Newscasts - Looking for Disney magic elsewhere: Canadians lead declines in travel to US

Thc Therapeutics

12/02/2026 15:43

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Source: 'Reuters - Business videos'

Description: This year, more Canadians are seeking out Disney magic across the Atlantic Ocean, as fewer foreign visitors come to the United States even though worldwide travel trends remain robust. Ciara Lee reports.

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Video Transcript:

More Canadians are seeking out Disney magic across the Atlantic Ocean, even as global travel trends remain strong and fewer foreign visitors head to the United States. Travel agencies and companies specializing in Disney vacations say many Canadians are following through on promises to boycott travel to the US. Christine Fiorelli owns Canadian travel agency Fairytale Dreams and Destinations.

Most are just open and honest. They don't want to step foot in the United States right now. They don't feel welcomed in the US anymore. They want low stress for vacation, and they feel going to the States might be a little stressful.

The agency has seen a 30% shift among clients who'd normally choose a US Disney destination. Now many are turning to Disneyland Paris, which has become a different kind of holiday.

For us, when we're going to Walt Disney World, it's a week long destination. It's a vacation in itself. When we're going to Paris, we're maybe staying two or three days in Paris, and then we're making other stops in Europe as well, so it's become this European vacation with a dose of Disney magic.

Some travel agents say the political backdrop including President Donald Trump's trade war, his threats to seize Greenland, and aggressive immigration enforcement has made the US a less desirable destination.

It's so different than last time. We had an idea before he won that it might affect our business, but we never thought it would affect it this much.

For 2025, foreign travel to the US was down 5.4% through November, led by 4 million fewer visits from Canadian travelers, a 22% drop from the previous year. That includes travelers like Katherine Norris from the Toronto area, who has visited Disney World regularly with her family since 2008. She and her husband have now booked a Disney vacation in Europe and back to back Disney cruises departing from Singapore.

For us to return to the US and visit Disney World or Disneyland, we would need a complete change in the current government and the way they operate. It will probably be at least five to 10 years before we will travel to the US again because we need to be sure that any changes that happen are permanent.

Disney executives recently said they have less visibility into international bookings for the second quarter and are shifting marketing and sales efforts to domestic travelers. The company did not respond to an additional request for comment. In 2024, Canada was the top market for visitors to Orlando, home of Walt Disney World, with a record 1.2 million visitors. Visit Orlando has not yet released 2025 figures.