Canadians cool on some Caribbean getaways after U.S. strike on Venezuela

Travellers wheel and carry their luggage through Trudeau airport in Montreal, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes.

MONTREAL — Canadians are rethinking plans to visit parts of the Caribbean in the wake of military action and threats from the United States, as worries over potential instability clouds vacationers’ outlook.

Travel agencies say some clients are steering clear of Aruba and Curacao, two islands off the coast of Venezuela, where the U.S. launched a strike and captured its president about two weeks ago.

“There’s definitely some concern,” said Chris Lynes, managing director at Flight Centre Travel Group Canada.

“We’re seeing people change destinations and focus on Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican locations.”

Some travellers have put their Caribbean trips on hold or cancelled them outright, with the wariness now extending to Cuba, which U.S. President Donald Trump has also threatened.

Sal Lato, who owns the Marlin Travel agency franchise, said several clients last week paused their plans to visit the island. On Sunday, Trump posted: “There will be no more oil or money going to Cuba. I strongly suggest they make a deal, before it is too late.”

Social media travel groups abound with questions over the safety or ease of vacationing near Venezuela or in a Cuba plagued by blackouts and shortages of food, fuel and medication. Many fear the situation could deteriorate, given the latter country’s reliance on Venezuelan oil -- a lifeline that was cut off by a Trump-ordered blockade last month.

“I just cancelled my tickets and I am looking for an alternate destination,” read one post on Facebook’s Curacao Travel Tips page.

“The conflict and uncertainty is a little too close for my comfort. So disappointing.”

Janet Radley, who works at Toronto’s St. Clair Travel Agency, said she is warning sun seekers about the risks of a Cuba getaway and cautioning against travel to Aruba, Curacao and neighbouring Bonaire.

“People could see some of the helicopters from the beach in Curacao. That would be a bit disturbing,” she said of the U.S. strike against Venezuela earlier this month.

The Jan. 3 attack marked the culmination of months of mounting pressure by the White House, which saw the interception of oil tankers off its coast and strikes on alleged drug boats.

On Thursday, U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.

Nonetheless, WestJet, Air Transat and Porter Airlines say it’s business as usual. Air Canada issued a temporary travel advisory for Venezuela and the surrounding region allowing for changes to flights into 17 airports.

“We did not make any operational changes as a result of the situation,” said Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick in an email.

Travel agents say the appetite for trips to Mexico and Colombia -- both have faced threats of military intervention from Trump in recent weeks -- remains strong.

Canadians’ demand for Caribbean vacations more broadly has surged as tourists turn away from American sun destinations -- particularly in Florida, Arizona and California -- amid an ongoing tariff war.

According to aviation data firm Cirium, Canadian airline schedules show a 15 per cent drop in U.S. flight volumes during the first three months of this year compared to 2025 -- when passengers had already started to shy away from travel to a country whose leader spouted 51st-state rhetoric in reference to its northern neighbour.

First-quarter volumes for Arizona-bound flights are scheduled to fall more than 20 per cent year-over-year. For Florida, the figure is nearly 19 per cent.

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press