Canadian and U.S. flags wave above the Peace Arch monument at the Douglas–Peace Arch border crossing in Surrey, B.C., on Nov. 8, 2021. The Canadian Press
Canadian travel patterns changed sharply this fall. New figures show fewer Canadians returned from trips to the United States in September compared with the same month last year. The drop reached 30.9 per cent, marking a clear slowdown after a busy summer season. Fewer Americans also visited Canada, though their decline was much smaller at 2.6 per cent.
The month ended a three-month stretch where more U.S. residents travelled north than Canadians travelled south, a trend that stood out during the peak travel season.
Overall International Travel Declines
Canadians made 3.3 million return trips abroad in September. That number fell 22.7 per cent from one year earlier. Most of the decline came from road travel to the United States. Return trips by car dropped 33.8 per cent to 1.6 million, showing that fewer people crossed the land border.
Air travel from the United States also decreased. Canadians flew home from the U.S. 567,100 times in September, down 19.3 per cent from last year. The air decline suggests that fewer people took short or mid-length trips south.
Trips From Overseas Rise
Not all travel fell. The number of Canadians returning from overseas destinations grew 6.1 per cent to 997,400. This rise suggests Canadians chose longer international trips over short visits across the border.
Visitors from outside the United States also continued to show stronger interest in Canada. Overseas residents made 734,200 trips to Canada in September, up 7.4 per cent from last year. Europe sent 5.8 per cent more visitors, while arrivals from Asia surged 14.6 per cent. These shifts helped offset the slight drop in American arrivals.
Americans Still Visit in Strong Numbers
U.S. residents made 2.1 million trips to Canada in September. About 1.2 million crossed by car. Though the total dipped compared with last year, the numbers remained high enough to keep Canada’s tourism sector steady.
Travel analysts note that seasonal trends, travel costs and economic pressures may explain the changing patterns. Many Canadians appear to be adjusting their travel plans as prices rise at home and abroad.
October Trends Point to More Declines
Early numbers from October show the downturn continuing. Canadians made 1.4 million return trips by car from the United States that month. That marked a 30.5 per cent decline from October 2024. Air travel from the U.S. also slipped sharply. Canadians returned by air 437,300 times, down 24 per cent from the year before.
These early figures suggest the slowdown may continue into the winter months. Travel experts will watch the coming months closely to see whether the trend reflects long-term behaviour or short-term caution among Canadian travellers.
