Highlights
During the third quarter, Canadian residents took 105.0 million trips in Canada and abroad, up 5.3% from the same quarter in 2023 and an increase of 3.4% from the third quarter in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the trips from July to September 2024 were domestic (89.9%), followed by trips to the United States (7.6%) and overseas (2.5%).
Domestic travel
In the third quarter of 2024, Canadian residents took 94.3 million domestic trips, up 3.9% from the same quarter in 2023 and an increase of 3.0% from the same quarter in 2019. The number of overnight trips totalled 36.7 million in the third quarter of 2024, while the number of same-day trips was higher, at 57.7 million.
Canadian residents frequently cited their main purpose of the trip as holiday, leisure or recreation (47.0%), followed by visiting friends or relatives (35.0%).
From July to September, Canadian residents spent $27.4 billion on domestic travel, and although this was little changed from the third quarter of 2023, it was an increase of 26.7% from the same quarter in 2019. In the third quarter of 2024, the average amount spent per domestic trip was $291 ($124 for same-day trips and $553 for overnight trips), with an average trip length of 1.3 nights. The top expenditure categories were accommodations (22.9%), vehicle operations (17.8%), and restaurants and bars (16.5%).
Travel to the United States
Canadian residents took 8.0 million trips to the United States from July to September, an increase of 16.1% from the third quarter of 2023 and up 6.3% from the same quarter in 2019. The number of overnight trips to the United States was 4.3 million in the third quarter of 2024, while the number of same-day trips totalled 3.7 million.
In the third quarter, the main trip purpose reported by Canadian residents was holiday, leisure or recreation (51.2%), followed by visiting friends or relatives (22.5%) and taking a special, non-routine shopping trip (14.9%).
Total expenditures by Canadian residents during trips to the United States reached $6.4 billion in the third quarter, up 5.7% from the same quarter in 2023 and an increase of 30.5% from the same quarter in 2019. In the third quarter of 2024, Canadian residents spent an average of $804 per trip to the United States ($133 for same-day trips and $1,388 for overnight trips), with an average trip length of 2.6 nights. Accommodations (39.1%) and spending in restaurants and bars (19.5%) represented the main expenditure categories.
Overseas travel
From July to September, Canadian residents returned from 2.6 million trips overseas. This was an increase of 31.8% from the third quarter of 2023 and up 6.5% from the same quarter in 2019. Most Canadian residents reported the main purpose of their trip was holiday, leisure or recreation (60.3%) during the third quarter of 2024.
The top three overseas countries visited by Canadian residents during the summer months of 2024 were Italy (318,600 visits), France (237,100) and the United Kingdom (226,300), similar to the summer of 2023.
Canadian visitors spent $6.8 billion overseas in the third quarter of 2024, up 19.9% from the same quarter in 2023 and an increase of 38.3% from the same quarter in 2019. In the third quarter of 2024, they spent an average of $2,582 per trip overseas, with an average trip length of 14.3 nights. The highest expenditures were for accommodations (40.7%) and food and beverages purchased in restaurants and bars (21.4%).
Cruise vacations
Spending by Canadian residents on cruises to the United States and overseas reached $203.6 million in the third quarter of 2024. This level was up 68.3% from the same quarter in 2023 and over double (+107.5%) compared with the third quarter of 2019.
Table 1: Travel by Canadian residents in Canada and abroad by trip purpose, third quarter of 2024
Note to readers
The National Travel Survey collects information about the domestic and international travel of Canadian residents.
All spending estimates are based on visit expenditures. Domestic visit expenditures include commercial air expenditures incurred at the point of origin of the trip. All data in this release are expressed in current dollars unless otherwise noted.
Readers are encouraged to review the concepts, definitions, data sources, methods, limitations, and summary of changes for the National Travel Survey, especially when making historical comparisons and examining specific regions.
Recent data on international travel by Canadian residents are available in the monthly publication titled "Travel between Canada and other countries." To explore current and historical data on arrivals in Canada in an interactive format, please visit the Frontier Counts: Interactive Dashboard.
Canada Post service disruptions
While Canada Post service disruptions delayed invitation letters in November 2024, Statistics Canada modified the collection dates for this period. The December mailing of invitation letters were largely unaffected given the timing of the end of the disruptions.
Products
Data from the third quarter of 2024 from the National Travel Survey are now available.
The Variable of Interest Tables have been created to provide data on travel and demographic characteristics from the National Travel Survey. They present statistics on the number of visits, expenditures, and the number of nights. Annual tables (2018 to 2023) are available at the provincial levels.
These tables, including statistical profiles of Canadian travellers, are available upon request.
Reference
Data table: 24-10-0045-01.
- Note: some data tables may best be viewed on desktop.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 5232.
Previous release: National Travel Survey, second quarter 2024.
Next release: May 30, 2025.
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).