Roland Roy and Mary Roy usually take their Airstream to the U.S. every May, but this year they are boycotting American travel and visiting Canadian spots instead.jimmy jeong/The Globe and Mail
Canadian recreational vehicle resort operator Pathfinder Ventures Inc. said its bookings for April shot up 48 per cent compared with the same month last year, largely driven by a rise in domestic travel due to U.S.-Canada tensions and new U.S. registration requirements.
The company also said advance bookings for the coming months are already about 10 per cent higher year-over-year.
“Canadians don’t feel comfortable and don’t want to support going down to the U.S. at this time,” said Stan Duckworth, chief operating officer of Pathfinder Ventures, which operates three RV resorts in Western Canada.
But it’s not just Canadian travellers boosting business – American visitors, many drawn by the weak loonie, have contributed to the boost in bookings, Mr. Duckworth added.
Starting April 11, Canadians staying in the U.S. for 30 days or more must register with the U.S. government, unless exempt. The rule has created uncertainty among travellers and given some pause about spending extended time south of the border, said Stephen Fine, president of Snowbird Advisor, which provides services such as travel insurance and currency exchange.
Pathfinder Ventures says the surge in bookings suggests more Canadians will continue choosing local trips through the summer, and the company anticipates a boost in demand for next winter, too.
Mary Roy, 64, and her 68-year-old husband, Roland, are among the many Canadians who have decided to keep their travels domestic this year. They usually take their Airstream to the U.S. every May, visiting places such as Washington State and Alaska. But not this year.
“We decided to be among the number of people that are boycotting the United States,” Ms. Roy said. “We did some rearranging of our travel plans to just stay in British Columbia.”
The couple is currently staying at an RV park in Fort Langley, B.C., operated by Pathfinder Ventures and then have plans to visit provincial parks such as Alice Lake in Squamish, B.C., and then the Yukon.
Shane Devenish, president of the Canadian Recreational Vehicle Association, said that he’s heard from a number of campgrounds across Canada that they are seeing an “uptick in reservations.”
Meanwhile, U.S. RV parks are feeling the loss of Canadian customers. At Paradise Island RV Resort in Oakland Park, Fla., property manager Nancy Schreiber previously told The Globe the park’s usual Canadian clientele has dropped by about 10 per cent.
Border crossings reflect the shift. The number of Canadians who crossed the border from the U.S. by car dropped by 23 per cent in February compared with last year, according to Statistics Canada, which makes it only the second year-over-year decline since March, 2021.
At Living Forest Oceanside Campground and RV Park in Nanaimo, B.C., the phone has been ringing non-stop since January, said assistant manager Erin Garneau. The park has seen a surge in bookings from both Canadian and American visitors, she said.
Last October, the campground had about 100 reservations for the month. This year, they’ve already hit that number for October 2025 – months ahead of schedule. “We’re preparing to be busier next year for sure,” Ms. Garneau said, adding that many American visitors have expressed a desire to “support Canada in any way they can.”
RV travel surged during the pandemic, particularly among retirees, who embraced it as a way to explore while staying in their own space, Mr. Devenish said.
A 2023 study commissioned by his association found that 14 per cent of Canadian households own an RV, up 3 per cent from 2019. Boomers make up about 40 per cent of the RV and camper market, according to Mr. Devenish.
Mr. Devenish said that while Canadian RV parks performed well during the pandemic, demand softened in the years that followed. Now, the surge in bookings is helping to fill campsites again, he said.
Mr. Duckworth echoed this, saying Pathfinder Ventures’ last two years were “a little soft,” but he anticipates the company’s resorts will be “definitely full” this winter. The company is looking to open more RV parks soon, starting in Western Canada.
