Around this time in 2020, COVID-19 restrictions had closed borders and limited our ability to travel internationally. Compared with November 2020, more than seven times as many non-resident travellers arrived from abroad at Canadian airports (excluding Toronto/Pearson Terminal 1) equipped with electronic kiosks in November 2021. At the same time, the number of Canadian residents returning from abroad via the same airports was over nine times greater than in November 2020.
Although that period saw a significant increase in international travel between Canada and the United States (US), since then the Omicron variant has created havoc both for travellers and for airlines, causing flight cancellations and encouraging new restrictions and advisories.
The opening of US land borders brought home 347,100 Canadian residents in Canadian-licensed automobiles through crossings with electronic sensors in November 2021, an increase from the 136,900 recorded in November 2020. This was still less than one-fifth (19.1%) of the 1.8 million such trips in the same month of 2019.
Though international travel restrictions may impede our vacation plans, such limitations prioritize the health and safety of Canadians. When the time is right, we’ll brush the dust off our passports and get back to the hustle and bustle of international travel.
Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).