TORONTO — Every year Kathy Rowe and her husband exchange the same Christmas gift: plane tickets to the United States.
The couple from Torbay, N.L., had planned to do the same last holiday season, and used points to purchase non-refundable plane tickets to Dallas, where they would rent a car for a road trip in May.
But on Nov. 6, the day after Donald Trump was re-elected, they cancelled the vacation, an action that seems more common now that the newly inaugurated president has ramped up anti-Canada rhetoric and threatened tariffs.
"I can't turn a blind eye anymore," said Rowe, 59.
"I've had enough, and we will travel in Canada this year. What we did was we got rid of our tickets and decided that the best route was to book a ferry from Newfoundland over to Nova Scotia, and we will travel that way, probably as far as places in Ontario."
The couple contacted the airline and paid $400 to get their points back.
"We took the hit because morally I just could not go down there and give them one more penny of my money," Rowe said.
Trump's tariff threats and talk of a "51st state" have reaffirmed her decision, she said, but her newfound distaste for U.S. travel is more strongly rooted in the president's policies.
"His policies are of division. He is ruining a beautiful country. I love America. I travel there every year," she said.
"I know what's happening and I just can't bear it, so I'll let them see what happens in the next four years and if it's still together, then maybe I'll consider travelling back there."
A poll published Monday suggests 62 per cent of Maritimers plan to travel less to the U.S. because of Trump's presidency. Fifty four per cent of those who said they would travel less cited disagreement with the president's leadership, values or administration.
The online survey conducted by Narrative Research polled 1,618 residents of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island on Jan. 30 and 31.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Travel Association warned U.S. tariffs could diminish tourism, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadians should travel within the country.
The association said a 10 per cent reduction could mean $2.1 billion in lost spending.
"Canada is the top source of international visitors to the United States, with 20.4 million visits in 2024, generating $20.5 billion in spending and supporting 140,000 American jobs," the association said in a written statement.
Likewise, the Travel Industry Association of Canada is urging Americans to continue coming north of the 49th parallel.
"We really encourage all travellers that Canada continues to be open for business and ready and able to welcome visitors from the U.S. and anywhere else in the world," Beth Potter said in a phone interview.
"We always encourage Canadians to explore their own backyard, that's for sure. We've never not said that. But tourism is a form of soft diplomacy, and it really leads to cultural understandings and bridging relationships between countries."
But regular U.S. visitor Linda Randell of Alliston, Ont., said political and economic forces are stronger motivators than relationship-building.
She and her husband had planned on driving down to Melbourne, Fla., last Saturday, but decided to cancel at the last minute.
"The last week or so, I was worried. I had anxiety, and I'm a very calm person," said Randell.
Randell said the weak Canadian dollar was one motivating factor, and Trump's unpredictability was another.
She worried the U.S. president might close the border and stop her from returning to Canada, though he hasn't indicated any such plans.
"You never know what he's going to do," said Randell, 75.
"I was just afraid of what he was going to do to people that were vacationing down there."
For now, she said she doesn't mind foregoing the balmy Florida weather.
"I just felt so much better and so much more relaxed when we decided no, we're not going."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2025.
Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press
