Signs of a shift? StatCan data suggests Canadians may be warming up to U.S. travel

After more than a year of declines, Canadians travelled home in greater numbers in April 2026 compared with the same month in 2025, according to new figures released by Statistics Canada on Monday (May 11).

It marked the first year-over-year increase in return travel since early 2025.

Although air travel back from the United States dropped 8.1 per cent, car trips rose 5.8 per cent, resulting in an overall 1.4 per cent increase in return trips by Canadians from the U.S.

In total, Canadians made 3.2 million return trips from abroad in April 2026 — including both U.S. and overseas travel — up three per cent from a year earlier. This was the first increase in that measure since January 2025.

Canadian residents made 1.8 million return trips from the United States in April, while overseas return flights climbed 5.3 per cent to 1.3 million trips.

Travel volumes peaked on Easter Monday, April 6, when 149,000 Canadians returned from abroad, while the quietest day was April 22, with 85,600 return trips.

The agency also reported continued growth in travel by Americans visiting Canada. U.S. residents made 1.2 million trips to Canada in April, up 7.3 per cent from a year earlier, including 870,400 road trips and 320,500 air trips.

The Easter long weekend also drove the highest number of American visits to Canada, while April 14 recorded the fewest crossings.

Overall, April was the first month since December 2024 to show a year-over-year increase in total return trips from the United States, StatCan reports.

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