Vancouver, British Columbia – Diana and Rick Bellamy initially planned to take a Cruise for the Caribbean of Houston before heading to Laurel, Mississippi, to visit the house of one of his favorite HGTV shows, “Hogar Town”.
Calgary’s couple discarded those plans and on vacation last month along the Pacific coast of Mexico, on the other hand, discouraged by the commercial war of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, with Canada, the insults he has launched in his homeland and stories about US border agents Looking for phones of people and Stop foreigners For minor reasons.
He found ironic that he felt more comfortable traveling to Mexico than the United States.
“I never thought I would hear that say that,” said Diane Bellamy.
Trump’s attacks on the economy and threats of Canada to make it the 51st state have enraged Canadians, who are canceling trips to the US. UU. In large quantities. They also seem to have turned the narration in the direction of Canada parliamentary elections On Monday, with the liberal party of Prime Minister Mark Carney he was delayed after delaying the surveys just a few months ago.
The United States receives more visitors from Canada every year than from any other country, according to the United States Travel Association, a commercial industry group, which said that visits from 20.4 million Canada last year generated $ 20.5 billion in expenses.
But there has been a Great fall in foreigners traveling to the United States Since Trump assumed the position, and the Canadians are no exception. There were more than 910,000 less of land border crossings from Canada to the United States last month than in March 2024, a fall of more than 22%, according to customs and border protection data.
Trump put aside the decrease in tourism to the United States on Wednesday, saying: “I suppose some nationalism there, maybe it is not a big problem.”
Since Trump began his second term, there have been well -advertised reports that tourists stop at the border crossings of the United States and have remained for weeks in immigration detention centers before they are allowed to fly home at their own cost.
On March 3, Canadian Jasmine Mooney, actor and businessman of a work visa in the United States, was arrested by border agents from the United States in San Diego. It was released after 12 days of detention.
Before the launch of Mooney, the British Columbia Prime Minister, David Eby, expressed concern, saying: “Certainly reinforces the anxiety that … Many Canadians have about our relationship with the United States at this time and the unpredictability of this administration and its actions. “
The Canadian Association of University Teachers, which represents the faculty and staff of Canadian universities, warned its members against non -essential trips to the United States due to the “political landscape” under Trump and Canadian reports that are found Difficulties to cross the border.
Academics who have expressed negative opinions about the Trump administration should be particularly cautious when traveling to the United States, the group said.
“People are afraid to cross the border. I don’t know what Americans are thinking, frankly. Are they so alien?” Said the former Quebec Prime Minister Jean Charest, who has a family in Florida.
Mike Sauer, who runs a community police center in Vancouver, said he and his partner have no interest in traveling to the United States now due to Trump’s border politics and fears. One of Sauer’s concerns is that if a border guard check his cell phone, the guard could see his past marijuana purchases, which is Legal to buy in Canada And approximately half of the 50 states, but remains illegal according to the Federal Law of the United States.
“The states have a different vision of drugs. They could certainly look at my phone and see that I am 420 friendly,” he said, which means he is friendly with marijuana. “I think it depends on which border guard would have a problem with that and which not.”
Dietra Wilson, 32, said that when she was younger, she often visited Detroit, who is on the other side of Windsor’s border, Ontario, where she and her husband, Ben, have a second -hand store. However, he has not visited much in recent years, and said he has heard of people’s concerns about crossing the border since Trump returned to the White House.
“It’s worrying,” he said.
Ben Wilson, 37, also has qualms about trying to cross.
“Why would I like?” said. “Regardless of the rates, if they will stop me on the border for my phone or something that someone sent me a text message, why go?”
The fall in Canadian tourism to the United States LEDs The governor of California Gavin Newsom, A frequent Trump objective, to announce an advertising campaign this month aimed at attracting Canadians to their state, citing an annual 12% drop in February.
McKenzie McMillan, consultant of a Vancouver -based travel agency, the travel group, said the company’s reservations to the United States have dried. “We have seen an almost total collapse of US businesses,” he said. “Probably around a 90% drop since February.”
Lesley Keyter, the CEO and founder of Lady Travel agency in Calgary, said he has seen people who really lose money to cancel their trips in the United States.
“Even if they go to a Cruise for the Caribbean, they don’t want to go to Fort Lauderdale to climb the cruise,” he said.
___
Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press Corey Williams reporter in Windsor, Ontario, contributed to this report.
