Canadians are flying back to the U.S. after three years of declining travel

Canadian resident return trips to the U.S. by air have increased for the first time in 34 months, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada.

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The figures, which reveal travel trends between Canada and other countries in July 2026, show that return trips to the U.S. by air edged up 0.6 per cent year over year to 567,000, marking the first increase since August 2023.

Combined with 2.2 million trips by automobile (a year-over-year increase of 12.6 per cent) and 26,400 by cruise ship, total return trips to the U.S. by Canadian residents reached 2.8 million in July, up 10.1 per cent year-over-year. This marked a fourth consecutive month of year-over-year growth, following 15 consecutive months of decline.

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April 2026 marked the first year-over-year increase in overall return trips from the United States since December 2024, when return trips by automobile rose by 5.8 per cent compared to a year earlier. Although return trips by air had fallen 8.1 per cent, the figures meant overall Canadian-resident return trips from the U.S. rose by 1.4 per cent that month compared to April 2025.

But despite this recent shift in travel trends, Canadian resident return trips from the U.S. remained 25.6 per cent below their July 2024 level.

Political tensions between Canada and the U.S. contributed to the drop in travel in early 2025, following tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump and his repeated suggestions that Canada could become the 51st state. Meanwhile, heightened security at the border also discouraged many from travelling south.

While the July figures suggest the decline in travel to the U.S. may be easing, the data covers a period before the latest escalation in the Canada-U.S. trade war.

In August this year, Trump threatened to impose new 50 per cent tariffs and, after talks between the two countries broke down, the levies on $28 billion worth of Canadian goods came into effect on Aug. 22.

On Aug. 27, Trump signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” ordering the Department of the Interior to update maps and databases with the new name.

These events have fuelled a renewed ‘Buy Canadian’ movement, with one Made in Canada Facebook group seeing views increase roughly 300 per cent in August compared to June this year, according to administrator Jayne Little.

That sentiment may extend to travel to the U.S., and it remains to be seen whether the recent increase in Canadians heading south will continue.

Meanwhile, travel to Canada by U.S. residents also increased in July. There were 3.5 million trips made that month, up 9.1 per cent from the same month in 2025 and marking the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year growth. Arrivals by automobile rose 7.5 per cent to 2.1 million, while arrivals by air increased 5.3 per cent to 832,100.

StatCan also highlighted the number of trips made via the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which opened on July 27 and connects Windsor, Ont., and Detroit, Michigan.

From July 27 to 31, 23,500 returning Canadian residents and 19,600 U.S. residents entered Canada via the Gordie Howe International Bridge by automobile, bus, motorcycle and other land vehicles.

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