It appears as though British Columbians have heeded Premier David Eby's call to avoid travel to the United States this spring break.
Preliminary data has shown a decline in trips to levels not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the United States Customs and Border Patrol, 2,200 vehicles travelled south across the Peace Arch border crossing — by far the busiest port of entry in the province — on Saturday March 15, the first day of spring break. On Sunday, 2,392 crossings were recorded, followed by 1,749 on Monday.
Those numbers represent reductions of 53%, 36%, and 41%, respectively, over 2024, where 4,728 vehicles crossed on the Saturday, 3,762 on the Sunday, and 2,992 on the Monday.
Eby is among those who have opted not to spend their vacation time in the United States. During a press conference last week, he revealed that to adhere to his own guidance, his family had cancelled a planned trip to Disneyland.
"We're not going to an American theme park for the foreseeable future," Eby said, explaining that he and his family had decided not to use ride passes his wife had purchased well in advance of the Trump tariff situation. "We'll, like many British Columbians, be choosing to spend our vacations in some other way."
He admitted it was "not the easiest conversation" to have with his children, but that it was the right thing to do.
Across Canada, trips to the United States are down. In February, 1.2 million Canadians drove across the border and back, a 23% decline compared to the same month last year. Canadian residents flew home from the United States 585,700 times, marking a 13.1% decline.