Highlights
In November, the preliminary number of international arrivals to Canada by air and automobile reached 4.8 million, up 8.4% from November 2023.
By air, the number of non-resident arrivals in Canada totalled 521,800 in November 2024, up 3.5% year over year. Meanwhile, the number of Canadian-resident return trips from abroad by air reached 1.5 million, a 6.0% increase from November 2023.
By automobile, US residents took 951,000 trips to Canada in November 2024, up 21.4% from the same month in 2023. The number of Canadian-resident return trips from the United States by automobile also rose, up 6.0% year over year to reach 1.8 million trips in November 2024.
All statistics in this release are based on the primary data sources for air and automobile arrivals (see Note to readers). To further explore current and historical data in an interactive format, please visit the Frontier Counts: Interactive Dashboard.
Non-resident trips to Canada by air
In November, non-resident arrivals in Canada by air totalled 521,800, up 3.5% year over year. These include arrivals by US residents (296,200) and residents of countries other than the United States (225,600). The highest number of non-resident arrivals per day (22,000) was observed on Thursday, November 21.
When data from Toronto Pearson International Airport Terminal 1 are excluded from the total arrivals (see Note to readers), non-resident arrivals in November represented 94.2% of the volume in November 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic (Chart 1).
Infographic 1: Trips to Canada by commercial aircraft, by country of residence, November 2024
Description - Infographic 1
Data table: Trips to Canada by commercial aircraft, by country of residence, November 2024
Source: Table 24-10-0056-01.
Chart 1: Non-resident trips to Canada by commercial aircraft, November, 2019 to 2024
Description - Chart 1
Data table: Non-resident trips to Canada by commercial aircraft, November, 2019 to 2024
Source: Table 24-10-0056-01.
Canadian-resident return trips by air
In November 2024, Canadian-resident return trips by air stood at 1.5 million, up 6.0% from the same month one year earlier. The highest number of arrivals per day (70,500) was observed on Sunday, November 17, surpassing the daily average for the remaining three Sundays of the month by 14.4%.
When arrivals at Toronto Pearson International Airport Terminal 1 are excluded from the total arrivals (see Note to readers), the number of return trips in November was 11.4% higher than the number of trips recorded in November 2019, before the pandemic (Chart 2).
Chart 2: Canadian-resident return trips from abroad by commercial aircraft, November, 2019 to 2024
Description - Chart 2
Data table: Canadian-resident return trips from abroad by commercial aircraft, November, 2019 to 2024
Source: Table 24-10-0056-01.
US-resident trips to Canada by automobile
In November 2024, the number of US-resident trips to Canada by automobile was 951,000, up 21.4% from the same month of 2023. From Wednesday, November 27, to Friday, November 29, and inclusive of Thanksgiving Thursday in the United States, an average of 52,700 US-resident arrivals per day was observed. This average was 66.8% higher than the average for the remaining Wednesday-to-Friday periods in November.
The total number of US-resident arrivals in Canada by automobile in November was 5.3% higher than the number of trips observed in November 2019 (Chart 3).
Infographic 2: Trips to Canada by automobile, by country of residence, November 2024
Description - Infographic 2
The title of the infographic is "Trips to Canada by automobile, by country of residence, November 2024"
This is a line chart.
The vertical axis shows the number of trips, from 0 to 180,000 by increments of 20,000.
The horizontal axis shows the days from November 1 to 30, by increments of one day.
There are two series in this chart.
The first series is United States residents. The lowest point in this line is 14,364 on November 18, and the highest point in this line is 53,714 on November 28.
The second series is Canadian residents. The lowest point in this line is 33,613 on November 28, and the highest point in this line is 104,900 on November 3.
Source: Table 24-10-0057-01.
Chart 3: United States-resident trips to Canada by automobile, November, 2019 to 2024
Description - Chart 3
Data table: United States-resident trips to Canada by automobile, November, 2019 to 2024
Source: Table 24-10-0057-01.
Canadian-resident return trips by automobile
In November 2024, the number of Canadian-resident return trips from visits to the United States by automobile totalled 1.8 million, an increase of 6.0% compared with the same month one year earlier. The number of trips on November 11, Remembrance Day, surpassed the average of the remaining three Mondays by 48.2%.
In November, the number of Canadian-resident return trips by automobile reached 94.1% of the number of trips observed in the same month in 2019 (Chart 4).
Chart 4: Canadian-resident return trips from the United States by automobile, November, 2019 to 2024
Description - Chart 4
Data table: Canadian-resident return trips from the United States by automobile, November, 2019 to 2024
Source: Table 24-10-0057-01.
Note to readers
This release provides an early indicator of travel based on preliminary data on international arrivals to Canada in November 2024. Complete counts for the November reference month will be available with the release of "Travel between Canada and other countries" on January 23, 2025.
All counts of arrivals by air are from commercial aircraft and are produced exclusively using primary inspection kiosk (PIK) data received from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). PIKs were deployed at Toronto Pearson International Airport Terminal 1 on June 22, 2021, and, as of July 2021, these arrivals are included in the total counts, which has consequently improved coverage. In 2023, PIKs captured 91.2% of all commercial air arrivals.
Counts of arrivals to the country by automobile through land ports equipped with the CBSA's automated Integrated Primary Inspection Line (IPIL) system represent a subset of US-resident trips and Canadian-resident return trips by automobile. In 2023, IPIL land ports captured 89.1% of all automobile entries.
Readers are encouraged to review the concepts, definitions, data sources and methods for Frontier Counts, especially when making historical comparisons and examining specific regions.
Selected estimates from the Canadian Tourism Activity Tracker for September 2024 are available upon request.
Reference
Data tables: Access the latest tables.
- Note: some data tables may best be viewed on desktop.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 5005.
Previous release: Leading indicator of international arrivals to Canada, October 2024.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).