TORONTO — Well, at least March Break didn’t get cancelled this time.

Exactly 5 years after the pandemic upended travel plans for scores of Canadians – not just for spring break, but for years to come – travel advisors these days might be experiencing déjà vu amid the latest threat to the travel industry: the trade war between Canada and the U.S.

All the tariff talk isn’t just a threat to consumer spending confidence. It’s also put a big damper on sentiment towards the U.S., typically the go-to destination for millions of Canadian travellers.

After an all-too-short reprieve, marked by ‘revenge travel’ and clients splashing out on big budget trips around the world, the travel industry is now dealing with skittishness about trip spending amid the uncertainty of the trade war’s economic impact, to say nothing of many Canadians’ adamant refusal to travel to the U.S. until the Trump administration backs down on its tariffs.

Will it all blow over in a matter of weeks or months? Or is this the start of another long and challenging slog for the industry?

It was March 13, 2020 when Canadians got a blunt message from the federal government: don’t travel. Ottawa announced its advisory for all non-essential outbound trips just as scores of travellers were taking off for March Break. A mad scramble and repatriation flights soon followed. And then, for a very long time, there was no travel at all.

Now it’s March 13, 2025. Canadians are still travelling, with positive reports of brisk business for the start of the year and March Break getaways. We connected with tour ops for a pulse check on this crucial week for winter travel. We also reached out to travel retail execs to get their take on the way forward.

“A DIP IN U.S. SALES AS WELL AS CANCELLATIONS”

Sunwing Vacations headed into March Break 2025 with an impressive milestone under its belt: one million travellers and counting so far for winter 2024-25.

Sunwing Vacations Group’s President, Andrew Dawson, told Travelweek: “Quebec Spring Break and Ontario March Break are historically among our busiest periods of the winter season, and this year is no exception.”

The Big Four – Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico and the D.R. – performed well for Sunwing, he added. Bookings were even coming in with plenty of notice. “With group and family travel outpacing demand for individual bookings, there have been fewer last-minute vacations available this year,” said Dawson.

Over at Transat, Cancun, Punta Cana, and Puerto Plata were the big winners, while Pointe-à-Pitre, Cartagena and Liberia experienced the highest year-over-year increase in bookings.

Transat has very limited exposure to the U.S. market, with only two U.S. gateways (Fort Lauderdale and Orlando) out of its total 57 destinations.

“Our network is primarily focused on transatlantic and South destinations. When the tariffs were announced in February, demand slightly dropped on U.S. routes,” said Transat. “In general, we are observing a softer demand compared to last year, but it has picked up somewhat. It is too early to say where demand will level off.”

At TravelBrands, March Break “was quite good, we already had passengers on the books for months now,” as President and CEO Nathalie Tanious told Travelweek.

She added: “Future bookings are steady; however we see a dip in U.S. sales as well as cancellations.”

“FOCUS ON WHAT WE CAN CONTROL”

Travel advisors as always are on the front lines of this latest hit to the industry, and many are looking to their host agencies and consortiums for guidance and advice.

Flemming Friisdahl, founder and CEO of The Travel Agent Next Door, is telling TTAND advisors to focus on what they can control in these unpredictable times   – and that includes their own frustration when venting on social media.

“I always recommend it is OK to express your concerns, but in a very constructive way,” said Friisdahl.

“We will see how long this lasts, however since we cannot control any of this, we need to focus on what we CAN control. We can control what destinations we offer to our customers; we can offer great value destinations. There are many places the Canadian dollar does well. We know consumers will still want to get away, we just need to present the correct product options,” said Friisdahl.

Will it be hard in the current economical environment? Yes, said Friisdahl. “But will it be COVID hard? Not even close.”

He recommends that agents talk to suppliers and find out what specials can be offered, “and what will meet customer’s price point and political beliefs.”

Trevello’s strategy to help its members weather the tariff storm is four-fold, as Trevello Travel Group CEO Zeina Gedeon told Travelweek. First, redouble efforts to sell Europe, the Caribbean and other global markets. Second, maintain customer focus, with exceptional service. Third, identify new business opportunities that may arise from changes in trade patterns. And fourth, “work together to find creative solutions to any challenges that arise.”

Corporate travel was one of the last sectors to recover from the pandemic’s blow to the industry. Now corporate bookings are in the crosshairs once again.

As Direct Travel President Brian Robertson put it: “For corporate travel, we have been advised of some organizations choosing to put a hold on all transborder travel for the foreseeable future. We have also had some Canadian company meetings and events rescheduled and, in some cases, moved to a non-U.S. destination.”

SWITCHING AWAY FROM THE U.S.

Robertson also reported a shift in leisure traveller sentiment, with some Canadian vacationers choosing to switch from U.S. travel to other destinations.

Christine James, VP, Canada, Travel Leaders Network, is also hearing reports of rebooking to other destinations. “If they were planning a stay put vacation in the U.S., they’re looking at all-inclusive options to Mexico or the Caribbean.  Even when it comes to cruising, if they were scheduled to depart from a U.S. port, they are looking at Europe or the Med instead.”

Not everyone is switching, of course. When reached for comment, James was getting off a flight from Toronto to Orlando, “and the flight was full of families heading to Disney or Universal for March Break.”

Requests for switches can be for political reasons, or sheer buying power, or both. Envoyage VP and GM Anita Emilio told Travelweek that many Envoyage advisors are recommending spots where the Canadian dollar holds strong, like Mexico, Portugal, Vietnam, Australia and Japan.

Emilio added that all Envoyage advisors have membership in ACTA, “ensuring they have a voice in advocacy efforts that directly impact their businesses.”

When you consider all the excitement and anticipation that goes into planning a vacation, stories like this one from Calgary-based travel advisor Natasha Rhodes show just how committed some Canadians are to their national pride, and how far they’ll go to express their anger and sense of betrayal at the U.S. tariffs.

In early February, when the tariffs were first announced, Rhodes got a large cancellation from a multigenerational family of 10 who had a private home booked outside of Phoenix. The trip had been planned almost a year in advance.

Her client pulled out just prior to the non-refundable deadline, “and was happy to lose the US$1,900 deposit imposed by the villa company, as well as a Cdn$500 cancellation fee imposed by myself for the hours worked.”

The client is now holding close to Cdn$10,000 in WestJet flight credits for the cancelled flights, Rhodes added.

“Many of my clients are shifting plans to avoid any travel to or through the U.S. while the current administration is in office.”

This article appears in the March 13, 2025 edition of Travelweek, click here.