More British Columbians choosing local spring break vacations amid U.S.-Canada tensions
Michael Johal, a Delta, B.C., resident, has chosen to spend spring break at a beach resort in Parksville, north of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.
"Staying in the country, saving our money, spending money locally, that's what we wanted to do," Johal told CBC News while boarding a ferry from Tsawwassen to Nanaimo with his wife and their two young sons.
"We don't want to go outside the country at all."
Johal said his decision stems from rising tensions between Canada and the U.S., as well as repeated threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to annex Canada as the 51st state.
It's a sentiment shared by others, including B.C. Premier David Eby, who recently cancelled a planned Disneyland trip with his family while also encouraging British Columbians to avoid travelling to the U.S.
Recent travel data suggests many people have been listening.
Fewer British Columbians heading south
Nearly 500,000 fewer travellers crossed the land border from Canada into the U.S. in February compared to the same month last year, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The number of B.C. drivers heading south through the Peace Arch border crossing in Surrey has also dropped significantly this year, according to data from the Whatcom Council of Governments. A rolling 30-day average of crossings through the border shows about a 25 per cent decrease compared to 2024.
Drivers without a Nexus card, which allows expedited border clearance, have made up the most notable drop, down by 33 per cent. Nexus holders also crossed less frequently, but their decline was more modest at 16 per cent.
Meanwhile, traffic heading north from the U.S. into Canada has remained relatively stable.
A similar trend has been seen on the water. Mark Collins, CEO of FRS Clipper, which operates ferry routes between Seattle and Victoria, said travel from Canada to the U.S. has dropped by about 30 per cent since sailings for the year resumed in mid-February.
"For traffic originating from Seattle [coming to Victoria], it's pretty flat. Certainly no uptick but pretty much even with last year," Collins said.
He acknowledged Canadians' hesitation to visit the U.S. but hopes that once trade tensions ease, travel patterns will rebound.
WATCH | B.C. cross-border traffic drops 25% amid tariffs and Trump's threats:
B.C. cross-border traffic drops 25% amid tariffs and Trump's threats
4 days ago
Duration 1:37
As Trump's talk of tariffs and annexation continue, data shows British Columbians are choosing to cross into the U.S. less. Justin McElroy examined the numbers and found a 25 per cent decrease in B.C. cars heading south over the past month, with some days seeing up to a 50 per cent decline compared to last year.
"As long as this geopolitical situation continues, I think we will see soft traffic or a reduction in Canadians traveling south," he added.
Kelowna International Airport CEO Sam Samaddar said air ticket advance bookings from Canada to the U.S. have also slowed down.
"So much so that we are seeing our Canadian carriers either reducing frequency to certain U.S. destinations or ending some of the seasonal service to Las Vegas earlier than scheduled," he said in a statement to CBC News.
Local tourism sees a boost
At the same time, domestic travel is on the rise, according to Samaddar, with the Kelowna airport seeing a 10.6 per cent increase in passenger volumes in the first couple of months of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
"We hosted the Brier early in March and have had a busy spring break so far, so I expect those numbers to continue to move in a positive direction," he said.
WATCH | British Columbians travelling locally this spring break:
Many in B.C. travelling locally this spring break instead of visiting the U.S.
4 days ago
Duration 1:30
Many people in B.C. are choosing to travel locally this spring break as tensions with the U.S. remain top of mind. As Michelle Morton reports, tourism groups on the Island say they're seeing more visitors than usual this year.
Vancouver Island, in particular, has been a popular spring break destination, said JJ Belanger, who is the chair of the Tourism Industry Association of B.C. and owner of a resort in Tofino.
"It seems like the Island is doing quite well for spring break," he said. "There just seems to be a sentiment—kind of like after COVID—that people are happy to stay within their own country and travel."
Belanger also cited the weak Canadian dollar as a factor keeping Canadians at home while also attracting American visitors.
"They see the value of the Canadian dollar being $0.69. And so, for them, coming to Canada is obviously a great value and a great vacation," he said.
In Victoria, Bill Lewis, chair of the Hotel Association of Greater Victoria, said hotel bookings for spring break have exceeded expectations, with a mix of domestic and U.S. visitors.
BC Ferries, meanwhile, said it is also seeing "higher-than-usual demand" this spring break. The company said it has made adjustments to accommodate the surge in passengers.
One of its vessels returned to service after months of repairs, just in time for the break, but another remains out of commission, affecting travel on the Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay and Horseshoe Bay-Langdale routes over the Easter weekend.
WATCH | Surrey duty-free shop caught in the crossfire of U.S.-Canada trade war:
Surrey duty-free shop caught in the crossfire of U.S.-Canada trade war
18 days ago
Duration 2:30
The trade war between Canada and the United States is now underway. A major border retailer in Surrey says its workers are caught in the crossfire. As Shaurya Kshatri reports, business groups are bracing for tough decisions, from layoffs to higher prices and British Columbians may soon feel the impact
A long-term shift
For Johal, the decision to travel within Canada isn't just a one-time choice—he said it's a long-term shift.
Looking ahead to summer and beyond, he said his family will continue to explore local destinations.
