Canadian road trips to U.S. nosedive in February amid tariff war

There’s been a significant drop in the number of land-border crossings into the U.S. in the wake of Trump’s threatened trade war.

Figures from New Statistics Canada show just how many people in Vancouver are avoiding crossing the border.

There were 23 per cent fewer return trips by car in February compared to that month last year, highlighting the large portion of the public who are deciding to keep their money in Canada.

It’s not just day trips that are being forgone, either.

White Rock Travel & Cruises says business isn’t down just yet, but there is a shift in what people are asking for.

“We have had a few clients cancel,” the agency’s owner Ginny Harrison told CTV News on Monday.

“They don’t want to go to the U.S. anymore. People that had trips booked or people who go there for a few months in our winter, they’re looking for alternate places.”

For the cruising crowd, there are alternatives to popular choices like Alaska and Hawaii.

“Clients that are looking for a cruise that is mainly Eastern Canada, but that doesn’t go to Boston, New York, or any of the U.S. ports,” Harrison said, of some of the requests she’s been receiving.

“We’ve got lots of clients that have decided that they’re going to tour the Maritimes and Newfoundland this year.”

The new stats show Canadian resident return trips by air dropped just 2.4 per cent last month compared to February of last year.

With the Canada Border Services Agency now collecting a 25 per cent surtax on certain goods, including groceries, and no personal exemptions in place for cross-border shoppers travelling for a short length of time, it is only expected the trend will continue to move forward for those choosing to drive across the border.