It is no secret that the U.S. tourism business, significantly worldwide arrivals, has considerably declined for the reason that finish of the primary quarter of 2025 amid Trump-era insurance policies. Southwest Florida has seen a decline as Canada’s U.S. travel boycott hits a depressing record after Canadians selected to take journeys to the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.
However as customer numbers dipped and U.S. tourism continued to go south, Canada’s Porter Airlines, alternatively, quietly added continuous flights to Southwest Florida, a daring transfer that helped get better Florida’s losses in vacationer numbers.
The Toronto Star studies that Canadian arrivals in Southwest Florida are down 7.3% over the 12 months, ending in September 2025, in line with the information by the Lee County Customer and Conference Bureau in Fort Myers, Florida.
Porter Airways Continues To Fly Canadians Out To Southwest Florida With Extra Non-Cease Flights
Whereas a lot of the journey business has been pulling again from the U.S. (Air Canada heeded the U.S. travel boycott and offered Canadians 11 new snowbird routes as an alternative of recent routes to America), Porter Airways noticed this as a chance to achieve extra clientele as an alternative of retreat.
Greater insurance coverage prices, elevated owners affiliation charges, pure disasters, and political tensions, in addition to an insignificant alternate fee, have been the main causes for Canadians to forego touring to the U.S., particularly to Southwest Florida, in line with native realtor Billee Silva, who spoke with the Toronto Star.
“Some are very adamant that they’re not going to journey to the U.S. anymore due to this administration, the rhetoric and the insurance policies,” Canadian Snowbird Affiliation spokesperson Evan Rachkovsky stated.
The Canadian Snowbird Affiliation additionally stated that there was a 12% decline in Canadian snowbirds’ U.S. arrivals final yr, which vastly impacted U.S. tourism. Canada traditionally has been the most important supply of worldwide vacationers to america, however with the decline in Canadian arrivals since 2025, snowbird locations like Florida have felt the impression.
However Porter Airways’ late 2024 resolution so as to add extra route choices and continuous flights to Southwest Florida has helped offset the decline, in line with Tamara Pigott, Government Director of Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau.
Presently, Porter Airways’ web site lists 9 Florida cities as a part of its routes within the Sunshine State, together with Fort Myers and Sarasota in Southwest Florida.
- Fort Myers
- Fort Lauderdale
- Sarasota
- Jacksonville
- Key West
- Miami
- Orlando
- Tampa
- West Palm Seashore
Porter Airways’ daring transfer so as to add extra Florida routes did not simply fill extra worthwhile seats for the Canadian airline, but it surely has additionally helped raise the already ebbing tourism tide within the Sunshine State amid the U.S. authorities’s controversial commerce and political tensions which have vastly affected America’s tourism business.
Canada’s New Overseas Offers Proceed To Downturn U.S. Tourism
The US’ broader tourism continues to see a decline in overseas arrivals, and Canadians are a significant purpose for the fallout. Not too long ago, Canada found a new way to boycott the U.S., as China, America’s rival, changed its visa policy, extending its 30-day unilateral visa-free program for Canadian passport-holders.
Canadians are additionally exempt from China’s typical fingerprint assortment, versus the U.S.’s stricter biometric scans, which apply to air, sea, and land borders, masking visa holders, vacationers, and lawful everlasting residents (Inexperienced Card holders).
Within the face of America’s weakening tourism business, Canada’s latest overseas cope with China tells a a lot impactful story for the U.S., particularly since Canadians have develop into totems of america tourism market.
Will Canadians Soften Their Stance On U.S. Journey?
Porter Airways’ strategic airlift for Canadians to the Sunshine State means one thing for the area’s dwindling numbers of Canadian vacationers—proof that taking a danger can nonetheless transfer the needle regardless of America’s receding overseas arrivals.
However Canadians have revealed the toughest reason for the U.S. travel boycott that Americans find hard to accept—the U.S. now not feels protected for worldwide journey. Amid Trump’s robust immigration crackdowns, commerce wars, in addition to his rhetoric on making Canada the 51st state, Canadians have felt the urge to forego touring to the U.S.
Canadian snowbirds even took extreme steps to avoid hassle from Americans, resembling taking off their entrance license plate and reverse-parking after crossing the U.S. border to keep away from “additional aggravation.” What’s extra is that these Canadian snowbirds, who still winter in Florida, purchase supplies in Canada to deliver to the Sunshine State “to place the cash again in Canada.”
However one U.S. city’s “success story” proves not all Canadians embrace Canada’s travel boycott, because it has solely seen a minor decline in border crossings. Detroit, Michigan, has felt the boycott, but it surely is not as impactful as the opposite well-liked locations for Canadians. Native authorities consider that this has one thing to do with Detroit and Windsor/Essex’s sturdy financial, sports activities, and leisure ties.
Whereas Florida continues to navigate the shifting journey patterns amid the tourism blow that is largely impacted by the Canadians’ U.S. journey boycott, Porter Airways’ route expansions performed a big position within the area’s tourism restoration, when others have determined to cut back.
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