More Americans Visited Canada Than Canadians Went South in June, Statistics Show
For the first time since 2006 — outside of two months during the pandemic — more Americans came to Canada in June than Canadians travelled to the U.S., according to new Statistics Canada data released Friday.
Overall travel between the two countries was down compared to last year.
In June, Canadians made 2.1 million trips to the U.S., a drop of nearly 29 per cent from June 2024. These trips made up about 71 per cent of all international travel by Canadians that month.
By comparison, Americans made 2.7 million trips to Canada in June, down almost six per cent from a year earlier. Those visits accounted for nearly 80 per cent of all foreign trips to Canada.
Driving and flying trends
Car travel across the border fell sharply. Canadians driving back from the U.S. dropped by 32 per cent, while Americans driving into Canada dropped by about nine per cent. Almost half of those American trips were same-day visits.
Air travel also slipped. U.S. flights into Canada were down slightly (0.6 per cent), while Canadians flying home from the U.S. fell by 16 per cent.
Canadians choosing other destinations
Even though fewer Canadians went to the U.S., more travelled abroad overall. After five months of decline, international trips by Canadians rose 2.7 per cent in June.
Trips to overseas destinations grew nearly seven per cent compared to last year, with many Canadians looking beyond the U.S. for summer travel.
Meanwhile, overseas visitors to Canada dropped again. About 717,000 international travellers came in June — down almost four per cent from last year — marking the ninth month in a row of declines.
Still, the U.S. remained Canada’s largest source of foreign visitors. After the U.S., the United Kingdom (99,700 trips), India (55,500), and France (51,800) were the top three sources, together making up almost 29 per cent of overseas arrivals.
