The number of Canadians returning from road trips to the United States fell sharply in May compared to the same period in 2024.
Canadian-resident return trips by car totaled 1.3 million, a 38.1 percent drop from May 2024 — marking the fifth consecutive month of year-over-year declines.
Canadian-resident return trips from the U.S. by air also fell — by 24.2 percent — compared to May 2024.
The decline in Canadian-resident air travel from the U.S. accounts for the overall dip in return air travel.
While Canadians’ return travel by air declined by 3.7 percent overall, return air travel increased by 9.8 percent among Canadians returning from overseas countries compared to last May.
U.S. residents, meanwhile, traveled to Canada at a lower rate than they did last year but saw a more modest decline than their Canadian counterparts.
U.S.-resident arrivals to Canada by car fell by 8.4 percent and, by air, fell by 0.3 percent, compared to last May.
The decline in Canadian road trips to the U.S. continued a trend seen in prior months.
In April 2025, Canadian-resident return trips by car from the U.S. totaled 1.2 million — a 35.2 percent decline from April 2024. Canadian-resident return trips by air fell by 19.9 percent, compared to the prior month.
The overall tourism decline threatens to wipe out $12.5 billion from the American economy this year, NewsNation reported.
The decline in tourism comes as tensions between the U.S. and Canada have cooled under the Trump administration, as President Trump continues to muse publicly about making Canada a 51st state of America, which Prime Minister Mark Carney has repeatedly rejected as a nonstarter.
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