Photo: WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Canadian baseball fans who booked trips to the U.S. to see the Toronto Blue Jays take on the Boston Red Sox before President Trump was elected are rethinking their decisions.
"I wouldn't have came," said one fan. "Just listen to him. We don't want to have people acting like that."
Canadians were advised not to travel to America in February after the Trump administration thought of making Canada the 51st state and implementing tariffs.
"Well one, Canada joining as another state in the U.S., I don't think that's ever going to happen," said another Blue Jays fan.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged his citizens to avoid traveling south of the border and to buy domestically. Since then, data from Statistics Canada shows a 38% drop in the number of Canadians taking road trips to the U.S. last month compared to May 2024. Research also shows a 24% decline in air travel from Canada year-over-year. While some fans are certain they wouldn't have come had Trump been president, others are not so sure.
"I would give it more thought," said Eric Hudson of Nova Scotia. "Well, I'm 74 years old and I've got a short time. You never know when tomorrow might not come."
According to the U.S. Travel Association, Canada is a vital source of tourism in the U.S. There were 20.4 million visits in 2024, generating more than $20 billion in spending and 140,000 American jobs. A 10% reduction in Canadian travel would result in at least $2 billion in lost spending and 14,000 job losses.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Carl Stevens (@CarlWBZ) reports.