Canadians cancel U.S. business trips amid tariff anger and border fear
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Acosta is not alone. Across the country, Canadians are cancelling business trips, withdrawing from conferences and avoiding future bookings to the U.S. as the backlash against President Donald Trump hits the world of corporate travel.
At Flight Centre Travel Group Canada, trips by air between the two countries declined by close to 40 per cent year-over-year in February amid a surge of nixed plans, said managing director Chris Lynes. Business bookings have decreased 10 per cent.
“We definitely had an immediate influx of cancellations for conferences that were meant to be in the U.S.,” he said, adding that scrapped bookings reached “fever pitch” two months ago.
“People had a lot of angst over travel down to the States because of the anger toward the U.S. government.”
Companies that pulled the plug — despite potential penalties or lost deposits — span sectors ranging from banking and insurance to manufacturing.
“One of the banking customers we had cancelled six programs to the U.S.,” said Lynes. Destinations included New York, Dallas and Washington, D.C., and especially Las Vegas.
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