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Americans are feeling the chill from a one-year Canadian boycott of U.S. travel that cost our economy an estimated $4.5 billion in 2025, and the hemorrhaging showed no sign of stopping in January. New data make clear that this isn’t a blip — it’s a sustained hit to border communities, theme parks, restaurants, and the hardworking Americans who rely on tourist dollars.
Statistics Canada data cited by Forbes show car crossings into the U.S. plunged 27% in January compared with the same month a year earlier, while air arrivals fell about 18%, marking a twelfth straight month of double-digit declines. Those are not the numbers of a transient skirmish; they are the kind of pattern that forces small businesses to cut hours, lay off staff, and rethink investments.
The fallout is being felt from Florida’s beaches to New York border towns and on to iconic American destinations like Disney, where international visitation headwinds are now part of earnings conversations. States dependent on Canadian shoppers and vacationers are scrambling, with governors and tourism boards sounding the alarm as local economies take the hit.
Let’s be blunt about what triggered this self-inflicted wound: public clashes over tariffs and provocative rhetoric pushed by President Trump and amplified by political leaders north of the border helped spark calls for Canadians to stay home. Canadian leaders encouraged travel domestically after tariff announcements, and that political posture, not our entrepreneurs, is now being used to justify skipping American vacations.
Conservatives should be unapologetic about protecting American industry and national interests, but we should also demand accountability for deliberate political boycotts that harm ordinary workers on both sides of the border. Republicans who folded and voted to block tariffs signaled weakness at a terrible moment for Main Street, and voters will remember which lawmakers stood with job creators and which caved.
Practical, patriotic responses are available: double down on marketing Brand USA, support targeted state-level incentives to welcome Canadians back, and push reciprocal measures that respect sovereignty without sacrificing commerce. If conservatives want to win hearts and minds — and votes — we must defend tough policies while also fighting to bring back the revenues and jobs that feed American families.
