Brand USA Courts Canada as Lost Visits Put $20.5B Market at Risk

Brand USA is preparing a Canada-specific campaign after a sharp decline in Canadian travel to the US.

The campaign is expected to launch after October 1, 2026, when Brand USA’s new fiscal year begins. Its main goal is simple: to remind Canadians that the US still wants them to visit.

The campaign comes after a difficult year for US inbound tourism from Canada. Travel from Canada to the US fell 20.9 percent in 2025. That is a serious drop for one of the US’s largest and closest source markets.

Canada matters to US tourism

Many Canadians visit the US often. They travel for warm weather, city breaks, sports events, concerts, shopping, business, and visits to friends and relatives. This demand supports airlines, hotels, restaurants, attractions, retailers, and many local economies near the border.

The US Travel Association said Canadian travelers made 20.4 million visits to the US in 2024 and spent $20.5 billion. It also warned that even a 10 percent drop in Canadian travel could mean $2.1 billion in lost spending and 14,000 fewer jobs supported by tourism.

Brand USA needs a different message for Canada

Brand USA already has a global campaign called “America the Beautiful,” which promotes US destinations, culture, people, and travel experiences. But the organization says this message may not work as well in Canada right now because traveler sentiment is more complicated.

Instead, Brand USA wants to target “movable” Canadian travelers. These are people who are not fully against visiting the US, but need a stronger reason to book. They may respond to better value, easier access, warm-weather trips, live events, familiar destinations, or a more welcoming message.

Political tension has changed travel behavior

The decline is not just a normal travel slowdown. Statistics Canada said Canadian travel patterns shifted in early 2025 alongside political tensions between Canada and the US. In March 2026, Canadian return trips from the US by air were still down 13.8 percent year over year.

Canadian travel pullback shows why Brand USA needs a reset

Canadian travel to the US had already been weakening sharply in 2025. In September, only about 1.4 million Canadians returned from the US by car, down 34.8 percent year over year, while air travel from Canada to the US fell 27 percent. The decline was linked to US tariff policies, trade disputes, political rhetoric, tighter border security, and stricter immigration controls.

Photo by Christian MacMillan on Unsplash