Canadians are still giving the US a wide berth but American visitors to Canada rose for the first time in eight months, according to the latest figures from Statistics Canada.
Return trips by Canadian residents from the US fell 26.3% year-over-year. Air travel fared slightly better, but still dropped 15.1% compared with October 2024.
Cross-border road trips took the biggest hit, plunging 30.2% to 1.6 million, a clear sign Canadians continue to think twice before hopping in the car and heading south.
Instead, many are looking much farther afield.
Trips by Canadians returning from overseas rose 9.1% year-over-year, while international arrivals to Canada jumped 11.7% to nearly 549,000. Asia led the way with a 14.9% increase, with arrivals from Europe increasing by 10.5%.
Meanwhile, travel in the opposite direction is finally showing signs of life. US residents made 1.8 million trips to Canada in October, up 3.0% year-over-year, halting an eight-month streak of declines.
The shift reinforces a trend Open Jaw has been tracking all year: Canadians are choosing domestic and long-haul travel over US vacations.
Amra Durakovic, Head of Communications at Flight Centre Travel Group Canada, told the Financial Post that political tensions and tougher border and immigration policies are weighing heavily on traveller confidence.
“Being uncertain whether or not you’ll be stopped at the border just creates a lot of stress,” she said. “Let’s face it, a vacation is meant to be stress-free.”
The exchange rate is also playing a role according to Durakovic. “Canadians’ confidence has eroded when it comes to US travel, but they’re definitely exploring more widely," she said.
Airlines could also be responding to the changing trend. Air Canada, WestJet and Transat have all expanded service to Europe, South America and Asia, adding capacity where demand is growing.
