Canadians canceling Florida vacations pick a new hot sunspot and … it figures

Trump Derangement Syndrome found Canadians taking aim at Florida tourism, with some making alternative plans “just to protest.”

For those in the Great White North who remained convinced that the Orange Man is bad, America First policies found them choosing to put America last despite a snowbird tradition in the Sunshine State. So extreme was the animus for some residents of what President Donald Trump had jokingly begun referring to as the 51st state, at least one traveler had sacrificed a $1,000 deposit and made new plans to visit Cuba.

“I got one guy that had a $1,000 deposit. You know for sure he’s coming,” said Richard Clavet to the Miami Herald. The owner of 10 hotels and motels in Hollywood, Florida revealed that wasn’t at all the case. “He gave up his deposit. And it’s not like he decided not to come. But, just to protest, he said he was going to Cuba instead.”

“It’s terrible,” the hotelier went on. “People are canceling reservations left and right. They’re not booking. We should be super, super busy right now and we’re just basically seeking American business.”

Miami-Dade Aviation Department communications director Greg Chin detailed a 4% decline in travelers from Canada to Miami International Airport, amounting to 5,405 fewer travelers as of March 23 compared to the same time period in 2024.

Voicing her own concerns to the Herald, Visit Lauderdale president and CEO Stacy Ritter explained that Fort Lauderdale usually gets 1.1 million Canadian tourists annually, but flight demand from the northern neighbors looked to be down around 20%.

“Visit Lauderdale is deeply concerned about potential travel restrictions on our tourism industry,” she said as Clavet, a native of Quebec, concluded, “I think we need to give up on the Canadians.”

Earlier in March, then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had attempted to talk tough despite already announcing his departure from the leadership role amid Trump’s return to office and hardline negotiations involving border security and tariffs.

“This is a trade war, yes, but Canadians, yeah, Canadians are hurt. Canadians are angry. We’re gonna choose to not go on vacation in Florida or Old Orchard Beach or wherever,” he contended. “We’re going to choose to try to buy Canadian products and forego bourbon and other classic American products.”

In response, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) took a swipe at Canadian culture and the roughly 3.3 million Maple Leaf flag-flying tourists who descend upon the Freedom State each year, “That’s not much of a boycott.”

“Maybe they wanted to get a glimpse of what a Stanley Cup winning hockey team actually looks like,” added DeSantis to applause.

Ron ‘DeSavage’ body checks Justin Trudeau for threat of Florida vacation boycott https://t.co/rGo9x5CFF9 via @BIZPACReview

— BPR based (@DumpstrFireNews) March 6, 2025

“It’s a strange time,” said Canada-Florida Business Council chair Sophie Lalonde to the Herald as the U.S. Travel Association projected a 10% drop in Canadian tourism to America could amount to $2 billion in missed revenue and a loss of as many as 14,000 jobs without accounting for the projected impact of tariffs. “We’ve always been friends … [but] all of a sudden, Canadians are not welcome.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s determination to put American interests first wasn’t as much the problem for some Canadians as much as it was for the president himself. Vancouver resident Natalie Huson told the Daily Mail, “I definitely will not be traveling to the United States for the next four years, if not longer, depending on who’s in after this Trump buffoon.”

She pointed to, “Him as a person, his treatment of immigrants, and all the people that voted for him — the ‘MAGA’ cult following,” before fearmongering, “I don’t trust that something might not happen to me there. It is not worth taking the chance.”

Like familial splits that had stemmed from TDS, Huson went on to assert, “I will forgo seeing my best friend for four years, and I’ve told her not to travel up this way.”

“I also told my two sons, daughter-in-law and my grandchildren not to cross the border. They’re ok with that,” she went on. “I’ve also told them if they’re going to fly anywhere in the world they do a direct flight over the United States do not land in the United States. That place is a wreck right now and I can’t see it getting any better until Trump is out.”

Similarly, Mary of Alberta told the Mail, “I detest the man, and the way he’s treating the rest of the world is just the last straw for me.”

As for the situation in Florida, while some Canadians told the Herald they had no problem enjoying their stay in the Sunshine State and were booking returns for next year, DeSantis recently celebrated his state’s tourism industry for continuing to break records thanks to those in the hospitality industry.

“While hotels land restaurants across the country were under attack during COVID, Florida’s hospitality industry thrived in our free state. We’ve also stepped up to aid businesses in recovering from major hurricanes over the last few years–and we appreciate all the establishments that opened their doors to help Floridians evacuate from these storms,” said the governor. “Hospitality is an essential part of Florida’s success story, and we will continue supporting common-sense policies to keep our state thriving.”

Today, we welcomed visitors to the Capitol for Florida Tourism Day 2025. Florida keeps breaking tourism records, and the men and women of our hospitality industry make that possible.⁰
While hotels and restaurants across the country were under attack during COVID, Florida’s… pic.twitter.com/VnjV2Scuxt

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 26, 2025

Staff Writer

Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn’t researching current events and their impacts, you’ll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.

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