According to data from Statistics Canada (StatCan), the number of Canadians travelling to and from the United States continues to slide as data shows that Canadian return trips by car declined for the twelfth straight month, as have Canada to U.S. flight volumes, a clear response to the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump and the changed geopolitical relationship between the two nations.
In December, 1.3 million Canadians returned from the U.S. by automobile, representing a 30.7 percent decline from the same period the year prior. December 28th was the busiest day for road travel at the border, with 73,800 Canadians returning to the country, which showed a 28.5 percent higher volume than the average Sunday in the month.
Similarly, the number of Canadians travelling to and from the U.S. via air travel recorded declines. December air traffic figures showed 470,700 Canadian passengers in December 2025, a decline of 18.7 percent over the previous year.
That is not to say that Canadians have reduced travel. Instead, Canadians are choosing other destinations around the world with return trips from overseas increasing to 1.1 million for the month of December, up 10.4 percent over December 2024.
There are also fewer Americans making the trip to Canada. A total of 981,800 American residents travelled to Canada by car, with the busiest days between December 26th and 27th, representing an almost nine percent dip over the same month the previous year.
Luckily, increased visitors from around the world helped offset that loss, which is especially being felt by small businesses in the U.S. and Canada, particularly those along the border, which rely on tourism for survival.
