Canadian Travel to U.S. Sees Sharp 25.4% Decline in 2025
Trips by Canadian residents to the United States experienced a substantial drop of 25.4% in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to newly released data from Statistics Canada. The total number of trips south of the border reached 29.1 million last year, representing the first annual decline since 2016 when excluding the pandemic period.
Political Factors Influence Travel Patterns
The significant decrease in cross-border travel occurred alongside ongoing political tensions between Canada and the United States. Factors including threats of annexation by U.S. President Donald Trump, trade disputes, and continued diplomatic friction have impacted how and where Canadians choose to travel internationally.
"The year-over-year decrease occurred alongside continued political tensions between Canada and the United States and is the first annual decline since 2016 (excluding during the pandemic)," Statistics Canada stated in their official release.
Shift Toward Overseas Destinations
While travel to the United States declined sharply, Canadian trips to overseas destinations outside the U.S. increased by 9.2% to 14.2 million in 2025. This contrasting trend indicates a deliberate shift in Canadian travel preferences away from traditional U.S. destinations toward international alternatives.
Overall, Canadian residents took 43.3 million trips to and from abroad in 2025, representing a 16.7% decrease compared with 2024 figures. The number of trips made by Canadians to and from the U.S. last year was just two-thirds (66.4%) of the total observed in 2019 before the pandemic.
December Data Shows Consistent Trend
Statistics Canada released their full-year 2025 travel data along with monthly totals for December, which showed consistent patterns with the annual figures. In December alone, trips from the U.S. by Canadians decreased 25% year-over-year to 2.2 million trips.
U.S. trips accounted for 64.9% of all trips abroad taken by Canadian residents during December 2025. Meanwhile, U.S. residents took 1.6 million trips to Canada in December, representing a 7.5% decline from the same month in 2024.
Air Travel Patterns Reflect Broader Trends
The data reveals specific patterns in air travel between the two countries. The number of Canadian return trips by air from the United States was 718,400 in December, down 11% month over month. In contrast, resident return trips by air from overseas countries totaled 1.2 million, showing a 13.3% increase compared with the previous year.
Overall, Canadian residents returned from 3.5 million trips abroad in December 2025, representing a 15% decrease compared with December 2024. The Statistics Canada report highlights how political dynamics between neighboring countries can significantly influence travel behavior and tourism patterns.
