Some 47% of Canadian travellers plan to visit the US in the next 12 months, up from 39% in April 2025, Longwoods International said on October 27.
The figure is well above the spring 2025 low, though it slipped from 49% in July. Across the series, the share of Canadian travellers who say US government policies make them less likely to visit has stayed between 53% and 63% across all seven waves of the study, and stood at 55% in October.
Some 13% have already booked a US trip, level with October 2025 as the highest share recorded. A further 34% intend to go but have not yet booked, down from 37% in July.
The share with no intention of visiting in the next year rose to 43% from 40% in July. Another 10% had planned a trip and recently cancelled it.
Actual travel has held steady. Some 31% of Canadian travellers visited the US in the past six months, up from 29% a year earlier and 28% in July.
The share who planned a US trip in that period and then cancelled it fell to 18% from 23% a year ago. However, those who neither travelled nor intended to rose to 51% from 47%.
Recent visitors mostly headed for major cities, cited by 54%, or destinations close to the border such as Washington state and Michigan, cited by 45%. Beach and coastal destinations drew 28% and small towns 23%.
Visiting friends and relatives was the main purpose for 28% of recent trips. City breaks accounted for 15% and touring a region for its scenery, history and culture for 14%.
Some 55% of Canadian travellers say current US government policies, trade practices or political statements make them less likely to visit in the next 12 months. Only 8% say these make them more likely to go, and 25% say they have no influence on their plans.
Among travellers whose plans are affected, 40% will replace a US trip with a domestic holiday in Canada, the most common response in every wave.
Postponement is rising. Some 27% now plan to push a US trip back, up 5.5 points from October 2025, while 16% will reroute itineraries to avoid certain areas and 12% will shorten their stay.
Outright cancellation is fading as a response. Only 11% of affected travellers say they will cancel, down from 19% in October 2025 and 23% in April 2025.
For destinations outside North America, the opening lies with the 19% who plan to switch to another international destination. Asked where they would go instead, respondents most often named Europe and Mexico, followed by the Dominican Republic and Asia. Japan and Costa Rica also featured.
Tariffs and economic policies were cited by 69% of those changing their US plans, and political statements by US leaders by 66%. Political discontent within the US was cited by 49% and sovereignty rhetoric by US leaders by 47%.
The exchange rate is weighing less on decisions. Some 38% of those changing plans cited the US-Canadian dollar rate, down from 46% in July and the lowest share since tracking began in April 2025.
Among those with no plans to visit in the next year, 70% said an improved political relationship between Canada and the US would make them more likely to travel. A more favourable exchange rate was cited by 40%, greater confidence in personal safety by 34% and fewer border requirements or shorter waits by 30%.
Some 13% said nothing would make them more likely to visit.
The US product itself still scores well. Some 88% of Canadian travellers agree the country has lots to see and do, up from 84% in April 2025, and 87% say it has interesting sights and landmarks.
Perceptions of welcome are weaker. Only 43% agree the US is a place they would feel welcome, while 40% disagree, up from 34% in July. Some 44% see it as welcoming of Canadians.
Confidence in safety has recovered from its lows. Some 40% agree the US is a safe place to visit, up from 34% in April 2026, although an equal 40% disagree.
The study surveyed 1,000 Canadian adults on October 5-8, representative of the population by age, gender and province, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points. Results cover travellers who have taken a trip in the past three years and plan one in the next two. The research is supported by Miles Partnership.
Longwoods International is a travel and tourism research consultancy. The October survey is the seventh wave of its Canadian Travel Sentiment Study, which has tracked Canadian attitudes to US travel since April 2025.
