Canadian trips to US rise again but stay far below 2024
Canadians made 1.9 million return trips from the US in September, up 6.8% from a year earlier and the sixth straight monthly rise. But trips were still about 29% below September 2024. Statistics Canada says the gain is largely due to how low 2025 travel was.
Canadian travel to the United States rose for the sixth straight month in September compared with a year earlier, but it remains far below where it was before President Donald Trump returned to office, CP24 and Forbes reported, citing Statistics Canada data released Oct. 13.
Canadians made 1.9 million return trips from the U.S. in September, up 6.8% from September 2025, CP24 reported. Car trips rose 5.6% and air trips rose 11.6%. The August increase was 8.8%.
Compared with September 2024, though, overall Canadian visits were still down about 29%, Forbes reported. Car trips were down 31.1% and air trips were down 18.7% from 2024 levels, CP24 reported.
Statistics Canada said the year-over-year gain is "largely due to a base-year effect," because travel in 2025 was so low, Forbes reported. The agency described "a persistent shift away from the United States by Canadian residents in their travel preferences."
The drop began in early 2025. After Trump started calling Canada "the 51st state," then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged Canadians not to vacation in the U.S., Forbes reported. Canadian return crossings from the U.S. fell 25.4% in 2025, and more Canadians traveled overseas for leisure than to the U.S., CP24 reported. Canadian travel spending in the U.S. fell by $3.3 billion to $18.8 billion, according to Statistics Canada.
The U.S. Travel Association estimates the drop in Canadian tourists cost the U.S. economy $4.5 billion last year, Forbes reported. Canadian spending in New York state fell 28%, and Las Vegas lost more than a quarter-million Canadian visitors.
Travel the other way is up. Americans made 1.8 million trips to Canada by car and plane in September, up 17.2% and the eighth straight annual increase, CP24 reported. Statistics Canada said part of that jump came from Labor Day falling a week later in 2026.
Brand USA, the U.S. tourism marketing group, has launched a new campaign to win back Canadian travelers, Forbes reported.
The figures are early estimates, and complete counts are due Nov. 23, CP24 reported.
What we know: Canadian trips to the U.S. rose from 2025 but remain about 29% below 2024.
What we don't: Whether the recovery will continue once full counts arrive Nov. 23.
Where outlets agree CP24 and Forbes both report that Canadian trips to the US rose in September from a year earlier but stayed well below 2024 levels.
Where they differ The cited reports agree on the key facts so far.