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University of Toronto Study Finds 42% Median Drop in Canadian Visits to U.S. Metro Areas in 2025
Cellphone data tracked by University of Toronto researchers showed a median 42 percent year-over-year decline in Canadian visits to U.S. cities last year, steeper than official border statistics. The drop affected tourist destinations and business hubs alike. Tourism officials in Florida and Las Vegas responded with outreach and currency promotions.
May 12, 12:22 PM·1m read1 source
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U.S. metropolitan areas fell by a median 42 percent last year, according to a University of Toronto study that tracked cellphone activity. U.S.
Cities by residents of Canada in 2025. That decline is much steeper than official border crossing statistics suggest. U.S. residents visiting Canada dropped 75 percent. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, recorded the largest decrease, with a 65 percent drop in Canadian residents coming home from the East Coast vacation spot in 2025.
Yuma, Arizona, saw a 62 percent decrease. U.S. metro areas that recorded more than a 50 percent drop in visiting Canadians last year.
The University of Toronto study found a sharp drop in visits to major economic hubs including high-tech and financial centers like San Francisco and Houston. University of Toronto researchers stated that high-tech and financial centers like San Francisco and Houston appear to be experiencing reductions not only in tourists but also in business-related travel.
University of Toronto researchers stated that reductions in business-related travel reflect changing travel preferences due to broader economic uncertainties on both sides of the border. U.S. goods and travel since the start of President Trump's second term in office.
Early this year, tourism leaders in Florida reached out to their Canadian counterparts to try and boost travel. U.S. and Canadian dollars through the end of August.
Despite the lower value of the Canadian currency. CBS News reported that the cellphone data reveals the scale of the shift in cross-border movement that began after President Trump's return to office in January 2025. U.S.
