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Charles Birt and Merilee Mollard are doing what many other Canadians have decided to do — pulling the plug on their annual trip to Texas and opting to travel in Canada and Mexico instead.
They usually spend weeks or even months at a trailer park in Weslaco, Texas, about 10 kilometres from the Mexican border.
But not this year.
"Since the election of Trump and the insults that he placed on our country, 51st state and all of that garbage, we decided that no, we're not going to spend money down there," Birt said.
"We've had rumors of people being mistreated, or where they see your licence plate they tell you 'North is that way.' We've never run into that, but we didn't want to support an economy and a government situation that was basically cruel and mean to us and wanted to take us over.”
Charles Birt and Merilee Mollard have chosen train travel in Canada and a trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, over their usual trip to Texas. (Tyson Koschik/CBC)The couple travelled to the West Coast via the Rocky Mountaineer train this fall, and they’re heading to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in the New Year.
"You can make the choice. You can support Canada, which is exactly what we did and are doing, and support Mexico."
They're not the only ones making that decision.
The number of Canadians flying to Mexico increased 11.3 per cent between January and September compared to the year before, an increase of almost 200,000 tourists, the Ministry of Tourism in Mexico says.
Resort operators in Mexico are seeing that bump.
At the eight Mexican resorts of Meliá Hotels International, they’re reporting a 22 per cent increase in the number of Canadians, compared to 2024.
"I do think that there is a Trump effect, but I don't think it's only a Trump effect. I think that definitely Mexico is an attractive possibility for Canadians to come, and we see that reflected in the numbers," said Sara Ranghi, marketing director for Meliá Hotels International.
"So yes, it is an opportunity," said Ranghi, who visits Canada annually for a promotional week.
WATCH | Canadians say 'Hola' to Mexico in reaction to Trump moves:More Canadians are making a strategic choice not to travel to the U.S. and instead spend their time and money in Mexico.As Mexico sees steady growth in Canadian tourists, the U.S. is experiencing a decline. Ranghi says they’ve noticed it in their two American properties, in New York City and Orlando.
Data from Tourism Economics and the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office reveals a 24 per cent drop in Canadian tourism to the United States during the first six months of 2025.
Major cities such as Las Vegas (down 50 per cent), New York (down 46 per cent) and Honolulu (down 41 per cent) are being hit hardest, said Amra Durakovic, communications director with Flight Centre Travel Group in Toronto.
Florida remains the most resilient, but is down 22 per cent, she said.
"We are seeing really a meaningful realignment, as I would refer to, of Canadians booking less to the U.S. Year to date, we've seen on average a 37 per cent decrease of new bookings from Canada to the U.S.," Durakovic said.
"Canadians do love travelling to Mexico. It's now No. 2 after domestic travel."
Tourists walk along the historic boardwalk in the Pacific beach resort of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Dec. 30, 2015. (Reuters)Back in Manitoba, where winter has settled in, Charles Birt and Merilee Mollard don't regret their decision to visit Puerto Vallarta for the first time.
"There's tons to do around that whole area, so you won’t be bored," their travel agent, Syndi Prokopich, told them over a Zoom call.
"Good, perfect," Mollard said with a grin.
The couple said they're not ruling out travelling to the U.S. again, someday.
"When he [Trump] is gone, we'll probably go back," Birt said.
"We have a lot of friends down there," Mollard added.
But now that they've got the international travel bug, "we will probably continue to look at that option," Birt said.
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