ+ community and reports of tourists being detained by immigration officers.
The Iran War is also influencing their travel plans.
Among Canadians changing their plans, 38% will postpone their trip, 35% plan to replace their international trip with a domestic trip and 14% plan to cancel their trip.
