Florida, Miami and Orlando are stepping up efforts to rebuild Canadian tourism as fewer Canadian travellers cross into the United States, creating a focus on winter sun, beaches and city breaks. Statistics Canada reported that Canadian-resident trips to the United States fell 23.5% in 2025 to 23.1 million, while spending declined 15.1% to $18.8 billion. The pullback continued into 2026, with first-quarter trips to the United States down 10.6% year over year and spending down 13.6%.
Florida Protects a Major Canadian Visitor Market
Florida remains closely connected to Canadian leisure travel, particularly during winter. Canadian visitors support hotels, attractions, restaurants, retail and transportation across Orlando, Miami, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and the Florida Keys. VISIT FLORIDA released updated 2025 estimates and preliminary first-quarter 2026 data while continuing international marketing targeting Canadians.
For visitors, Florida offers several travel patterns. Orlando concentrates theme parks, entertainment and family attractions, while Miami combines beaches, restaurants, shopping and cruise access. Fort Lauderdale adds coastal travel and cruise connections, while the Florida Keys extend journeys toward island landscapes and marine experiences.
California Reconnects With Canadian Travellers
California is maintaining a targeted approach to the Canadian market. Visit California launched its “California Loves Canada” campaign with Expedia, offering Canadian travellers deals and trip-planning tools. The campaign highlights California’s coastline, food, outdoor attractions and cities.
Los Angeles connects entertainment, beaches, museums and shopping, while San Diego adds coastal experiences and family attractions. San Francisco provides urban sightseeing and waterfront attractions, while wine regions, national parks and the Pacific coastline allow longer trips beyond cities.
New York Adds Discounts and Travel Incentives
New York is responding to the decline. New York City Tourism + Conventions launched the Northern Neighbour Deal in August, offering 30% discounts at participating hotels, Broadway shows, attractions, restaurants and museums. Porter Airlines also offered discounts on New York itineraries. Canada was forecast to remain New York City’s second-largest international market in 2026, with about 820,000 Canadian visitors expected.
New York State has separately launched its NY LOVES CANADA promotion, with participating lodging and attractions offering savings through late summer and, in some cases, December. The state reported Canadian visitation fell more than 26% in 2025.
Las Vegas Targets Value-Seeking Travellers
Las Vegas has used pricing incentives to address the changing Canadian market. Downtown properties introduced an At Par promotion in 2026, allowing eligible Canadian guests to receive one U.S. dollar of value for each Canadian dollar on selected hotel, beverage, entertainment and gaming purchases. The promotion ended August 31 after attracting significant Canadian visitation.
Canadian Travel Is Shifting
Statistics Canada data shows the decline is not simply a reduction in international travel overall. Canadian residents increased overseas travel while U.S. travel weakened. In 2025, Canadian visits to overseas destinations rose 10.2% to 14.3 million, while spending overseas increased 17.5% to $31.3 billion. In the first quarter of 2026, overseas trips rose 6.2%, with Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica among leading destinations.
That shift matters for U.S. tourism because Canadian leisure travellers represent an important source market for sun destinations, city breaks and cross-border driving holidays. Statistics Canada found leisure travel to the United States declined 21.5% in 2025, while leisure travel to overseas destinations increased 12.2%.
Winter Tourism Becomes a Key Focus
The approaching winter season is especially important for Florida, Arizona, Nevada and other warm-weather destinations that traditionally receive Canadian snowbirds and holiday travellers. Competition extends beyond the United States, as Canadians have established choices in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and long-haul markets.
U.S. campaigns increasingly emphasize discounts, hotel offers, attractions, flight incentives and experiences. Travellers can compare those offers with domestic and overseas alternatives.
Florida, California, New York and Nevada therefore represent different parts of the U.S. tourism response. Florida offers beaches, theme parks and winter escapes; California combines cities, coastlines and road trips; New York focuses on urban culture and entertainment; and Las Vegas emphasizes entertainment and promotional value.
The U.S. tourism market is working to rebuild its Canadian visitor base. For travellers, that means more targeted offers and destination campaigns across major U.S. tourism markets. For hotels, airlines, attractions and restaurants, restoring Canadian visitation remains closely connected to filling rooms, seats and visitor experiences.
As the next winter season approaches, Canadian travel patterns will remain important for U.S. destinations competing for international leisure demand. The latest data shows that Canadian travellers are still travelling, but their destination choices have broadened. U.S. tourism campaigns are therefore focusing on giving Canadians stronger reasons to return to familiar destinations while presenting new experiences across beaches, cities, entertainment districts and outdoor attractions.
