Canadian and European Travel Lost in Tourism Revenue

A recent analysis of airline reservation data shows that Canadian and European travel to the United States for travel in July 2026 has dropped dramatically compared to July 2025. These figures clearly show that many travelers who once regularly visited the U.S. for vacations are now changing their travel plans, with seat counts plummeting since 2025.

It is not only European travelers affected. In May 2025 in Orlando, a large number of tourists from Brazil were present — with Portuguese widely spoken at Disney World and major Florida shopping malls. However, after the U.S. introduced an extra $250 visa fee for visitors, many Brazilians began choosing alternative vacation destinations.

Canada: Major Drop in Travel to the U.S.

Canadians are the group that has most drastically stopped flying to the U.S., and the reasons are clear. Many fear that upon arrival, they may be asked for extensive documentation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and face aggressive questioning or detainment by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with little justification. Similar fears have discouraged nationals from Europe, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, Cuba, Jamaica, and Barbados from crossing U.S. borders — sometimes waiting six months without even being processed through U.S. ports of entry.

Canadian carriers like Air Canada, WestJet, and Air Transat are now flying to the U.S. with significantly fewer seats. For example, Air Transat’s weekly flights from Canada to Florida have dropped from 16 flights to just 3. Their last Montreal-to-Florida flight is now scheduled for June 13, 2026. WestJet has canceled flights to 8 U.S. cities and is instead increasing service to the Caribbean and Central America.

Travelers Choosing New Destinations

All this decline is partly because Canadians are choosing more attractive or less stressful destinations for winter travel. Many fear mistreatment at CBP or ICE checkpoints and are frustrated by U.S. policies that seem to treat Canada like “state #51.”

The absence of Canadian tourists has already cost the U.S. tourism and wider economy approximately $4.5 billion. Airlines have lost around 450,000 available seats, and statistics show that 62% of Canadians have stopped crossing the border into the U.S. This does not even include the loss of American goods and liquor that are no longer imported to Canada.

Instead of the U.S., Canadians are now traveling widely to Cancún (Mexico), Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Portugal, Curaçao, other European destinations, and increasingly Asia. Families that once flew to Disney World (Florida) or Disneyland (California) are now flying to Disney Paris.

U.S. Real Estate and Tourism Changes

Canadians have started selling their vacation homes in Florida and Arizona in large numbers. Beaches around Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and other areas are emptier than ever, and many local restaurants have closed. Even longstanding businesses in Key West have shut their doors. Tourism in Las Vegas has also declined significantly.

Cruise Lines Adjusting Routes

Cruise companies are also feeling the impact. Ships that use U.S. ports such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Cape Canaveral, or San Juan (Puerto Rico) as homeports are seeing reduced bookings because many Europeans and Canadians are reluctant to board at U.S. ports. In Florida, ICE officers once boarded a cruise ship and detained a passenger — even after realizing the person was a former U.S. Coast Guard official — but released him without apology after three hours, an incident that was later featured on television in Arizona.

As a result, several cruise lines are shifting operations to Barbados, which is now used as a homeport with strong European booking levels. Curaçao too has become a homeport for Corendon cruises, with many flights from Europe bringing passengers directly to Willemstad for embarkation. Indications suggest that this trend may continue and more ships could adopt Caribbean homeports.

European Travel to the U.S. Also Declining

Europeans are also booking significantly fewer flights to the U.S. Passenger reservations for July 2026 have dropped by 14.2% overall:

Amsterdam to U.S.: down 23%
Frankfurt to U.S.: down 36%
Barcelona to U.S.: down 26%
Munich to U.S.: down 19%
Athens to U.S.: down 19%
Madrid to U.S.: down 15%
Dublin to U.S.: down 15%
Milan to U.S.: down 8%
Rome to U.S.: down 5%

These figures are notable because the FIFA World Cup 2026 — one of the most popular global sporting events — is expected to draw large crowds. With 16 of the 48 participating teams from Europe, many analysts expected strong European travel for the tournament, but current booking trends show minimal spike in U.S. reservations. Many travelers say they prefer to watch matches on TV rather than risk travel delays, documentation issues, and intensive questioning upon arrival.