Elbows down? Canadian travel to U.S. rises for first time in 15 months

After more than a year of declining interest in travel to the United States, Canadians are beginning to return south of the border in greater numbers.

New figures released Tuesday (June 23) by Statistics Canada reveal that Canadian-resident return trips from the U.S. rose 1.8 per cent in April compared with the same month a year earlier.

The increase marks the first year-over-year gain since January 2025, signalling a potential shift in travel patterns after an extended downturn brought on by various factors, from the weak loonie to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and annexation threats.

The rebound was driven largely by road travel, StatCan reports. Canadians made approximately 1.5 million return trips by vehicle during the month, an 8.1 per cent increase from April 2025. Nearly two-thirds of those journeys were same-day excursions.

Air travel, however, continued to weaken. Return trips by air fell 7.1 per cent year-over-year, with 805,900 Canadians flying back from the United States in April.

Overall, Canadians returned from 2.4 million trips to the U.S. during the month.

The latest figures contrast with March's results, when Canadian return trips from the United States totalled 2.6 million, down 6.4 per cent compared with March 2025.

The April increase suggests cross-border travel demand may be stabilizing after months of declines.

Younger Canadians head to the U.S.

Last month, Discover America Canada presented a U.S. travel update in collaboration with Jennifer Hendry, senior research associate at Signal49 Research (formerly The Conference Board of Canada).

According to research that was shared, more younger Canadians are heading to the U.S. this summer, and 42 per cent of those planning a U.S. trip are between 18 and 34, compared to just 29 per cent last year.

Hendry indicated this group is motivated less by geopolitics and more by experience, events, and accessibility.

The research also showed that sentiment toward U.S. travel is also gradually improving. A year ago, 69 per cent of Canadians said they were less likely to cross the border.

That figure has now come down to 63 per cent, which Hendry said is “still significant.”

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