Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s ‘Team Canada’ response to Trump’s tariffs also includes punishing U.S. tourism. Trudeau is telling Canadians not to vacation south of the border.
It’s a good sign for politicians to understand the importance travel and tourism can have to a country’s economy.
Statista.com says 31% of all foreign visitors to the U.S. in 2023 were Canadian. Statistics Canada says Canadians spent $7 billion in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2024 alone. If you spread that out over a year, Canadian spending in the States could be $28 billion annually.
Some in Canada say this is a hard decision to make. A Canadian responded to Trudeau’s suggestion that half of those in the United States did not vote for Trump – so why punish all Americans?
Others say it was also warm and sunny in Mexico, the other country the U.S. slapped with a 25% import tariff.
Tourism remains a major export for the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

The mayor of Niagara Falls, Ontario, says that a deep friendship between Canadians and Americans will prevail. Twenty-five percent of all visitors to Niagara Falls are Americans. He added, “When a bully comes, you have to spend up.