Travel between Canada and other countries

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Canadian residents made 4.6 million trips abroad in October, up 3.3% compared with September. This increase was in large part due to a strong rise in the number of same-day car trips by Canadians to the United States.

The majority of trips abroad by Canadian residents, 3.8 million, were made to the United States in October. This was up 3.6% compared with the previous month.

Increases were registered in trips by Canadian residents to the United States in all modes of transport in October. The number of same-day car trips by Canadian residents to the United States rose 4.9%, while overnight travel by plane rose 2.0% to 595,000 trips, the highest figure on record. The number of overnight car trips also rose 2.0%.

Meanwhile, Canadian travel to overseas destinations also rose 2.0% to 769,000 trips, the highest monthly level on record.

In the other direction, the number of trips to Canada by foreign residents increased 1.2% to 2.1 million. This increase was the result of a rise in the number of trips by both American and overseas residents to Canada.

The number of trips by United States residents to Canada was up 0.8% in October. Overnight plane travel by US residents to Canada was up a substantial 7.3%. The number of same-day car trips by Americans remained relatively stable (-0.1%).

Residents of overseas countries made 380,000 trips to Canada in October, up 2.8% compared with the previous month.

Travel to Canada from 10 of the top 12 overseas markets rose in October. Switzerland (+14.7%), South Korea (+12.9%) and Hong Kong (+11.5%) recorded the strongest increases. The number of trips by residents of the United Kingdom, Canada's most important overseas market, rose 3.6%.

Note: Monthly data are seasonally adjusted.

Available on CANSIM: tables 427-0001 to 427-0006.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 5005.

The October 2010 issue of International Travel: Advance Information, Vol. 26, no. 10 (66-001-P, free), is now available from the Key resource module of our website under Publications.

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 or data quality of this release, contact Lotfi Chahdi (613-951-3136; lotfi,chahdi@statcan.gc.ca), Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics Division.