CA Tourism From Canada And Mexico Down; Newsom Blames Trump

CALIFORNIA — International travel to California is down, including from Canada and Mexico, according to recent data published by Visit California.

Non-resident arrivals to the Golden State were down 12.1 percent in March at 359,000 compared to a year earlier, and were down 8.8 percent year-over-year in February at 329,000, according to the data, sourced from the National Travel and Tourism Office.

While Canadians traveling by air made up the largest share of non-resident arrivals by market in March, their numbers still dwindled by 15.5 percent, and air arrivals from Mexico dropped 24.2 percent, the data showed.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Visit California announced in mid-April an international campaign to maintain tourism from Canada, citing President Donald Trump’s economic and immigration policies as the reason for the challenges the tourism industry was facing in the state. In 2024, 1.8 million Canadians traveled to California, spending $3.72 billion in the state, according to the governor’s office.