Canadian Trips to U.S. by Car & Air Increased in September: StatCan

Canadian travel to the United States continued to recover in September, with both automobile and air trips recording year-over-year increases.

However, the latest figures from Statistics Canada show that cross-border travel remains significantly below levels recorded two years ago.

According to preliminary data released Tuesday (Oct. 13), Canadian residents made 1.9 million return trips from the U.S. by automobile and air in September, an increase of 6.8 per cent compared to the same month in 2025.

It marked the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year growth in Canadian return trips from the U.S., although comparisons with 2024 paint a different picture.

Canadian return trips from the U.S. by automobile increased 5.6 per cent compared to September 2025, but remained 31.1 per cent below September 2024 levels.

Air travel followed a similar pattern. Canadian return trips from the U.S. by air rose 11.6 per cent year over year, but were still 18.7 per cent lower than in September 2024.

The figures suggest that while Canadian travel to the U.S. is showing signs of improvement compared to last year, cross-border traffic has yet to return to earlier levels.

U.S. Visitors to Canada Continue to Increase

Meanwhile, travel in the opposite direction continued to strengthen.

U.S. residents made 1.8 million trips to Canada by automobile and air in September, an increase of 17.2 per cent compared to the same month last year.

It marked the eighth consecutive month of year-over-year growth in U.S. visitation to Canada.

Automobile travel accounted for the largest share, with 1.3 million trips, up 19.5 per cent from September 2025.

Air arrivals from the U.S. also increased, climbing 12.2 per cent to 537,400 trips.

Statistics Canada noted that the sharp year-over-year increase in U.S. arrivals was partly attributable to a calendar effect, as the Labour Day long weekend fell one week later in 2026 than in 2025.

The busiest day for U.S. arrivals was Friday, September 4, ahead of the Labour Day weekend, when 124,200 U.S. residents entered Canada.

Canadian Overseas Travel Also Grows

Beyond the U.S. market, Canadian residents continued to travel internationally.

Return trips to Canada from overseas countries by air reached 1.0 million in September, representing a 3.2 per cent increase compared to the same month in 2025.

Combined with U.S. travel, Canadian-resident return trips from abroad by automobile and air totalled 2.9 million, up 5.6 per cent year over year.

Labour Day, September 7, was the busiest day for Canadian residents returning from international destinations, with 195,100 arrivals recorded.

Overseas Visitors Boost Canadian Arrivals

Canada also welcomed more visitors from international markets outside the United States.

Overseas-resident trips to Canada by air and automobile increased 7.3 per cent year over year in September.

The majority arrived by air, with 555,500 trips recorded, an increase of 7.5 per cent compared to September 2025.

Another 56,200 overseas-resident trips were made by automobile, up 6.0 per cent year over year.

Overall, international arrivals to Canada — including Canadian residents returning home, U.S. visitors and overseas travellers — reached 5.3 million by air and automobile in September, an increase of 9.5 per cent compared to the same month last year.