Canadians lose interest in US travel — numbers hit record lows

A new report reveals big problems

The United States has long been the most popular international destination for travelers from Canada. However, the first five months of 2025 have seen one of the largest drops in travel to the United States in decades according to Statistics Canada. 

Canada's relationship with the US

A recent report from Statistics Canada published on June 25th revealed that the nature of Canada’s relationship is changing at a fundamental level in terms of travel. But what accounts for that change was something the report didn’t speculate on. 

America used to be ‘the’ destination

Canadians love the United States for its proximity and warmer climate, which is why in 2024, Canadian trips to the US totaled 39 million. This represented a stunning 75% of all Canadian-resident travel abroad according to Statistics Canada. 

Two very critical pieces of evidence

Despite the demand in 2024, Canadian residents ' travel to the United States has seen a remarkable fall in 2025. Statistics Canada’s report looked at two critical pieces of data when analyzing how Canadian travel habits have changed in 2025. 

Automobile and air return trip data

First, the report analyzed automobile trips, and second, trips by air. Both modes of travel were down significantly in the first five months of the year. In fact, travel to the US via air and automobile has declined every month since 2025 began. 

The latest data on vehicle returns

The latest data on automobile returns from the United States in May 2025 showed that they were down for the fifth consecutive month. Return trips declined by a huge 38.1% on a year-over-year basis, down even further than the 35.2% in April 2025. 

The worst numbers since Covid

Statistics Canada noted that the trend marked the first time that automobile return trips from the US have declined since the global pandemic. However, the real story may be in the falling number of same-day returns from the United States. 

Same-day border trips are way down

“Same-day returns fell by 40.3% year over year in May 2025,” Statistics Canada noted, adding it marked the “fourth consecutive month of steep decline, while overnight travel decreased by 34.3%.” This drop was widespread across all of Canada. 

Huge drops at the major crossings

The report explained: “Excursion return data from the three largest-volume provinces, which account for 9 in 10 returns in 2024, show that the declines in May were led by Quebec (-52.5%), followed by British Columbia (-52.3%), and Ontario (-33.7%).”

Canada’s busiest crossing

“Windsor, Ontario, where some of Canada’s busiest land ports are located, accounted for 15% of all return traffic in 2024. Same-day returns in Windsor declined by 17.5% year over year in May 2025,” the Statistics Canada report added. 

Air travel returns are down as well

The story has been similar when it comes to air travel returns. Canadian-resident return trips have declined throughout the first five months of 2025. However, this data is a little more important since air travel is driven by overnight tourism. 

Why air travel numbers are important

Tourism represents 97% of all air returns. In 2024, trips to the United States accounted for 19.1% of all air returns that year. However, this figure will see a significant drop in 2025 since there has been a major drop in air returns so far. 

What the latest data revealed

In April 2025, for example, air returns fell by 14% year-over-year, while in May they saw a shocking drop to 24.4% year-over-year. Unfortunately, Statistics Canada didn’t remark on what was behind the slipping number of Canadians traveling to the US. 

“Abrupt and steep declines”

“The abrupt and steep declines in Canadian residents returning from the United States at the start of 2025 suggest a notable change in travel patterns. However, it is currently unclear whether the change is temporary or part of a more permanent shift,” the report noted. 

So what’s causing the drops?

The likely cause behind the shift may be the return of Donald Trump to the presidency and the policies he has implemented regarding the US border. Trump’s actions likely have also played a role in persuading Canadians to stay away from US travel.