'Horribly Insulted' Canadian Snowbirds Ax U.S. Travel Plans Over Trump's Trade War
A Canadian couple who regularly spends about $30,000 a year on vacations to the U.S. revealed to CNN that their upcoming travel plans are now off the table due to U.S. President Donald Trump's insults and tariffs toward their country.
'We've never had an issue with any individual in the U.S. ... but we are furious and horribly insulted by the lack of respect and demeaning comments coming out of the Oval Office,' said Gary Cruise who was joined by his wife Carol Cruise in an interview that aired Tuesday with CNN's Natasha Chen.
'It is like we've been we've been gut-punched by our best friend the last month.'
The couple told Chen that they hadn't seen snow in four years 'except for now' as Trump — with his talk of making Canada the '51st state' and his on-again, off-again tariffs policies — fuels a trade war with America's northern neighbor.
The couple isn'taloneindialing back their trips to America, either, as data shared by Statistics Canada on Monday shows the number of Canadian return trips via car from the U.S. dropped by 23% in February compared to the amount from one year prior.
There was also a slight drop of 2.4% among return trips by Canadians via air travel last month compared to the amount in February 2024.
Canadians made 20.4 billion visits to the U.S. and generated $20.5 billion in spending last year, the nonprofit U.S. Travel Association noted in a press release last month. The group noted that a 10% drop in travel would result in $2.1 billion of lost spending.
Canadian airline and travel companies have also noticed sinking interest in U.S.-bound trips as Flight Centre Travel Group Canada recently told the Toronto Star that travel for leisure to the states dropped 40% in February compared to the numbers from the same month in 2024.
The Cruises annually spend 'five months at time' during their U.S. trips to escape the winter in Canada, Chen noted in her CNN report.
The couple cancelled trips this spring to Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California over Trump's tariffs.
'We love our American friends and we love your country. We have seen almost all of your country,' said Carol Cruise. 'This is really horrible, this is upsetting.'
Gary Cruise told CNN that he plans to retrieve his RV in Florida and drive it back to his home up north.
The couple still has a trip planned for November as they hope for a resolution between the countries' leaders.
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