OTTAWA — Canada’s reduction in travel to the U.S. in 2025 topped 7 million fewer visits – and that was almost entirely offset by an increase in both domestic and overseas visits, according to new data cited by Statistics Canada.

Looking at a year of travel data, stats show that Canadians made 7.1 million fewer visits stateside in 2025 compared with 2024.

Meanwhile the number of Canadians travelling domestically ramped up (+5.0 million visits YOY) and so did the number of Canadians heading overseas (+1.3 million visits YOY).

The numbers put in stark terms what the Canadian travel industry has seen over the past 18 months or so: a sharp turn away from transborder travel amid the trade war and ‘Elbows Up.’

As reported earlier this month, StatCan’s June 2026 numbers showed a small gain in Canada-to-U.S. cross-border car travel. While the year-over-year differentials are narrowing amid the ‘new normal,’ comparisons between 2026 and 2024 show a truer picture.

$3.3 BILLION DROP IN TRANSBORDER TRAVEL SPEND

Leisure travel from Canada to the U.S. dropped -21.5% in 2025, with stateside leisure travel down -3.2 million in favour of overseas options (+12.2%; +1.1 million visits).

The VFR market, less likely to be swayed by trade tensions, not surprisingly fared a bit better, with just a 9% decline.

Transborder travel spend is down too. StatCan notes that Canadian travel spending on visits to the U.S. fell $3.3 billion, for a total of $18.8 billion in 2025. Leisure travel spend took the biggest hit, dropping $2.2 billion to $12.1 billion.

Overseas, Canadians spent an extra $3.6 billion on international travel, for a total of $22.8 billion.

Domestic travel spend rose too, up 8.7% in 2025 vs. 2024, to $81.3 billion. The driving force was an 8% uptick in travel spend for leisure trips.

A link to a PDF version of the full report can be found here.