New data from Statistics Canada shows the second monthly increase in Canadian travel to the U.S. since January 2025.
This past June, Canadian-resident return trips from the U.S. equalled 1.7 million, up 3.2 per cent from the same month in 2025. In addition, return trips via automobile also increased by 5.2 per cent.
The agency also notes a 3.8 per cent decrease in return trips from the U.S. by air.
Canadians are slowly starting to travel to the U.S. following the American administration’s trade war against Canada and U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to make the country into the “51st state,” resulting in a Canadian boycott of travel to the U.S. for more than 15 months.
Trump was sworn into office in January 2025.
“When comparing the number of trips in June 2026 with June 2024, a decline of 28.7 per cent was observed, driven by fewer trips by automobile (-29.6 per cent) and by air (-25.0 per cent),” according to Statistics Canada.
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The first uptick was recorded in April, when the number of return trips from the U.S. for Canadian residents increased 1.8 per cent year over year.
Overseas resident trips to Canada were up 5.1 per cent this past June from the same month a year prior.
More overseas residents arrived in Canada by air, a 5.8 per cent year-over-year increase, than by automobile.
The peak of this travel came on June 26.
Toronto and Vancouver hosted 13 FIFA World Cup matches from June 11 to July 2, encouraging a spark in travel to Canada.
Across a span of 15 overseas countries that played in Canada, total air arrivals from these nations were up 32.5 per cent in June compared to the same time last year.
In particular, air arrivals by Australian residents peaked on June 12 ahead of their World Cup match in Vancouver, while air arrivals by Panamanian residents peaked on June 16, the day before their match in Toronto. Panama also played Croatia in Toronto on June 23.
Air arrivals by German residents also reached its highest on June 19, the day before the country’s World Cup match against Ivory Coast in Toronto.
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