The Ambassador bridge links Detroit, Michigan with Windsor, Ontario. It is one of the busiest routes in North America.
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Canadians cut more than 3 million trips to the United States this summer compared to 2024, according to Statistics Canada. The vast majority of it was cross-border car travel that fell by roughly 2.7 million trips between June and August 2025.
For decades, Canadian road trips to the United States were less about luxury vacations and more about short, but repeat visits. A weekend in Buffalo for shopping, a quick drive to Detroit for a ballgame, or a summer family outing to upstate New York were trips that are relatively low-cost, low-carbon and highly predictable.
This summer shows how fragile that tradition may be. The dependable flow of Canadian visitors did not arrive these past months. Instead, Canadians spent their travel dollars either at home or overseas.
Breaking Down The Summer Numbers
In June, July and August 2025, Canadians made 2.0 million (–24.1%), 2.07 million (–28.2%) and 2.32 million (–26.3%) trips to the U.S., respectively. Each month was well below 2024 levels.
The steepest cutbacks came from road traffic: 1.5 million in June (–32.3%), 1.68 million in July (–36.9%) and 1.9 million in August (–33.9%), down by roughly one-third compared to the previous year.
The border to Canada, taken in downtown, Detroit, Michigan.
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Air travel to the United States also dropped, with 538,400 flights in June (–15.7%), 383,700 in July (–25.8%) and 423,100 in August (–25.4%). These losses added up to 377,500 fewer Canadian flights south of the border over the summer.
At the same time, Canadians boosted their overseas flying. 882,300 trips in June (+7.2%), 1 million in July (+5.9%) and1.2 million in August (+6.6%) brought steady year-over-year growth in long-haul travel.
In contrast, U.S. residents made 665,700 trips to Canada by air in June (+2.5%), 714,700 in July (+2.1%) and 589,700 in August (–3.6%), showing relative stability compared to the Canadian decline.
Cross-border car trips by U.S. residents also fell, 1.41 million in June (–6.8%), 1.79 million in July (–7.5%) and 1.79 million in August (–4.5%). However, the pullback was far smaller than for Canadian road trippers.
$2.8 Billion Is Likely To Be Lost South Of The Border
What did 3 million Canadians staying away mean for the U.S. economy?
According to the benchmark of National Travel Survey and Visitor Travel Survey, published in August 2025, Canadians spent an average of $944 per trip in the U.S. during the first quarter of 2025. This number is based on a mix of same-day visits ($171) and overnight stays ($1,422).
Multiplying the summer shortfall of 3.05 million trips by this per-trip spending average produces an estimated $2.83 billion in lost tourism revenue for the United States in just three months.
The Bottlenecks Of Cross-Border Travel
In 2024, New York (3.1 million), Washington (1.2 million), Florida (984,000), Michigan (678,000) and Maine (639,000) were the top U.S. destinations for Canadian visitors, according to the International Inbound Travel Association.
What stands out is that three of the top five (New York, Washington and Michigan) share a land border with Canada. It underscores how they may be more dependent on short-haul Canadian tourism than other U.S. states.
US – Canada border near Port Huron in Michigan.
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13 U.S. states border with Canada and residents can use 119 official border crossings to visit the neighbouring country.
However, the vast majority of traffic comes through these three entry points: Buffalo–Niagara Falls between Ontario and New York, Detroit between Ontario and Michigan and Blaine between British Columbia and Washington.
They alone represent nearly nine in ten cross-border car trips, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Even the next most significant crossings, Port Huron in Michigan and Champlain–Rouses Point in New York, only accounted for 7% each. The remaining 114 crossings see only a sliver of the volume.
New York May Have Lost $560 Million In Canadian Spending
Overlooking the Niagara Falls in a sunny day in autumn foliage season.
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New York is one of the most vulnerable states since two of the busiest border crossings, Buffalo–Niagara Falls and Champlain–Rouses Point, connect directly into the Empire State.
In 2024, New York welcomed 315.4 million total visitors who spent $94.0 billion, generating a total economic impact of $145.2 billion. Canadian visitors contributed $1.7 billion in visitor spending in 2024.
No official data is available for summer 2025, but reflecting on the one-third drop in Canadian cross-border trips, New York may have lost over $560 million in direct Canadian spending.
$1 Billion In Economic Value At Risk In Michigan
Detroit during sunset
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Michigan is more exposed than most states since two of the busiest border crossings, Detroit–Windsor and Port Huron–Sarnia, are in The Great Lakes State.
In 2024, Michigan welcomed 131.2 million total visitors who spent $30.7 billion, generating a total economic impact of $54.8 billion.
While most of that came from domestic travelers, the international visitor market represented 5.1% of demand, which is roughly 6.7 million visitors who spent $1.56 billion and generated $2.79 billion in total impact.
No official data is available for summer 2025, but reflecting on the one-third drop in international arrivals cross-border, Michigan may have lost 2.2 million visitors, $515 million in direct spending and nearly $1 billion in total economic value.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/emesemaczko/2025/09/22/us-lost-3-million-of-its-most-sustainable-tourists-this-summer/
