Fewer Albertans travelled to and from the U.S. since January: data, experts suggest

Joey Chini · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 21, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Fewer Albertans are travelling to and from the United States this year, Statistics Canada information shows, aligning with a inclination that is becoming prevalent across Canada.

Statistics Canada information shows a diminution successful Canadians returning to the state from the U.S. astatine Alberta borderline crossings successful the past 2 months. In February, astir 4,000 less Canadians returned to the country through Alberta borderline crossings than during the aforesaid period successful 2024. In March, much than 4,300 less Canadians made the aforesaid instrumentality travel crossed the borderline year-over-year.

When compared with the archetypal 3 months of 2024, Canadians returning from the U.S. by aerial to airports successful either Calgary oregon Edmonton successful the archetypal 3 months of 2025 saw akin declines.

Racine Friede, the president and CEO of Western Montana's Glacier Country, says her regional tourism organization is starting to see a dip successful the fig of Albertans visiting the northwestern portion of the state.

"We person immoderate businesses that are saying they haven't seen overmuch of a change, portion we are proceeding from others that they're seeing anyplace from 20 to 30 oregon 40 per cent of a decrease successful bookings from their Canadian clients and customers," she said.

Friede says her enactment focuses connected attracting tourists to Montana, arsenic good arsenic maintaining the narration betwixt her authorities and Canadian provinces. 

"We conscionable person a special enslaved with Alberta and British Columbians," she said.

"We've surely been proceeding stories astir radical that person household present and they mightiness beryllium coming down less. The household from present mightiness beryllium going [to Alberta] a small spot much than normal."

WATCH | Canadian question to U.S. drops by astir 900,000 successful March: 

Friede says her enactment is astir to motorboat a summertime advertising campaign to pull much Albertans — and Canadians wide — to sojourn Montana, successful airy of the caller diminution successful travel.

"We're all like-minded erstwhile it comes to our thoughts and feelings astir conscionable making definite radical cognize that we miss them, that we're present erstwhile they are acceptable to travel oregon erstwhile they consciousness much comfy coming," she said.

"Canadians are not conscionable a marketplace to us. They are friends and they are neighbours, and that's however we presumption them."

Industry feeling the pinch

Canadians' changing travel habits comes amid governmental and economical tensions betwixt their state and the U.S., that person arisen during an ongoing commercialized war.

Sarah Halprin, question cause with The Travel Agent Next Door, says she hasn't seen Canadians hesitate to question this overmuch since major nationalist wellness restrictions were imposed astir the satellite during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's not feasible for people, whether it is simply a governmental statement, a idiosyncratic connection oregon a fiscal statement," she said.

Halprin adds that the fig of Canadians travelling to the U.S. was already trending downward successful the past fewer years because of the wavering spot of the Canadian dollar.

"It's not conscionable a elemental reply of, 'oh, if the tariffs weren't happening, we would beryllium fine.' We wouldn't. We've got this horrible dollar," Halprin said.

Financial factors similar the weaker Canadian dollar, compounded with existent economical tensions betwixt Canada and the U.S., volition lone marque things worse, Halprin predicts. She believes much radical whitethorn opt for redeeming wealth alternatively than spending it successful the U.S.

"With the tariffs coming in, they don't cognize if they're going to beryllium paying rent successful 2 months oregon affording that medication for their kid oregon immoderate it is," she said.

The radical who are inactive travelling to the States are usually doing truthful retired of necessity, Halprin says, noting that immoderate Canadians ain spot southbound of the border and immoderate person relatives that unrecorded there.

Halprin says usually astir this clip of year her business, which focuses connected prima destinations, is booming. But for the past 3 months, things person been quiet, truthful she's shifting her absorption toward question wrong Canada.

"The contented with that is that it's costly to question wrong Canada," Halprin said. "When you tin question to Manitoba for x amount of dollars, you tin alert to Hawaii for the aforesaid price, adjacent though we should beryllium travelling much successful Canada."