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Travel between Canada and other countries

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May 2009 (Previous release)

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.

Table 1

Travel between Canada and other countries
  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
preliminary
revised
Percentage change is based on unrounded data.
Totals exceed the sum of "same-day car trips" and "total trips, one or more nights" because they include all of the same-day trips.
Estimates for the United States include counts of cars and buses, and estimated numbers for planes, trains, boats and other methods.
Figures for other countries exclude same-day entries by land only, via the United States.
Includes same-day and overnight trips.