British Columbians increase trips to Washington state, but not to pre-trade tension levels

Some British Columbians appear to be softening their stance toward travelling to the U.S., as cross-border trips are rising.

Some British Columbians appear to be softening the “elbows up” attitude when it comes to U.S. travel.

Southbound B.C. licence plate traffic is up 10 per cent in June and 18 per cent in May compared to the same months last year, according to the Cascade Gateway Border Data Warehouse.

“I think it is a sign that maybe people are adjusting to a new normal,” Laurie Trautman, Border Policy Research Institute director, told CTV News on Thursday.

“Some of the rhetoric has sort of died down a bit coming out of the Trump administration. But I am relieved at least that the numbers aren’t continuing to drop even further than they did last year.”

And while Trautman is happy to see a slight improvement in the number of British Columbians heading south, she recognizes this spike isn’t a return to normal.

The year-over-year increases in May and June are still 37 per cent below the levels recorded in those same months in 2024.

“I hear them, and they’re really upset,” Bellingham Chamber of Commerce CEO Guy Occhiogrosso said. “Some of them are just done. They’re not coming back. And when you have that strong of a reaction, it will take years – if ever.”

Various efforts have been made to woo Canadians back, including through marketing and discount campaigns.

Many stress that the values in focus in Washington, D.C., do not necessarily reflect the views of those living and operating businesses in Washington state.

“Washington, and particularly the left coast of Washington, and maybe even more particularly Bellingham, aligns further away than the federal administration right now,” Occhiogrosso said. “We’re still the same people who have been here.”

The question now is if the recent increases in traffic south are a sign sentiments are changing or just a temporary jump.