Local experts measure the impact of tariffs on travel to the U.S. from Canada

"Everyone wants to see results now, but it's just a little too early I think to see any impact yet."- Pascal Cohen, Senior Marketing Manager for NFTA Airports

Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - With President Trump’s tariffs now taking effect, there has been a decrease of Canadians making the trip down south. Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged Canadiens to not travel to the United States.

Elizabeth Carey with AAA of Western New York said that there has been a decrease in travel going across the border into the United States, but has not seen any slow downs of people going on international vacations.

“If you look at the numbers from the first quarter 2024 and compare them to first quarter 2025, we've actually seen a 40% increase in local travelers going up to Canada to use the Toronto Airport to go on international vacations.” Carey said.

If people are expecting a decrease in Canadian travel into the United States, Senior Marketing Manager for NFTA Airports Pascal Cohen said to not expect a decrease yet.

“We really cannot even compare year-over-year, because that's when we get a big push, right at the Easter break,” Cohen said. “If I compare year-over-year, we are just a hair down. In fact, up to a week ago, we were still up year over year.”

With worries the Buffalo economy could be hit with Canadians choosing not to travel to the United States, Cohen said that Buffalo did fine when the border was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and worries about smaller cities that neighbor the border between the US and Canada.

“Canadians are very important to our travel, and we would miss each and every one of them if they're not coming,” Cohen said. “But hopefully, the impact won't be as severe as I fear, just because a lot of Canadians in our area own property in places like Florida, they come across the border all the time. I think maybe the impact is going to be felt more in some of the major tourism destinations in the US that now get non-stop flights from cities in Canada that you know are going to get fewer flights.”