'No way we're going back': Canadians are flying just about anywhere but the US

Canadians are still boycotting travel to the United States and say there's "no way we're going back" while Donald Trump is in power.

10 months on from the start of Trump's second term and it seems Canadians are still being cautious about holidaying in the US. Both last-minute holidaymakers and planned breaks abroad see members of the public avoiding the States, as they instead head further afield for their trips. The number of Canadians returning from the US by car and plane in September dropped by a third compared to the same month last year, according to The Economic Times.

Canadian holidaymakers have since shed some light on why they are avoiding the US, with some fearing ICE Agents and rising travel costs. Nathalie Morisseau says the US is currently "not attractive" as a place to holiday in, and she even considers it "scary." She added, "With my father being Haitian, there’s a certain fear around being able to go to the United States."

Americans are trying to appeal to Canadians with little success. Governor Gavin Newsom launched the "California loves Canada" drive, but Senior VP of Visit California Ryan Becker says it hasn't worked. Figures show a drop of $700 million on the expected spend from Canadian visitors to California.

Becker said, "That's a gut punch to the industry." Canadian services are suffering too as a result of the travel downturn. Will McAleer, executive director of the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada, said, "Canadians are really choosing destinations other than the US to travel." The group found that just 10% of baby boomers have plans to head to the US this winter, a drop of two-thirds compared to last year.

Not all Canadians are avoiding the US though, with younger residents heading to the States but not publicly profiling their trip as they once would have. Travel blogger Barry Choi explained this quieter change is because travelling to the US is still "cheaper" than holidays to other continents.

Choi said, "Going to Orlando Disney is probably cheaper than going to Tokyo Disney." Weather could play a part in bringing Canadians down to the US, with Jill Wykes, editor of Snowbird Advisor, suggesting the first snowstorm of the year will be a major factor in changing Canadian travel plans.

She said, "We haven't even had the first snowstorm yet. That normally makes people want to go."