"Quebec of the South" Emptying Out: Canadian Visitors Drop 14% in Florida

HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA- FEBRUARY 10: People enjoy the beach as well as the Hollywood Beach boardwalk on February 10, 2026 in Hollywood, Florida. Hollywood, also known as the "Quebec of the South," has seen fewer French-Canadian tourists in 2026 due to recent diplomatic and economic tensions between the United States and Canada. (Credit: Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Florida tourism declined for a second consecutive quarter as fewer domestic and overseas travelers visited the state, with Canadian arrivals continuing to show the sharpest drop amid strained U.S.-Canada relations and broader economic pressures.

Visit Florida estimated that 34.01 million people traveled to the state between April and June, down 0.7% from the same period last year. Through the first half of 2026, Florida recorded 73.5 million visitors, a 1.4% decline from the roughly 74.5 million reported during the same period in 2025.

Canadian travel showed the largest decrease, according to numbers collected by News 6 South Florida. About 721,000 Canadians visited Florida during the second quarter, down 4.2% year over year. Over the first six months, Canadian visitation fell 13.9% to 1.68 million.

HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA- FEBRUARY 10: Karen Hopper, on vacation from Quebec, Canada, enjoys the weather poolside at Richards Motel on February 10, 2026 in Hollywood, Florida. Hollywood, also known as the "Quebec of the South," has seen fewer French-Canadian tourists in 2026 due to recent diplomatic and economic tensions between the United States and Canada. Derrick Selinka, the manager at Richards Motel, said that their business is off about 50-60 percent because fewer Canadians are visiting. (Credit: Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The decline comes as some Canadians continue to avoid travel to the United States in response to President Donald Trump's repeated references to Canada as the "51st state," tariffs and broader tensions between Washington and Ottawa.

The BBC reported earlier this month that some Canadian travelers have canceled U.S. vacations and redirected spending toward destinations within Canada or overseas. Canadian travel to the United States has remained below previous levels for months, with Statistics Canada describing an 11-month stretch of year-over-year declines in border crossings as the longest sustained drop outside the COVID-19 pandemic.

Economic conditions are also weighing on Florida tourism. State economists said this month that inflation has outpaced wage growth and warned of slowing tourism growth alongside weaker construction and real estate activity.

Domestic travelers, who account for the vast majority of Florida tourism, totaled 31.08 million during the second quarter, down slightly from 31.22 million a year earlier. Overseas visitation fell 3.7% during the quarter to 2.21 million, although international travel remained up 2.2% for the first half of the year.

The declines remain modest, and Florida continues to attract more visitors than it did before the pandemic in most categories. But Canadian travel remains well below earlier levels: 2.29 million Canadians visited Florida during the first half of 2019, compared with 1.68 million this year.

The trend could become more consequential heading into winter, when Canadian "snowbirds" traditionally make up an important share of visitors to Florida.