Canadians Ditch US Travel as Car Returns Drop 35%

According to Statistics Canada, the number of Canadian residents returning by car from the US fell nearly 35 percent year-over-year in September 2025.

This marks the ninth consecutive month of decline, indicating a persistent downward trend that is impacting both leisure and business travelers, with Canadians increasingly choosing alternative destinations outside the US.

In September 2025, only about 1.4 million Canadians made return trips by car from the US, representing a 34.8 percent decrease from September 2024. Air travel from Canada to the US also saw a significant 27 percent drop year-over-year, continuing a pattern seen in recent months.

Meanwhile, travel from the US into Canada also decreased, but only by about 5.3 percent in September.

This ongoing decline in Canadian visits to the US is connected to several factors:

• US tariff policies and trade disputes.
• Political rhetoric from US leadership that is seen as antagonistic toward Canada.
• Increased border security and immigration controls.

For years, Canadian tourists have made up the largest share of foreign visitors to the US, accounting for approximately 25 percent of all international travelers. Yet, as of October 2025, the numbers continue to fall.

The US is also experiencing a broader decline in international visitors, with arrivals from overseas down 2.9 percent in August 2025 compared to the same month a year earlier.

Photo by Ashley Ross on Unsplash