Fewer Canadians visited the U.S. in July 2025, marking the seventh month in a row of declining travel, with return trips down by 32.4% compared to last year. Global News
Canadian travel to the United States has dropped for the seventh month in a row. New data shows fewer Canadians crossed the border in July 2025, choosing to travel elsewhere — or stay within the country.
According to official figures, only 2.6 million Canadian residents returned from the U.S. that month. That’s a 32.4% drop compared to July 2024. The last time Canada saw a shift like this was back in 2006, excluding COVID-era travel bans.
At the same time, 3.3 million Americans came to Canada, down just 3% from the same time last year. It was one of the few times in nearly 20 years that more Americans visited Canada than Canadians visited the U.S.
Canadians Look Overseas and Stay Local
Canadians didn’t stop travelling completely — many just changed their plans. Travel from Canada to overseas countries went up 8.3% in July. Meanwhile, overall international travel by Canadians, including to the U.S., dropped by 24.2%.
Experts say Canadians are looking for new experiences and are becoming more selective about where they spend their money. Many are now choosing longer, more meaningful trips, often far from North America.
Most Canadians Still Drive to the U.S. — But Less Often
Even though most cross-border trips involve cars, that number also fell. Only 1.9 million Canadians drove to and from the U.S. in July — down 35.8% from last year. About 60% of those were same-day trips.
Air travel to the U.S. also dropped. Only 563,500 Canadians flew back from the U.S. in July, which is a 16.2% decline.
More International Visitors Choose Canada
While Canadians travelled less to the U.S., tourists from overseas continued to visit Canada in higher numbers. In July, nearly 1 million visitors came from overseas — up 10.3% from last year. Most of them, about 81.7%, arrived by air.
Visitors from the United Kingdom (134,700), France (104,100), and India (68,300) made up nearly a third of all these arrivals. Europe and Asia contributed the most to the increase.
Tourism Industry Sees Local Boost
Canada’s tourism sector is welcoming the shift. In a statement, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada said,
“This summer, Canadians chose to explore more of their own country.”
They believe this trend shows Canadians are proud of their country and want to support local businesses. They also pointed to the growth in Asian tourists as a sign of diversification in Canada’s tourism economy.
Jayne McCaw, owner of a Canadian vacation rental company, said local bookings have soared.
“Advance bookings for next summer are already triple what they were last year,” she said. She believes Canadians will continue to vacation at home next summer as well.
