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Overseas travel both to and from Canada decreased in May compared with April.
Travel from overseas countries declined 7.8% from April as 342,000 trips were taken to Canada. In May, 11 of the top 12 overseas markets recorded decreases, with Japan (-34.6%) recording the largest decline.
Canadians made 633,000 trips to overseas countries in May, down 9.8% from April. This was the largest monthly percentage decline since April 2003, when concerns regarding Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) began.
Travel from the United States to Canada decreased 1.1% in May compared with April to about 1.9 million trips. American residents took just over 1.0 million overnight trips to Canada in May, down 2.0%. Overnight travel by plane (-5.2%) registered the largest decline.
Same-day car travel from the United States decreased 1.3% from April to 746,000 trips in May, a continuation of a downward trend that started in July 2001.
In the opposite direction, Canadian residents took nearly 3.3 million trips to the United States in May, up 1.2% from April.
Same-day car travel to the United States rose 2.6% to over 1.7 million trips in May. At the same time, overnight travel to the United States was down 0.4% from April to 1.5 million trips.
The number of overnight car trips by Canadian residents to the United States in May was up 0.6% compared with April while overnight plane travel was down 3.7%.
Available on CANSIM: tables 427-0001 to 427-0006.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 5005.
The May 2009 issue of International Travel, Advance Information, Vol. 25, no. 5 (66-001-P, free), is now available from the Publications module of our website.
For more information, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-800-307-3382; 613-951-9169; fax: 613-951-2909; tourism@statcan.gc.ca). To enquire about the concepts, methods data quality of this release, contact Frances Kremarik (613-951-4240; frances.kremarik@statcan.gc.ca), Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics Division.
May 2008r | November 2008r | April 2009r | May 2009p | April to May 2009 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seasonally adjusted | |||||
thousands | % change1 | ||||
Canadian trips abroad2 | 4,462 | 4,028 | 3,948 | 3,917 | -0.8 |
To the United States | 3,797 | 3,328 | 3,247 | 3,284 | 1.2 |
To Other Countries | 664 | 700 | 701 | 633 | -9.8 |
Same-day car trips to the United States | 2,118 | 1,758 | 1,701 | 1,745 | 2.6 |
Total trips, one or more nights | 2,283 | 2,219 | 2,207 | 2,132 | -3.4 |
United States3 | 1,618 | 1,519 | 1,505 | 1,499 | -0.4 |
Car | 980 | 911 | 916 | 922 | 0.6 |
Plane | 534 | 508 | 497 | 479 | -3.7 |
Other modes of transportation | 105 | 101 | 91 | 98 | 7.2 |
Other countries4 | 664 | 700 | 701 | 633 | -9.8 |
Travel to Canada2 | 2,314 | 2,261 | 2,257 | 2,207 | -2.2 |
From the United States | 1,902 | 1,884 | 1,886 | 1,865 | -1.1 |
From Other Countries | 412 | 377 | 371 | 342 | -7.8 |
Same-day car trips from the United States | 767 | 754 | 756 | 746 | -1.3 |
Total trips, one or more nights | 1,450 | 1,414 | 1,411 | 1,362 | -3.4 |
United States3 | 1,049 | 1,046 | 1,049 | 1,028 | -2.0 |
Car | 615 | 630 | 652 | 632 | -3.1 |
Plane | 306 | 292 | 281 | 266 | -5.2 |
Other modes of transportation | 129 | 123 | 116 | 130 | 11.9 |
Other countries4 | 401 | 368 | 362 | 334 | -7.5 |
Travel to Canada: Top overseas markets, by country of origin5 | |||||
United Kingdom | 73 | 70 | 67 | 57 | -14.2 |
France | 36 | 34 | 36 | 35 | -4.6 |
Germany | 28 | 28 | 26 | 25 | -2.7 |
Australia | 21 | 21 | 18 | 17 | -6.9 |
Mexico | 23 | 22 | 20 | 17 | -14.1 |
China | 15 | 13 | 15 | 14 | -11.2 |
Japan | 24 | 17 | 19 | 13 | -34.6 |
South Korea | 18 | 14 | 12 | 12 | -3.1 |
Hong Kong | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | -8.5 |
India | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | -1.9 |
Switzerland | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 0.3 |
Netherlands | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | -20.2 |