Canadians Opting Out of U.S. Travel at an Alarming Rate

• Canadian travel to the U.S. saw a significant drop in August, with a 29.7% decrease from the previous year, totaling 2.9 million trips.
• In contrast, overseas travel to Canada increased, with a 9.2% rise in non-U.S. resident arrivals, primarily from Europe and Asia.

The number of Canadian residents returning from trips to the United States continued to decline in August, with 2.9 million trips, a 29.7% decrease from the same period last year, according to Statistics Canada. This decline reflects a broader trend of reduced cross-border travel between the two countries.

In a notable shift, more U.S. residents traveled to Canada than Canadians to the U.S. in August, despite a slight 1.4% decrease in U.S. visitor arrivals compared to 2024. U.S. residents accounted for 78.1% of all non-resident trips to Canada, marking the third instance since June 2006, excluding the pandemic period, where this ratio was observed.

Canadian residents made fewer road trips to the U.S., with a 32.6% decline in return trips by automobile, totaling 2.2 million. Air travel from the U.S. also decreased by 17% compared to 2024. However, overseas travel by Canadians increased, with a 9.1% rise in return air trips from overseas countries, reaching 1.2 million.

Overall, Canadian residents returned from 4.2 million trips abroad in August, a 21.5% decrease from 2024. Meanwhile, the number of non-U.S. residents traveling to Canada from overseas rose by 9.2% to 886,000 arrivals, primarily driven by visitors from Europe and Asia. The United Kingdom, France, and Germany accounted for a third of these overseas arrivals, indicating growing interest in Canada as a travel destination from these regions.