Travel between Canada and other countries, February 2025

Highlights

In February, trips to Canada by US residents decreased 5.3% year over year to 1.1 million trips. The number of trips to Canada by overseas residents fell 17.2%, the sharpest decline in a stretch of five consecutive months of year-over-year declines, which began in October 2024.

The number of Canadian-resident return trips from abroad (United States and overseas combined) was also down in February 2025, declining 11.2% compared with the same month in 2024.

Using seasonally adjusted data, on a month-to-month basis, non-resident arrivals (US and overseas residents combined) in Canada decreased 9.5% in February 2025. The number of returning Canadian-resident arrivals also fell, decreasing 4.8% from the previous month.

Trips to Canada by US residents decrease

In February, US residents took 1.1 million trips to Canada, down 5.3% from the same month in 2024. This marked the first year-over-year decrease in arrivals to Canada by US residents since March 2021. Most of the trips taken in February 2025 by US residents were made by automobile (72.8%) or by air (24.2%).

Arrivals by automobile (777,700) were down 6.5% year over year in February, marking the end of four consecutive months of year-over-year growth that began in October 2024. Over half (53.8%) of these arrivals were same-day trips. Meanwhile, air arrivals (258,500) edged up by 0.6% from the same month in 2024.

Chart 1: Change in US visitors entering Canada, by province or territory of arrival, February 2024 to February 2025, unadjusted data

.. not available for a specific reference period

Source: Table 24-10-0053-01.

Trips to Canada by overseas residents decline

In February 2025, 275,100 overseas residents arrived in Canada. The decline in February (-17.2%) marked the largest in a series of consecutive year-over-year decreases that began in October 2024. The majority (89.0%) of overseas-resident arrivals in February 2025 were by air.

The year-over-year decline in overseas-resident arrivals in February was primarily due to fewer arrivals from Asia (-27.3%) and the Americas (excluding the United States) (-27.2%). Asia is Canada's second-largest source market for overseas travellers, while the Americas rank as the third largest. In February, France (37,800 visitors) ranked first among countries of residence of overseas visitors for the first time since February 2023. It was followed by the United Kingdom (33,600) and Mexico (26,100). Together, visitors from these three countries accounted for 35.4% of all overseas arrivals in Canada in February 2025.

Chart 2: Overseas visitors entering Canada, by continent of residence, January 2019 to February 2025, unadjusted data

Source: Table 24-10-0050-01.

Trips abroad by Canadian residents continue to decrease

Canadian residents returned from 3.5 million (-11.2%) trips abroad in February, marking the second consecutive month of year-over-year declines.

Of those trips in February, 59.8% were by air (2.1 million), down 1.6% year over year. The number of Canadian-resident return trips by air from the United States was down 7.9% from February 2024. Other Statistics Canada programs, such as the one on screened passenger traffic at Canadian airports, reported similar trends. By contrast, the number of Canadian-resident return trips by air from overseas increased 3.2%, compared with February 2024.

In February 2025, return trips from the United States by automobile (1.4 million) declined by 22.5%, the first year-over-year decrease since March 2021. Of those trips to the United States by Canadian residents in February 2025, 69.2% were same-day trips.

Seasonally adjusted arrivals

Trips to Canada by US residents decrease

In February, the overall number of arrivals in Canada by US residents declined 10.9%, compared with January, marking the first monthly downturn since October 2024. Declines in same-day trips (-6.4%) and overnight trips (-13.6%) contributed to the February 2025 decrease. This marked the first monthly decrease in overnight trips to Canada by US residents since July 2024.

In February 2025, the number of US residents arriving in Canada by air (-7.0%) and by automobile (-12.6%) fell, contributing to the overall monthly decline in US-resident arrivals.

Chart 3: Percent change in US visitors entering Canada, by province or territory of arrival, January to February 2025, seasonally adjusted data

Source: Table 24-10-0054-01.

Trips to Canada by overseas residents fall

In February, the number of overseas-resident arrivals in Canada fell by 3.4% compared with the previous month. Canada's three largest overseas markets—Europe (-2.9%), Asia (-4.6%) and the Americas (excluding the United States) (-6.3%)—each saw decreases in arrivals from January.

By volume, the overall monthly decrease in February was driven by fewer visitors from Germany (-9.4%), China (-10.4%), Mexico (-8.7%), South Korea (-16.2%) and France (-3.6%).

Chart 4: Overseas visitors entering Canada, by continent of residence, January 2019 to February 2025, seasonally adjusted data

Source: Table 24-10-0051-01.

Canadian-resident return trips abroad decline

In February, Canadian residents returned from fewer trips abroad, down 4.8% compared with the previous month. This decline was driven by a reduction in automobile trips to the United States (-11.7%), which accounted for 69.1% of Canadian-resident return trips to the United States and 49.0% of overall Canadian-resident trips abroad.

Chart 5: Non-resident visitors entering Canada, January 2019 to February 2025

Sources: Tables 24-10-0053-01 and 24-10-0054-01.

Chart 6: Canadian residents returning to Canada from abroad, January 2019 to February 2025

Sources: Tables 24-10-0053-01 and 24-10-0054-01.

Focus on Canada and the United States

In February, Canadian residents returned from 2.2 million trips to the United States, a decrease of 17.7% from February 2024. Return trips from the United States represented 64.1% of all trips taken by Canadian residents in February 2025.

Meanwhile, US residents took 1.1 million trips to Canada in February, down 5.3% from February 2024. Trips to Canada by US residents represented 79.5% of all non-resident travel to Canada in February 2025.

For more data and insights on areas touched by the socio-economic relationship between Canada and the United States, see the Focus on Canada and the United States webpage.

Table 1: Travel between Canada and other countries — unadjusted data

Table 2: Travel between Canada and other countries — seasonally adjusted data