PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — It's typically the most wonderful — and busiest — time of the year at the Atlantic Hotel & Spa in Fort Lauderdale, as Florida has claimed four of the top five holiday travel destinations this season.
That's according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), which said South Florida took the second and third spots for the most visited destinations over Thanksgiving.
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"Yes! We are running," chuckled Director of Sales and Marketing, Amy Faulkner.
But there's one notable group missing from the Sunshine State's beaches and hotels: Canadians.
"We have desperately seen a decline, and we are begging and welcoming and hoping that the Canadians come back," Faulkner said. "We are a Canadian hotel."
New data shows Canadian travel to Florida has dropped sharply in 2025, and more Canadians are selling their Florida properties and leaving for good.
As of July, Canadian visits to the Fort Lauderdale hotel were down 32% compared to the previous year, and that was only midway through 2025.
"It's affected me extremely, but also all of the beautiful local restaurants nearby and the shops, Las Olas, the Galleria Mall, everyone is affected," Faulkner said.
Data from Visit Lauderdale shows the city typically sees 1.1 million Canadians per year. In early 2025, Canadian tourism was actually up over the previous year. But in April, two months after trade tensions escalated between the U.S. and Canada, the number of Canadians visiting South Florida's beaches started plummeting.
By May, Canadian visitors dropped as much as 13%.
When asked why Canadians aren't coming, Faulkner said guests cite the economic environment.
"They're saying, since the changes around January 2024, that in the economic environment that they don't feel welcome here Florida or the United States," Faulkner said.
Survey data Faulkner shared shows why Canadians are staying away:
- 50% of Canadian guests who stopped coming cited the economic environment enacted in January 2024
- 46% point to disputes and tariffs
- 35% said they have negative feelings toward the U.S. overall
Milton Segarra, president and CEO of Discover the Palm Beaches, said Palm Beach County has seen a similar slide. The area normally welcomes about 370,000 Canadian tourists a year, but this year that number dropped to 253,000.
While it's less than a 5% drop, Segarra calls it a sharp shift from the usual trend.
"Canadians are always our number one international market, but this time what we have done, is to make sure that we are reliant on other important international markets," Segarra said.
Real estate market feeling the impact
It's not just Canadian visitors staying away from South Florida— homeowners are leaving too.
Senada Adzem, executive director of luxury sales for Douglas Elliman, cited a weak Canadian dollar as part of the reason, along with broader economic tensions.
"Many of them will tell me they just don't feel as welcome in the United States," Adzem said. "We have seen a significant drop off in terms of how many Canadian buyers are looking in South Florida, be it if it's in Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Delray Beach."
In the past month alone, Adzem has had eight new Canadian-owned listings— all of them $20 million-plus properties.
Federal Reserve Bank data shows that just a month after trade tensions with Canada began, Palm Beach County home listings spiked to the highest they've been in 10 years. According to public records WPTV obtained from the county, 321 Palm Beach County homes with Canadian mailing addresses sold this year, with Boynton Beach, West Palm Beach and Boca Raton selling the most.
"The season is just starting, so I think that trend is going to continue," Adzem said.
According to a Florida Realtors report, Canadians are Florida's largest international buyers, making up 17% of all foreign home purchases and spending well over $1 billion. The top buying destination stretches from Miami to West Palm Beach.
"Canadians have been a big market share, so I am concerned about the negative impact," Adzem said. "I think it could have a big impact on Florida's real estate trends."
For Faulkner, the impact is already being felt.
"It's greatly impacted business," Faulkner said. "Please come back. Please to all the Canadians. We love you, please come back. This is a Canadian hotel, loving hotel. We do have other people, but we really would love for you to come back," Faulkner said.
Other markets picking up slack
While Canadian tourism is down, other countries are helping offset the decline. Discover the Palm Beaches reports a 10% increase in visitors from the U.K., Germany, Colombia and Brazil.
Adzem hopes growing interest from New York and California buyers will help steady the real estate market.
Up north, Visit St. Lucie says they're now shifting their marketing away from Canadians and toward similar demographics more likely to visit.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.