Ottawa travellers, like Canadians from coast to coast, are voting with their suitcases — and the destination isn't south of the border.
According to new data reported by CBC, March 2026 marked the 14th consecutive month of sharp declines in Canadian return trips to the United States, with numbers plummeting 32 per cent compared to pre-boycott March 2024. What started as a wave of frustration has quietly hardened into something that looks a lot like a permanent shift in travel habits.
A Boycott That Became a Habit
The informal U.S. travel boycott picked up steam in early 2025 amid rising cross-border tensions, and many expected it to fade once the news cycle moved on. It hasn't. For Ottawa families who once made quick weekend runs to Plattsburgh, Burlington, or New York City, the habit of staying home — or going somewhere else entirely — has taken hold.
Travel agents in the National Capital Region have reported a noticeable uptick in bookings for European, Caribbean, and domestic destinations as Ottawans redirect their vacation budgets. Places like Portugal, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic are pulling trips that might have once defaulted to Florida or New York.
Canadians Are Still Travelling — Just Not There
The data makes clear that Canadians haven't stopped travelling — they've just rerouted. Domestic tourism has surged, with more Canadians exploring their own backyard: Quebec City, Banff, Nova Scotia's coast, and yes, Ottawa itself has seen a bump in visitors from other provinces who might have previously headed to the U.S. for a long weekend.
For Ottawa, that shift has a silver lining. The city has been positioning itself more aggressively as a destination in its own right, with Tourism Ottawa leaning into events, culinary experiences, and the Rideau Canal corridor as draws that compete with anything a weekend in Vermont might offer.
Is There a Point of No Return?
Travel economists have begun asking whether the 32 per cent drop represents a temporary boycott or the beginning of a structural realignment in how Canadians think about travel. Habits formed over 14 months are notoriously sticky. The passport lineups, the exchange rate bite, the current political climate — none of those factors are going away quickly.
For many Ottawa residents who've rediscovered the Gatineau Hills, filled their passports with European stamps, or simply decided the hassle isn't worth it, the answer may already be clear.
The U.S. is still there. It's just no longer the default.
What This Means for Ottawa
Locally, the ripple effects are worth watching. Ottawa's airport has seen increased interest in transatlantic and sun-destination routes as carriers respond to demand. Local businesses that relied on cross-border shoppers heading to upstate New York malls may be slowly recapturing those dollars as the calculus shifts.
Whether the boycott ever formally ends matters less and less with each passing month — because by now, for many Ottawa travellers, it's simply become the way things are.
Source: CBC News. Read the full story
