Fewer Canadians are making the trip to New York State as the summer tourism season is well underway.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer’s office released border crossing numbers from New York State’s seven border crossings for May 2025, all of which had significantly fewer crossings for the same time last year. The data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection show some crossings in Western New York had as much as a 29% decline in traffic.
Overall, Upstate New York and Canada had 1,144,524 crossings in May, a nearly 25% decrease from the 1,520,424 crossings in May 2024. That number is still an increase from the 1,107,500 crossings during April 2025.
The Rainbow Bridge had 144,260 crossings, a 28.96% decline from the 203,067 the year before, though it has gone up from the 119,265 crossings in April.
The Whirlpool Rapids Bridge had 27,183 crossings, down 25.33% from 36,403 last May, though more than the 25,377 in April.
The Lewiston-Queenston Bridge saw 228,156 crossings in May, a 4.92% decline from 239,954 in May 2024, though more than the 204,222 in April.
The Peace Bridge had 327,209 crossings, down 22.66% from the 423,080 the year before, though up from the 309,317 the month before.
Schumer again blamed the decline of border crossings on President Trump’s rhetoric against Canada, threatening to annex the country and levying 25% tariffs on Canadian goods.
“Summer tourism season should be in full swing, but instead our small businesses and main streets are left sweating as reservations get canceled and tourism from Canada continues to plummet,” Schumer said. “This new data shows again how it is Upstate NY families paying the price for Trump’s tariff war and his insults hurled at our top trading partner, Canada. From Buffalo to Watertown to Plattsburgh, our shops, hotels, restaurants, and thousands of good-paying jobs rely on summer tourism for success.”
John Percy, president and CEO of Destination Niagara USA, said they have been seeing this trend for the past few months. While the region is not as reliant on Canadian tourism as it once was, attractions like Artpark and the Aquarium of Niagara anticipate a 10% business drop-off just from the loss of Canadian visitors.
“It’s a hit and miss on who’s being affected,” Percy said, adding there are still Canadians coming to shop at places like Wegmans and Target and staying in hotels.
Destination Niagara will be working with state organizations to celebrate Canada Day on Tuesday, showing appreciation for our northern neighbors.
“We want to show our support despite what may come out of the federal administration,” Percy said.