WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The number of Canadian visitors entering Whatcom County fell in July after a promising start to the summer.
According to Western Washington University’s Border Policy Research Institute (BPRI), there was a 36% drop in the number B.C. license plates crossing the border into Whatcom County in July 2026 compared to the same time in 2024.
2026 began on a somber note, with border crossings down even below 2025 levels, which had already seen a significant drop-off.
They began to climb back up in April, May and June, but BPRI Director Laurie Trautman says that seems to have been a temporary trend.
“If we look at July, the numbers are down again. I think there was a little bit of a hope that the World Cup would boost those numbers significantly, but it doesn’t look like that happened, at least for the month of July,” Trautman told My Bellingham Now.
It comes as nearly 80% of local Whatcom County businesses surveyed by BPRI in spring 2026 say the drop in Canadian visitors is damaging their business. According to the survey, 67% of businesses that have been open for less than 10 years say they’re worried about survival.
You can find more about the latest cross-border travel data on BPRI’s website.
