Travel between Canada and other countries

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May 2011  (Previous release)

Travel to Canada by residents of the United States and other countries increased by 0.7% from April to May. While travel by Canadian residents to other countries was also up, travel to the United States declined.

Travel by US residents to Canada rose 0.5% to 1.6 million trips in May.

Overnight travel by US residents to Canada was up 1.2% in May compared with April, primarily the result of a 6.7% increase in overnight plane trips. At the same time, overnight car travel was down 2.3% to 534,000 trips.

US residents took 558,000 same-day car trips to Canada in May, down 0.7% from April.

Overseas residents took 379,000 trips to Canada in May, up 1.9% from April.

In May, 7 of Canada's top 12 overseas markets recorded increases. The largest gains in trips were by residents of Italy (+9.0%) and the United Kingdom (+8.8%). The largest decrease was by residents of Japan, down 4.9% from April to May.

At the same time, Canadian residents took 774,000 trips to overseas countries in May, up 0.8% from April.

Canadian residents took 4.2 million trips to the United States in May, down 1.7% from April. This included 1.7 million overnight trips to the United States, down 2.8% from April. This was mainly a result of a 5.2% decline in overnight car travel, as Canadian residents took just over 1 million overnight car trips to the United States in May.

Same-day car travel also decreased in May as Canadian residents took just under to 2.4 million same-day car trips to the United States, down 0.9% from April.

There was above average precipitation in some parts of the country in May, with major flooding occurring along the Richelieu River in Quebec, and along the Assiniboine River in Manitoba.

Note: Monthly data are seasonally adjusted.

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

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 5005.

The May 2011 issue of International Travel, Advance Information, Vol. 27, no. 5 (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, please 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 – Seasonally adjusted