Canada-U.S. cross-border travel rises despite trade tensions

Canadian-resident return trips from the United States increased by 6.8% in September compared to the previous year, marking the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year growth. According to preliminary data from Statistics Canada, total return trips reached approximately 1.9 million. While air returns rose by 11.6%, car returns saw a 5.6% increase.

Travel in the opposite direction grew more significantly, with U.S.-resident trips to Canada rising 17.2% to over 1.8 million. Statistics Canada attributed this sharp increase to a calendar effect related to the timing of the Labour Day weekend. Total international arrivals to Canada, including overseas travelers, rose by 9.5% to 5.3 million.

These figures follow a period of volatility; the Peterson Institute for International Economics noted that Canadian tourism to the United States had previously fallen by nearly 30% around July 2025 during peak trade tensions. The institute suggested that such declines impact both economic spending and the personal exchange of ideas between citizens of both nations.