Canadians boycotting U.S. trips at record numbers while more Americans travel north

For the first time in at least five years, American travel to Canada has outnumbered Canadian visits to the United States, according to new data.

Statistics Canada released its latest international arrivals numbers on Monday. It found that 1.8 million Americans travelled north by car in July, while only 1.7 million Canadian residents returned by car from a visit to the U.S.

According to the report, Canadians visiting the U.S. by land saw a steep 36.9 per cent decline from July 2024. Comparatively, American trips to Canada in July declined 7.4 per cent from the same time last year.

It reveals a sharp switch-up after years of Canadian travel down south outnumbering Americans visiting Canada.

U.S.-resident trips to Canada by automobile, July 2019 to 2025. (Statistics Canada)

StatCan included cross-border travel data dating back to 2019 that shows the rare reversal in travel patterns. Canadians visiting the U.S. routinely outpaced American travel to Canada up until last month.

Travel data before 2019 also shows more Canadians travelling south each month since at least 2010.

Canadian-resident return trips from the United States by automobile, July 2019 to 2025. (Statistics Canada)

Canadian travel to the U.S. also declined by air. According to the report, though the number of Canadians returning from trips overseas increased 5.9 per cent from July 2024, the number of Canucks returning by air from the U.S. declined by 25.8 per cent compared to last year.

These declining U.S. travel numbers come amid an ongoing trade war between Ottawa and the White House.

According to a recent survey, a majority of Canadians would rather go on a road trip in Canada than cross the border to the U.S.

Sentiments towards travel down south began to sour when U.S. President Donald Trump first threatened tariffs against Canada. Soon after, more and more Canadians began cancelling their trips to the U.S. as a form of protest against the tariff spat.

"Recent data on foreign travel suggest that Canadians' travel sentiment toward their southern neighbour has been shifting in early 2025," reads an earlier StatCan report on the topic.

"The abrupt and steep declines in Canadian residents returning from the United States at the start of 2025 suggest a notable change in travel patterns."

The agency says it's currently unclear whether the change is temporary or part of a more permanent shift.