Travel between Canada and other countries

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January 2012 (Previous release)

Travel by Canadian residents abroad was down 1.0% to 5.0 million trips in January from December. This decrease is primarily the result of a decline in same-day car trips by Canadians to the United States.

Canadian residents made 4.2 million trips to the United States, down 1.6%.

Canadians made 2.4 million same-day car trips to the United States in January, a 4.0% decrease. This decline follows a 4.0% increase in December.

Overnight travel to the United States rose 1.8% to 1.8 million trips in January. This was the highest level recorded since record keeping began in 1972. Overnight plane travel by Canadians to the United States increased 3.9% to 640,000 trips. Overnight car travel rose 0.8% to nearly 1.1 million trips.

Moreover, travel by Canadians to overseas countries increased 2.4% to 776,000 trips.

In the other direction, travel from abroad to Canada was virtually unchanged at 2.0 million trips in January.

Same-day car travel by United States residents to Canada decreased 3.8% to 577,000 trips. This decrease was offset by a 2.2% increase in overnight travel to 985,000 trips.

Overnight car travel from the United States to Canada was up 0.4% to 562,000 trips, the highest level since December 2010. Overnight plane travel increased 5.7% to 299,000 trips in January.

Residents of countries other than the United States made 389,000 trips to Canada, almost the same as in December.

Of Canada's top 12 overseas markets, 7 recorded a decrease in trips to Canada. Despite a 2.7% decrease in trips, the United Kingdom remained the most important overseas market for Canada. The number of trips by residents of India decreased 16.0%, the largest decrease, while travel from the Netherlands increased 16.4%, the largest increase.

Note: Monthly data are seasonally adjusted.

Available without charge in CANSIM: tables 427-0001 to 427-0006.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 5005.

The January 2012 issue of International Travel, Advance Information, Vol. 28, no. 1 (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.

Table 1 Travel between Canada and other countries – Seasonally adjusted