"We're talking about going to Banff and then probably coming back to Parksville and perhaps Whistler," he said.
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Vancouver Sun
16 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Harvey: More airline competition won't solve Canada's aviation challenges
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While the bureau positions competition as the solution to the many issues plaguing the industry, it overlooks how an increase in competition can fall short, particularly when it comes to transparency, service quality, labour conditions and regional connectivity. One of the Competition Bureau's key criticisms of Canada's airline industry is the lack of cost transparency when booking flights. Hidden fees and complex fare structures make it difficult for travellers to effectively make comparisons among airlines. But it's unreasonable to expect increased competition — when airlines seek to make their offering more attractive than their competitors — to lead to greater transparency in Canada. In fact, competition has been linked theoretically and empirically to dishonest practices . Europe provides a cautionary example. Increased competition has not led to greater air fare transparency. Airlines like Ryanair, a low-fare airline and the continent's largest airline by passengers carried, have been accused of hiding fees for passengers . The bureau's study also found that many Canadians are dissatisfied with the quality of service offered by domestic airlines. Yet increased competition is unlikely to raise service standards. As airlines compete to offer the lowest fares, they often look to reduce operating costs, typically at the expense of service quality. Those who suffer the most from airlines minimizing costs are employees, because labour represents one of the few areas where airlines can cut back . The morality and safety implications of introducing wage and employment insecurity to workers within high reliability organizations aside, reducing the quality of employment terms and conditions for workers in such an important industry is short-sighted. Claims of a pilot shortage are contested , and making employment in Canadian aviation less attractive for a highly skilled and crucial occupational group like pilots is a strategic faux pas that could have long-term consequences for the industry's stability. Canada's unique geography means that many remote regions rely on airlines for goods and transport. Yet these areas are not effectively served by the commercial aviation industry. The bureau suggests greater competition could help, but that claim is questionable. The reason existing airlines are not providing a greater number of flights between remote communities and larger airports is because these routes aren't profitable. Rather than expanding service, a more competitive market could shrink route availability because airlines could abandon less profitable routes or refuse to compete on routes where a market leader emerges. To its credit, the bureau offers several recommendations for northern and remote communities. But these communities are unlikely to benefit from competition alone. In fact, increased competition would likely mean airlines will focus on profitable routes and remove those that don't yield high profits. Europe's airline industry is once again instructive. Eurocontrol, a pan-European organization dedicated to the success of commercial aviation, states that 'domestic aviation in Europe has experienced a substantial and persistent decline over the past two decades,' including the demise of regional operators serving lower-density routes. Where routes have been maintained — in Norway, for example — it's as a consequence of public service obligations that guarantee essential routes are maintained through government support. It's because of public service obligations, not competition, that the Canadian government can serve remote communities. Without such safeguards, increased competition has the potential to do more harm than good. 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Geraint Harvey , DANCAP Private Equity Chair in Human Organization, Western University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article .
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Despite cross-border tensions, it's mostly business as usual for International Peace Garden staff, volunteers
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The strain of cross-border unease is nevertheless beginning to show a little for those who tend the garden and its programs. Chapman recalls Canadians calling the office in the spring to say they wouldn't be visiting the garden in protest against Trump's trade policies and rhetoric. 'Not that I needed to be right, (but) all I was saying is, 'The garden will still be here. It's going to exist and have the same mission,'' he says. 'But also, think about the local economics of it.' He's referring to the benefits that tourism brings to nearby towns. The site recently offered Canadians 20 per cent off at its gift shop due to the weaker loonie. Some Americans objected to the gesture and defiantly swiped their cards in the Canadian terminal. Debra McCollum, IPG's education volunteer coordinator. Debra McCollum, IPG's education volunteer coordinator. 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Even if North Dakota's government tends to lean right, Manitoba left… it seems like going back decades, the province and the state have really set an awesome example of cherishing the fact that it is a shared space,' he says. The IPG may seem like a comparatively low-stakes collaboration. But Chapman says its relaxed quality also makes it an ideal setting for many deliberations and negotiations. 'There are good studies out of Japan… about the intersection of peace and nature,' he says. 'You get people outside or in more natural settings, in general, human thought process improves.' Premiers and governors have met on the garden's grounds, and Chapman says that the International Joint Commission, a bilateral governmental organization addressing the extensive waters and waterways along and across the border, often meets there. He adds that representatives from North Dakota's trade office have reached out to the IPG about using it for future meetings with their counterparts in Manitoba. Though both offices have their hands tied by Ottawa and Washington when it comes to tariffs, he hopes reason — friendship even — will steer co-operation within those tricky limits. 'I think regardless of politics, people who really are involved in cross-border business and understand trade prefer that rhetoric not be where it is right now,' Chapman says. 'Especially if you live in a border town or a border state or province, you know the impact. 'We do really depend on each other.' Conrad SweatmanReporter Conrad Sweatman is an arts reporter and feature writer. Before joining the Free Press full-time in 2024, he worked in the U.K. and Canadian cultural sectors, freelanced for outlets including The Walrus, VICE and Prairie Fire. Read more about Conrad. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
a day ago
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Girl Guides of Canada to suspend U.S. trips over Trump administration policies
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