Canadian Travel to the United States Drops Sharply for Third Straight Month

New data from Statistics Canada shows a continued sharp decline in travel between Canada and the United States, with Canadian residents making significantly fewer trips south of the border.

According to StatCan’s latest report, Canadians made 4.3 million return trips from abroad in March 2025, marking a 14.9 percent drop compared to the same month last year. This marks the third consecutive month of year-over-year declines in international travel.

The most notable decline was in land travel by car across the Canada–U.S. border, which plummeted 31.4 percent to 1.7 million return trips. Air travel returning from the U.S. also decreased, though more gradually, falling by approximately eight percent each month throughout the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.

Overall, Canadians made 2.7 million return trips from the United States in March, down 24 percent from the same time last year.

While trips from overseas are showing some recovery, growth remains modest. Overseas return travel rose just over eight percent in March compared to March 2024.

Meanwhile, attitudes toward cross-border travel appear to be shifting. A survey conducted by Leger earlier this month revealed that a majority of Canadians “no longer feel welcome and/or safe travelling to the United States.” The survey was commissioned by the Association for Canadian Studies, which attributed the trend to deteriorating diplomatic relations. “It’s the net result of all the tense exchanges between the two countries, notably coming from President Trump,” the organization said in a statement.

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Travel from the U.S. to Canada has also declined. In March, trips made by American residents fell 6.6 percent compared to the same month in 2024, with vehicle arrivals dropping 8.7 percent. A modest 2.2 percent increase in air travel helped offset the decline.

Ontario saw the largest drop in U.S. arrivals, with over 60,000 fewer visits than March 2024. Quebec and British Columbia also experienced declines of 18,874 and 15,746, respectively.

Domestic travel within Canada is seeing a boost, however. According to Airbnb, bookings made by Canadians for local stays have surged by more than 40 percent since 2019, reaching nearly nine million guest arrivals in 2025—a record for the platform. While Canadians are still traveling internationally, popular summer destinations listed on Airbnb include countries in Europe, Asia, North Africa, and Latin America, but notably exclude the United States.

StatCan noted that on a seasonally adjusted basis, U.S. travel to Canada saw a small increase of 2.8 percent between February and March. However, Canadian travel to the U.S. declined even after adjusting for seasonal factors, with overall return trips falling 7.1 percent and automobile crossings down 11.7 percent.