Canadian residents are returning to the United States in increased numbers, according to recent statistics released by Statistics Canada. In April 2026, Canadian residents returned from 2.4 million trips to the U.S., an increase of 1.8% from the same month one year earlier. This marks the first rise since January 2025.
Car trips drive the increase
The spike was driven by trips via car, which rose 8.1% to 1.5 million. Of those, 65% were same-day trips across the border and back. However, return trips by air decreased 7.1% year-over-year to 805,900, and return trips by cruise ship fell 38.5% year-over-year to 3,900.
Travel trends among Canadian residents had shifted downward amid political tensions between Canada and the U.S. In October 2025, the government noted that political tensions continued to affect travel plans, as discretionary automobile trips to the U.S. remained down by more than a third.
Political tensions affect tourism
Part of the political tension between the two nations was caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks about making Canada a “51st state” and the multi-faceted trade war involving tariffs on lumber, automobiles, steel, aluminum and other consumer goods.
As for overseas travel, the report said that the number of Canadian-resident return trips increased by 2.7% in April compared with the same month a year earlier, while trips to Canada by overseas residents declined by 6.7%.
Top overseas visitor countries
Despite fewer people from overseas visiting Canada in April, the United Kingdom remained the top country of residence for visitors from across the pond. The U.K., France and Mexico together accounted for 30.4% of all overseas arrivals.
